Monday, October 24, 2011

New Fuel Tanks Hold 220 Gallons

I just filled three of Nellie's new tanks.  The two aft tanks take 55 gallons each, the port forward 65, and starboard forward 45.  The port aft was filled last month just after the tanks were installed.  Nothing like a 1000 mile sea trial to see if they work--we're five days into a 20 day trip to Miami. I worried about air leaks in the supply lines and so after priming them ran the engine, underway in the Intracoastal, for one hour on each tank.  I've now run all four together for 20 hours without incident.  

There's a 2" fill port on each inspection plate.  I filled via these using a 30 gpm pump—was sure a lot faster.  One retrofit will be to cut-off the neck of the fill port which extends several inches into the tank.  This makes the  last several inches of tank volume slow to fill because the diesel foam can't disperse beyond the fill port.  Live and learn.

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