Diesel in SS water tank. Now what?

[C lectric]

Ouch, I forgot to mention my tanks are aluminum which will not absorb diesel. It needs the Dawn washing and the alcohol but the diesel sits on the surface only. Hoses , of course, are another matter and if the fuel gets into the rest of the system then they will likely need to be changed unless you KNOW the contamination never got out of the tank.


Unfortunately if the tanks are plastic, HDPE or fiberglass, good as they are in other ways, the odds are you will never get rid of the taste. Those materials will absorb some of the diesel to continue to leach into the water.

Just a thought might be to heat the water , not boiling , to help release the diesel from the pores. Never tried it though.

 

[mvweebles]

UPDATE to an old thread. Recall, yard worker accidentally put around 80-gallons of diesel in my Stainless Steel water tanks (200g capacity). The diesel was NOT circulated through plumbing. I rinsed the tanks at least a dozen times, tried alcohol, tried Simple Green, etc. Was very time consuming and a sheen remained. What did seem to work was a commercial hot-water pressure washer. These pressure washers have a diesel-fired water heater than gets to near boiling temperature - extremely hot. Took away the sheen, but still worried about the byproduct.

When we were in San Diego a few weeks ago, we rinsed the tanks of Mexico water and refilled with California tap water from the docks, then had the water tested by "Simple Lab." To test for oil byproducts requires an upgraded test for about $300.

The 7 oil-related compounds (MTBE, Benzene, Toluene, and others) that were tested are completely remediated. But there are some other compounds, many of which are related to disinfectant products so may be from early cleaning efforts, or may be from residual Mexican water. There is also a wee bit of lead which is likely from the solder joints on my 1970 built boat.

Overall, decent news. My net-net takeaway is that if I had plastic tanks, I'd have been screwed (though no solder joints.....). I really think commercial hot water did the trick.

Peter

 

[psneeld]

UPDATE to an old thread. Recall, yard worker accidentally put around 80-gallons of diesel in my Stainless Steel water tanks (200g capacity). The diesel was NOT circulated through plumbing. I rinsed the tanks at least a dozen times, tried alcohol, tried Simple Green, etc. Was very time consuming and a sheen remained. What did seem to work was a commercial hot-water pressure washer. These pressure washers have a diesel-fired water heater than gets to near boiling temperature - extremely hot. Took away the sheen, but still worried about the byproduct.

When we were in San Diego a few weeks ago, we rinsed the tanks of Mexico water and refilled with California tap water from the docks, then had the water tested by "Simple Lab." To test for oil byproducts requires an upgraded test for about $300.

The 7 oil-related compounds (MTBE, Benzene, Toluene, and others) that were tested are completely remediated. But there are some other compounds, many of which are related to disinfectant products so may be from early cleaning efforts, or may be from residual Mexican water. There is also a wee bit of lead which is likely from the solder joints on my 1970 built boat.

Overall, decent news. My net-net takeaway is that if I had plastic tanks, I'd have been screwed (though no solder joints.....). I really think commercial hot water did the trick.

Peter

Those commercial hot water pressure washers are pretty slick.

The one company I worked for had like 4 of them to do environmental cleanup work, but were often used on big steel fishing vessels that had flooded engine rooms and bilge oil coated everything. The worst part of that (thankfully never my job) was it turned the engine rooms into giant steam baths. But they get the job done better than anything.

In conjunction with the hot water, Dawn, Simple Green and Purple Power were the detergents I remember usually sprayed on first. I started using Purple Power but have to be careful as it will take the shine off gel coat and dull paint or worse.

 

[mvweebles]

I had never seen one of these contraptions before. When the yard boss said he had borrowed a hot water pressure washer from the port, I was thinking a steam cleaner like the grocery store carpet cleaners you hook up to your kitchen faucet. Nothing could be further apart - the commercial thing gets scaldingly hot and is a bit dangerous if not used properly.

Configuration of my tanks allowed relatively easy access - tank is just a few inches beneath the deck fill opening so the long nozzle of the pressure washer could be bent slightly and really wash down almost the entire tank with direct blasts. Also, the tanks could be easily drained out the bottom into a bilge. I don't think many water tanks are so easily accessible so perhaps I'm just lucky.

I scoured the Internet and found all sorts of ideas using simple green, dawn, and vodka. I tried them all without much success - there was clearly a sheen visible in the surface. In the end, I think the scalding water was the only solution.

While I found a handful of people who had accidentally gotten diesel in their water tanks, I found none who followed up with a solution that worked for them. None of the folks who made suggestions had actually done it themselves. I suspect that the folks who had diesel in their water tanks were too embarrassed to post much, or didn't want to make it public knowledge what has happened.

Finally, I know of no one who actually had their water tested. I'm glad I did - all seven compounds that would indicate oil came up zero. As mentioned, test was relatively expensive but the yard and I split the cost. I held back a significant amount of money that I will now release.

Case closed on diesel in water tank. At least for me.

Peter

 

[SIBERNUT]

I'm coming into this late. If this happened to me wo any other resource, I would steam the tank. If put a wand into it connected to a clothes steamer and drain the tank, let it run. Or is there El Stanley steamer down there?
When I was hauling chemicals, the final step in cleaning the SS trailers was to steam them

 

[mvweebles]

I'm coming into this late. If this happened to me wo any other resource, I would steam the tank. If put a wand into it connected to a clothes steamer and drain the tank, let it run. Or is there El Stanley steamer down there?

When I was hauling chemicals, the final step in cleaning the SS trailers was to steam them

Your post came in a few seconds after mine so you may not have seen it. I agree with you - would only reiterate that the industrial steam cleaners have no parallel in the residential market.

Suggestion of Stanley Steamer is a good one. Would not have worked for me in Mexico, but a good suggestion for someone in the US, though I don't know if they have industrial strength cleaners.

I'd skip the Simple Green or Orange cleaners and go straight to steam. Despite sounding innocuous, I have to wonder if the markers for disinfectants found in the water test are from prior use of these compounds in failed effort to treat the tank.

Peter.

 

[Steve DAntonio]

Love hot water pressure washers for tank cleaning, fuel as well as water, no solvents or detergents needed.

If you haven't already done so, you can add carbon filter for the whole boat, to remove chemicals, metals etc.

 

[sunchaser]

Way back in the last century I pulled into a gas station with my Volvo and I said fill it up. The pump jockey thought my car was a two stroke Saab so added oil to the gas too. I killed mosquitos for a few hundred miles.

Then when GM started making diesel pickups in the early eighties the pump jockey filled the gas engine truck with diesel. Cratered my engine.

Then came gas added to a friend’s Bayliner holding tank by a marina attendant. The boat owner smelled gas coming out the tank vent when he peed.

When we bought our DF I was so happy for red and blue duct tape. Yup, placed them over the deck fills and I was the only one allowed to touch a fill hose.

So Peter thanks for sharing but what take aways for wrong hose miscues have been learned?

 

[psneeld]

Love hot water pressure washers for tank cleaning, fuel as well as water, no solvents or detergents needed.

If you haven't already done so, you can add carbon filter for the whole boat, to remove chemicals, metals etc.

Or at least a separate drinking tap in the galley.

I found that enough and easier on filters.

 

[mvweebles]

......
So Peter thanks for sharing but what take aways for wrong hose miscues have been learned?

No sage words of wisdom from me.

My water tanks are beneath the aft deck. On the aft deck are a pair of 4-inch bronze access ports that require a 2-prong spanner to remove. 3-inches beneath the access plates are the tanks with a 1-1/2" pipe flange with a cap to which a metal handle was welded. So to fill the water tanks, you remove the access plates and then the plugs. It's an unusual arrangement but works fine. The diesel tanks are standard deck fills above saddle tanks, albeit bronze and unmarked. There are no other deck fills as I have a compost toilet and no holding tank.

In this case, putting diesel into my unusual water tanks is, in my opinion, a tough mistake to make. Most boats have deck fills that are identical except for marking.

BTW - apparently the worker who did it claimed I had directed him to do so. That part really pissed me off and defied any logic given my Spanish is very poor, and I've owned the boat for over 25 years.

I categorize this one under "can't fix stupid."

Peter

 

[slowgoesit]

Tom, I've never had the wrong fuel put in my vehicles, BUT, I landed at the Dalles along the Columbia River back in the early 80's with a Cessna Turbo 210 for refuel. Went into the office, and asked that it be topped off with 100/130 Avgas. Choices at that time were 80/87, 100/130, and Jet A for turbine engines. The line guy went out, say "Turbo" on the side of the aircraft, thought "Turbine", and topped off the tanks with Jet A Turbine fuel . . . . I paid the bill, not verifying the type of fuel on the receipt, just the number of gallons (Jet A was pretty unreadable anyway), went out, checked the tanks visually, drained samples from the sumps, all was good, correct color, no water, all okay (Jet A is clear, so aside from the green of the 100/130 being slightly lighter shade, everything seemed okay.
Fast forward, walk around okay, startup, and take off were just fine. Still running the fuel in the carb/fuel lines. On climb-out the engine started running really rough, I went back and landed at the Dalles again. The engine quit during taxi to the ramp. They came out and towed me back to the ramp. We realized what had happened. I called the FBO where I had rented the plane. The end result was that the FBO's insurance replaced the engine. Even through it ran for less than 15 minutes with the Jet A in the tanks, and the engine was probably just fine, just needing flushing of carb/lines and tanks, for liability reasons the insurance paid for a new engine.

 

[KnotYet]

It's understandable that the engine would at the very least require rebuilding.
JetA mixed with Avgas lowers the octane rating to such a degree that detonation
is guaranteed with corresponding internal damage. Insurance did the right thing.

 

[slowgoesit]

2nd story (sorry Peter, for somewhat hijacking the thread, but you'll find this interesting!)
A story was recently related to me by a guy that had a trawler on the East Coast. He was fairly new to trawlers and purchased a Taiwanese trawler, I believe it was a Marine Trader, 44? Anyway, twin engine. Within a few months of purchasing it, he stayed at a marina for several days. The day they left, they checked everything out, fired up the engines, and left the dock. They got about a mile away from the dock, and both engines started running really rough, then quit. He tried restarting, no go. Checked the fuel filters, and they were full of crap. More on that later . . .

He got towed back to the marina, same slip.
After much investigation, they finally figured out what the problem was. . . .

• Turned out that what happened was that someone in the marina had requested that the Honey Boat pump out their boats holding tank.
• The Honey Boat went to the wrong slip, his boat.
• One of the fuel tank filler caps was incorrectly marked "Waste" instead of "Diesel". The previous owner accidentally dropped the original cap in the water, and had replaced the cap, but couldn't find a "Diesel" labeled cap, so replaced it with the only one he could find, which was marked "Waste" . . .
• The Previous Owner knew it.
• The Current Owner knew it, having been told by the Previous Owner.
• The cap key had a big tag on it stating that the STBD fuel cap was incorrectly labeled as "Waste".
• The only people who handled the fueling was the Owner and his Wife.

Here's where it gets REALLY stinky!

• The Operator of the Honey Boat went to the wrong slip (his boat)
• He identified the cap labeled as "Waste", started pumping out the tank.
• After pumping an estimated 40 gallons from the tank, he apparently realized from the color of the liquid filling his translucent plastic tank that he was removing fuel . . . . Now for the good part . . . .
• Instead of Stopping, and Admitting his Mistake . . . . .
• HE PUMPED ABOUT 40 GALLONS OF WHAT WAS MIXED UP IN HIS TANK BACK INTO THE FUEL TANK!
• Then he left, not saying anything to anyone . . . .
• Seeing what was going on, a neighboring boat owner came over, and when they realized what had happened, he told them that he had seen the Honey Boat at the boat the previous day, and the ball got rolling from there . . .

Sooooo, The operator of the Honey Boat stated that since the cap was mislabeled, he was not responsible for any damages incurred.

• The boat owner called the police, filing a police report for trespassing, as well as for damage incurred to his boat, stating that the mis-labeled cap would never have come into play if the Honey Boat Operator had gone to the correct boat and not trespassed on his boat. The police sided with the boat owner.
• The Honey Boat operator ended up paying to have a company pump the tanks, flush the lines, etc.
• The engines still ran rough.
• The Honey Boat Operator paid for rebuilding the injector pumps, as well as the injectors, which solved the running rough issue.
• The boat owner contacted the manufacturer of the engines (one of which had recently been rebuilt and was still under warranty) The company stated that the warranty on that engine was now void, and that the only way to re-establish the warranty was to rebuild the engines again . . . .

Ultimately, the Honey Boat operator settled, already having paid for the flushing, rebuilding of injector pumps and injectors, and now paying the owner for the estimated cost of rebuilding both engines, as well as reimbursing the owner for the "loss of use" up to that point, as well as an estimated 3 months of "loss of use" for the rebuilds.
The owner stated that he never did get the engines rebuilt, putting the money in a boat maintenance account. As the incident happened about 8 years prior, he figured he was money ahead! (Oh, and he replaced the cap with the correctly labeled one!)

The owner told me that he was convinced that the engines had suffered no lasting damage.


So, Peter, your problem could have been worse, MUCH worse!

 

[Comodave]

How would he have been able to suck out diesel? I haven’t seen a fuel tank that had the filler go down to the bottom of the tank. Or even down into the fuel, so when the honey boat operator applied suction to the tank it should have just drawn air in through the vent. The fuel fill is usually in the top of the tank. Maybe he could get a bit of fuel out if the tank was completely full but 40 gallons seems a stretch.

 

[mvweebles]

2nd story (sorry Peter, for somewhat hijacking the thread, but you'll find this interesting!)
..........
So, Peter, your problem could have been worse, MUCH worse!

Yes, there is always a "could have been worse" scenario. Whenever I feel a bit depressed by getting ripped-off by the Hack Team, I watch a couple episodes of American Greed to cheer me up.

Peter

 

[slowgoesit]

How would he have been able to suck out diesel? I haven’t seen a fuel tank that had the filler go down to the bottom of the tank. Or even down into the fuel, so when the honey boat operator applied suction to the tank it should have just drawn air in through the vent. The fuel fill is usually in the top of the tank. Maybe he could get a bit of fuel out if the tank was completely full but 40 gallons seems a stretch.

Dave, That one has me stumped as well. I can see the vacuum of the Honey Sucker exceeding the capability of the tank vent to make up air, but from what I've read, some tank manufacturers extend the tank fills down into the tank some in order to reduce turbulence and foaming during refill. So if that were the case, and the tank were somewhat full, you could remove fuel through the filler until the fuel level went lower than the fuel tank fill extension, allowing the related scenario to occur.

 

[Comodave]

Dave, That one has me stumped as well. I can see the vacuum of the Honey Sucker exceeding the capability of the tank vent to make up air, but from what I've read, some tank manufacturers extend the tank fills down into the tank some in order to reduce turbulence and foaming during refill. So if that were the case, and the tank were somewhat full, you could remove fuel through the filler until the fuel level went lower than the fuel tank fill extension, allowing the related scenario to occur.

Could be but I wonder how many Taiwan boats had that. I know mine didn’t extend into the tank.

 

[SteveK]

What if Honey boat sucked out from the correct tank, realized it was the wrong boat, and put it back into the fuel tank incorrectly marked. Naw that would just wrong.

 

[SteveK]

Peter, thanks for the follow up and the water test results. Should this happen we now know the cure.

 

[Delta Riverat]

No sage words of wisdom from me.

My water tanks are beneath the aft deck. On the aft deck are a pair of 4-inch bronze access ports that require a 2-prong spanner to remove. 3-inches beneath the access plates are the tanks with a 1-1/2" pipe flange with a cap to which a metal handle was welded. So to fill the water tanks, you remove the access plates and then the plugs. It's an unusual arrangement but works fine. The diesel tanks are standard deck fills above saddle tanks, albeit bronze and unmarked. There are no other deck fills as I have a compost toilet and no holding tank.

Peter

I would buy a set of metal stamps and mark those caps -

 

[Insequent]

I would buy a set of metal stamps and mark those caps -

I had labels cut/routered & painted on mine.

 

[Don L]

Peter

Do you think any of the chemicals used during the initial cleaning made any difference? i had a fuel leak recently and used "soap", enzymes, bio-bugs etc., but really they did nothing near as I could tell. By far the best was just water flushing and having the oil absorbance pads floating in the bilge to catch the oil worked best.

 

[mvweebles]

Peter

Do you think any of the chemicals used during the initial cleaning made any difference? i had a fuel leak recently and used "soap", enzymes, bio-bugs etc., but really they did nothing near as I could tell. By far the best was just water flushing and having the oil absorbance pads floating in the bilge to catch the oil worked best.

In my case, the various chemicals may have helped a bit, but hard to tell. Litmus test for me was whether I could see a sheen which I always could. I lost count of the number of times I rinsed the tanks with various concoctions - attached picture shows a sheen after at least 10 such rinses (difficult to photograph so you have to look closely). As you can see, I have unusually good access to the tank fill.

I'm sure the chemicals help, but the hot water got it to zero. Impressive considering my tanks are 100g each and have a baffle so it was the pure steam that did the trick. Not direct wash down.

Peter

 

[Flatswing]

Peter

Do you think any of the chemicals used during the initial cleaning made any difference?.

I had a friend who inadvertently filled his Bene 423 water tank with diesel a couple of years back. Pumped it out, flushed with Simple Green & water. I’ve been on the boat many times since, absolutely no trace of diesel in the water. I was sceptical initially, now I’m a believer, but hope never to test it myself

 

[mvweebles]

I had a friend who inadvertently filled his Bene 423 water tank with diesel a couple of years back. Pumped it out, flushed with Simple Green & water. I’ve been on the boat many times since, absolutely no trace of diesel in the water. I was sceptical initially, now I’m a believer, but hope never to test it myself

As mentioned, I rinsed over a dozen times and went through many gallons of simple green, some sort of enzyme digester, and alcohol. Odor was remediated fairly quickly but the sheen remained (my tanks have an unusual configuration so I could easily see the surface as shown in picture above - clearly shows a sheen which was what remained after at least a dozen rinses).

I'd be interested what a rigorous water test would show on your friends' boat (it's a $300 water test so I understand why no one does it). BTW, despite the implication of the name "Simple Green," it's not a non-toxic chemical. Easier to remediate than an oil based product, but not recommended for cleaning of potable water tanks.

Peter