Diesel in SS water tank. Now what?

[mvweebles]

I am so pissed off right now. First, diesel fuel was put on late yesterday. I cannot tell you how many times I said "I want to be at boat when fuel is loaded so I can mark the sight gauges."

Apparently that didn't sink in. So I asked Guillermo how much fuel on each side - he wasn't there either. This morning he tells me 45 gals - all to the starboard side. I go into the engine room and sight gauges are empty. Hmmmm.....

Turns out one of the workers put the fuel into my water tanks. BTW - this is the same worker Hack Team hired to paint the Chris Craft Roamer.....

I am crushed. But I need some advice. What's the best shot of sanitizing those tanks? Replacement isn't really a viable option so while this is an open forum and everyone's free to post, I'm looking for productive answers.

Thanks in advance.

Peter

 

[ranger58sb]

Gak! I think I'd feel your angst. Maybe one of the few times I might even consider the word rage.

You might message Peggie, in case she hasn't seen your note. I think she knows about water stuff, too...

I don't think its unsolvable. Maybe a deep breath will help... (easy for me to say...)

Is Guillermo your head yard dude? Has he suggested a path forward?

-Chris

 

[mvweebles]

I handle bad news pretty well. I remind myself to keep an eye on the prize. I called a place in San Diego that does industrial tank cleaning, but they only work on big tanks. He was however happy to offer some tips - and he was optimistic.

1. Need to install inspection ports. Luckily, there is room to do that.
2. Of course clean-out as best possible.
3. Rinse a gazillion times
4. I asked for a product recommendation - he said they use "Purple Power" which I guess is an enzyme based product. Available at Home Depot. There's a HD here in Ensenada that I will go to, but it's a much different store than the US based HDs.

Guillermo is working on a solution too - as a good friend likes to say "Turd is in his pocket now." I informed I was extremely disappointed at the carelessness; and concerned about the safety of the water. In a nice a way possible, final payment will be witheld until the water tests safe; and I can no longer extend my apartment so after Sunday, I'll be deducting living costs from final balance too.

I have little doubt he will make it right. I've obviously been wrong before, but this one is so clearly on La Costa.

Worst day in a while for me.

Thanks - Peter

 

[twistedtree]

Well there's a curve ball for you...


Was there water in the tank? And do you have access through an inspection port of any kind? What I'm thinking is that the fuel will float on any water, and if there is any way to skim it off before it gets mixed in any way, or comes in contact with more of the tank and plumbing, that would be good.



Otherwise I'd probably try to pump it out from the deck fill, lowing the suction hone in just enough to draw from the top surface as much as possible.


Also shut off any valves where the water gets drawn from the tank to keep the plumbing system from getting contaminated.


Once the tank is empty, I'd fill with water and a soap that breaks down oil. I think Dawn is supposed to be good. Fill full, soak, drain, repeat. As the fluid level drops, the sides of the tank will get coated with any residual diesel, and that will need to get cleaned, so important to fill the tank all the way to overflow when cleaning. If you have any sort of inspection port it will be a lot easier, but I suspect you don't.



Probably also remove the fill hose and wash that out of the boat so you can get it really clean. Also consider whether the fuel on that hose will have damaged the hose in any way, or permeated it. Maybe just replace the hose to be sure.

 

[Comodave]

I would get a fairly big water pump and a PVC pipe that will fit down the filler hose, hopefully it is a straight shot. Suck out the diesel, fill the tank with whatever cleaner the pros recommend and suck it out many times. Can you get a pressure washer with a 90 on it down into the tank? Maybe spray the sides and suck it out frequently. What a PITA, I feel so sorry that this is what you will remember about your refurbishment.

 

[Cigatoo]

I agree with agitating a mixture of Dawn and water. Drain tank and repeat. God only knows how many times. If you can get it Dawn Power Wash is supposed to do an even better job with grease and oil. https://www.amazon.com/vdp/0fa660b50d38472ca16d93b487c287b1

 

[Comodave]

I use Extreme Simple Green for heavy duty grease removal. It works way better than Dawn, but I am not sure if it is food grade safe or not. They use it for cleaning aircraft.

 

[Delta Riverat]

That sucks. I guess the guy can't read eh?

All my deck fills are engraved (stamped) with diesel, water or waste with capacity on all but waste.

 

[sunchaser]

Weebles
Feel happy it is a SS tank. The smells should dissipate quickly after a good tank cleaning. Did any contents of that tank get pumped from the tank to the water system? Be sure to turn off your house water pump.

All will be OK other than the feeling. As mentioned, empty and flush a lot with a good non toxic emulsifier.

 

[Delta Riverat]

If it did get into the plumbing you can back flush that too with the soapy water.

 

[kehoff]

I agree with getting it thru an access or right at the tank nipple to keep it out of the pump and piping , a cheap fuel pump should pump the fuel off the top , put it in a 55 gal drum to separate it the rest of the way , some one will want it for home heating , then pick your poison to clean the tank

 

[Insequent]

Once tank is as clean as its practical to do in time available have filters added after the tank outlet and before the pump. Probably a couple of different types in the circuit before point of consumption.

 

[garbler]

The fuel will cling all the way down the tank walls. It sure would have been easier to have pumped water into a fuel tank but. I worked on a large LCU that transported potable FW in one 30k gal tank plus fuel. Same accident happened. We hired a Butterworth tank cleaning crew and after two trips it wouldn’t pass USCG lab tests. Company hired a crew to spray line this big tank plus three days of hot water cure. Diesel oil is not really easy to remove not like gasoline or even clean kerosene. You can probably install decent in-line filtration to hopefully catch this stuff before your faucets but I guessing you’ll still have contaminated tanks. I wish I could pass on a real answer for your problem but without 100% internal tank access or removal I’m at a loss.

Good luck
Rick

 

[firehoser75]

Peter,
So very sorry to hear this bad news!!
Glad you seem able to "take it" as well as it seems you have.
If it were me, the largest consideration would be whether or not I use the tank for drinking water. If not, then a very, very thorough cleaning (keeping contaminates out of the rest of the water system) MAY be "good enough"? After cleaning, test the water for smell and/or contaminate level before accepting.

However, if I was using this tank for drinking water and wanted to continue to do so, I don't think the odds of "getting it back" to safe levels is very good. Tank replacement or a professional interior coating (after thorough cleaning) may be needed? JMHO, and I am not a "water or tank" expert. However, I do not mess around and/or take chances when it comes to my family's health and safety, and continuously drinking contaminated water is potentially very bad.
Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

[garbler]

As a victim of fuel oil fouled water tanks I can at least tell you what you can expect by drinking contaminated water. Diarrhea and cramps is the symptom that comes to mind. It doesn’t take much but it will be hard to forget. Just remember it only takes a few drops of diesel on a ripe mosquito pond to kill them off.

Rock

 

[mvweebles]

I just returned from Weebles. I'm fairly optimistic. A couple of favorable items. As Sunchaser mentioned, tanks are stainless steel. If they were plastic, would be screwed I think. Second. the crossover valve to the second 100g tank was closed and nothing reached the house plumbing. Issue is definitely confined.

The guy who made the mistake is doing penance - he is tasked with the lions work of cleanup, I suspect on his own time. Guillermo consulted with an industrial cleaning outfit and has a protocol that includes detergent, then simple green, then an enzyme treatment, and multiple rinses along the way. He totally supports testing the water for toxicity as the final litmus test. Given there is an objective test in order to declare victory, and I owe a fair chunk of change, I'm good with the approach. Insequent - adding filtration is a good idea. Thanks.

Peter

 

[Pete Meisinger]

First Off, Don't drink the water..

Since diesel is lighter than water and most water tanks drain from the bottom your whole system is not contaminated.

Pull off the drain pipe and drain into the bilge until you start getting diesel. Then collect the diesel via gravity or a pump until the tank is empty. Then start the cleaning process, it probably won't be all that bad.

It will be a long time before the water is completely odor free but after a few rinses it should be OK to use domestically, but still don't drink it.

pete

 

[Flatswing]

My friend did this on his sailboat. Obviously drain & rinse several times. He found simple green was the best thing he tried. Got rid of the diesel smell and taste completely. I’ve been on and cruised on his boat several times shortly after. Would never have known without him ‘ fessing up.

 

[Island Cessna]

You sure did not deserve this (hopefully final) kick in the teeth. My sincere condolences..

This experience may not be relevant, but it is at least obliquely boat related. I have used a small olive oil bottle on the boat for several years, refilling it as needed from the big can of my favorite cooking evoo at home. Last fall it took on a rancid odor, so I brought it home to clean. Several wash/rinse cycles with Dawn and hot water made no improvement in the odor. Before giving up I tried hot water and Cascade liquid dishwasher detergent. Presto, one treatment and it is fresh as a flower and ready to refill.

Like Dawn well rinsed dishwasher detergent is obviously food safe, but in its day job it cuts grease, oil, and crud with only water agitation, not mechanical scrubbing. I suspect hot water is necessary. If the yard has a steam cleaner that could be the heat source, and some air for agitation.

You will get this fixed, and it will make an amusing final chapter in your “dear diary” story..

Bill

 

[draakken]

There are lab tests, and standards for a variety of contaminates found in diesel, one example, US EPA says max permissible level for benzine, is 0.005 micro-grams per liter. Choosy states, like California says 0.001.



that is 1 g of contaminant per 1,000,000g of water. about 2cc's per 1000 liters. 40 drops from an eye dropper in about 250 gallons of water would be over the limit.



It is an incredibly minuscule amount.



You'll want samples from every tap on the boat, preferably after the water has sat for a bit of time to allow anything that is miscible to have a chance to enter the water. You'll want a first draw, and a draw after the tap has run for a minute or so, that way anything in the lines has made it to the tap for sampling.



Even if the tanks test clean enough, you'll want to have the option to re-test in 6 months or so that way if seaway motion knocks some fuel loose from a poorly cleaned corner you have some recourse. I'd suggest you put some money into an escrow account that is releasable after a 6 month from now clean set of tests.



You will absolutely want some protective filtration. You might only need to put it at point of drinking, say galley sink, vs for the entirety of the water system. I say at point of use because the other thing I'd do is run the water maker, and use fresh water like crazy, and keep flushing the system.



We had a saying in the hazmat biz, 'sometimes dilution is the solution'.

 

[ofer]

Hi Peter.

I don't have a solution but wanted to tell you that my heart just sunk this morning.

when I saw the title for the thread the last thing on my mind was that you will be the author.

its just very sad to me that you have to go through it at this stage of the game.

Thanks for sharing your major refit with us.

 

[Iggy]

I feel bad for you and wish all the luck in the world to fix this.

 

[bowball]

Peter, you of all people didn’t deserve this I hope you have a prompt and complete solution. All the best going forward.

 

[mvweebles]

Wow!!! What kind thoughts - thanks a lot.

Yesterday was definitely a one-step-backward type of day. But today is a new day. A plan is in place and I have everyone's attention on the importance of getting this right. Knowing I can test the outcome is a relief.

I was stopped at a traffic light when i saw TwistedTree's note "That's a curveball...." It struck me as really funny and timing for levity was good.

Peter

 

[Bmarler]

I wonder what chemicals they use on processing fishing boats. They are dealing with fish slime and oils on the stainless equipment every day. That stuff all has to pass tests to be put in service after cleaning. I was thinking they start with a caustic, then switch to something else to neutralize and rinse.

 

[rslifkin]

Fortunately stainless is pretty inert and non-absorbent, so I expect that once it's adequately cleaned, you won't be able to tell. Only concern would be possibly needing to replace the fill hose and any feed hose before the first shut off valve.

 

[SteveK]

Peter, any chance to add a water tank and re purpose this one to fuel. Longshot.

 

[mvweebles]

Peter, any chance to add a water tank and re purpose this one to fuel. Longshot.

If I had made the mistake, I might consider. But since it was dumb mistake by the yard, I want it right on this one. I'm pretty easy to work with, and fully understand mistakes happen . But this one ignored a lot of check-points.

Also, I simply do not need to carry more diesel. I'm not sure exactly how much I carry (which is why I was so adament about being aboard when fuel was loaded to mark sight glass). But I know it's north of 400g, probably north of 450g. A sistership went to Hawaii and burned 335g of diesel. I want 1500nm of range to give me options for refueling. After that, dead weight.

Peter

 

[Portage_Bay]

I've read the entire thread. I hope I never encounter this but I see how it could happen. Water tank and fuel tank fills are all very close together on my boat.

Maybe start with a product called Oil Eater. Amazing stuff. Best thing I've ever seen to get oil off of anything. Then you'd need to clean that out.

Several suggestions to use Simple Green. If you go that route I suggest the unscented Simple Green. I find the scent offensive and difficult to get rid of. I can't image what it tastes like.

Bmarler asks about the chemicals uses on fishing boats. Another process to learn about might be the cleaning and sanitizing of bulk milk tanks. They are stainless and must be 100% clean. Milk does contain oily fats. Not the same as diesel of course but there might be something to learn from the process. We used to use Ospho to prep rusty steel for painting. I was told it is one of the agents used in bulk milk tank cleaning. I can't verify that.

 

[SteveK]

I've read the entire thread. I hope I never encounter this but I see how it could happen. Water tank and fuel tank fills are all very close together on my boat.

......................

On my first fuel fill (without my glasses on) I could read diesel. The fill beside it appeared to say water so I filled it right full, but it turned out to actually say waste. Now I wear my glasses.