WHAT DID I DO????????????????????????????-gctid819117

[tonyiiiafl]

Just got HOLODECK back from the shop after hitting a rock and damaging a prop. Anyway, I am tired, been going for 36 hours now. Anyway, I placed her in the slip, hooked up the electric cords and before hooking up the water hose, I decided to top off the water tank. Walked over, took the cap off, stuffed the hose inside and turned on the water. Walked away for 3 minutes and started to smell GASOLINE! OH YES! I stuck the hose inside the port gas tank!!!!!! The tank was full, so who knows how much water went in. There was gas all on the water, which evaporated quickly. BUT NOW I HAVE ABOUT 10 gallons of water in the port tank. Anyone else ever do this dumb a$$ed thing? Will I need to drain the entire tank? Can I get a suction hose down the bottom and try and get only the water? Any additive that will mix with the water?

I am so sick to my stomach over this one. I am going to paint the gas caps red tomorrow and the water fill blue. But that doesn't fix this! Suggestions??

[Jim_Gandee]

I would think a good fuel polisher could extract the fuel, filter the water out and return the clean fuel to your tank(s). This is not the end of the world.

[SomeSailor]

It's actually quite easy. Buy a small electric transfer pump, connect it to your fuel pickup fitting on that tank. Buy a couple of CLEAN white 5 gallon buckets. Transfer the fuel (5 gallons at a time) into the buckets. If you take your time, the water will be VERY clearly visible as it comes out and will stay in the bottom of the buckets. Pour off the clean fuel and transfer it to the other tank if possible or burn it in your car if not.

Drain the tank completely and let it air dry. The water will evaporate and the tank should be allowed to be bone dry before recommissioning. Take your time and its a very simple task. Make sure the transfer pump is fuel safe and no sparks and you'll be done in a few hours. May take a few days for the tank the dry once drained.

[Old_Man_With_A_Boat]

Like Jim said, it's not the end of the world. I had to do the same thing with my tank of diesel fuel. I got a fuel transfer pump from Amazon. Got some clear plastic hose from Lowe's. Removed the fuel level sending unit from the top of the tank. Plastic tubing kept bending and would not stay on the bottom of the tank. So I stuck a one quarter inch dowel in to the hose to keep it straight. Pumped from the bottom of the tank into a five gallon container and removed the water. Hope this helps.

[Eyeman]

How large is your fuel tank? Pick up a pump and tubing at Harbor Freight. A drill driven unit is acceptable. I've removed all fuel via the fill cap, but you may need to remove the sending unit and pump from there. 5 gallon buckets with covers is probably your best bet. I used a 55 gallon drum which is way to heavy to manage, unless you have a fork truck. Take the waste fuel to the county recycling center. Refill the tank and after it's almost empty, change the fuel/water separator. Keep in mind gasoline floats on water, so try to suck from the bottom of the tank. PITB and time consuming.

[2850Bounty]

First and foremost...... notify the immediate authorities regarding your delima.

There are no doubt strict rules regarding handling gasoline as per what will be required for doing what needs to be done.

The other issue would be liability.

Perhaps by contacting the authorities, you will find assistance.

The water within your fuel tank will eventually settle to the bottom. This is when you will want to begin pulling the water from the tank by using the existing fuel pick-up tube.

Using a correct and safe procedure and pump system, extract the water.

Please DO NOT use a Harbor Freight electric transfer pump or anything that could pose risk.

As Mike said, the water will typically come out clear, and will remain clear until you reach the point of the over-laying gasoline.

At this point, you will need to either properly dispose of it, or allow it to further settle out and separate and become usable again.

I would also suggest installing a good Parker- RACOR true water separating Fuel Filter system, and would be vigilant re; draining the bowl.

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