Engines fail when fuel gets sludgy or contaminated by water or microbes. And always at the worst time. Learn how to clean our fuel—yourself!
Links:
Jabsco Drill Pump Kit (Amazon)
12-volt Diesel Pump with Alligator Clips (Amazon)
Mr Funnel Fuel Filter (Amazon)
Mr Funnel Fuel Filter (large) (Amazon)
Shaker Siphon (Amazon)
Prefer to read? Check out DIY Fuel Polishing.
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Music: “Slow Down” by Yvette Craig
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Fred Brillo says
I first read about DIY fuel polishing a little more than a year ago after I bought my New to Me, 1987 Watkins 29 from a seller in Cape Coral Florida. As part of the sale, he noted that the fuel tank was full. He neglected to tell me that half of the fuel was water.
I had contacted a couple of fuel polishing companies here in Ft. Lauderdale, but none were interested in doing only 15 gallons of fuel.. They all wanted to do big sport fishermen with 500 gallon tanks. Not to mention that my boat has terrible access to the fuel tank inspection port where they would insert their wand to suck out the fuel..
I disconnected the fuel line where it enters the racor filter and connected it to a $25 12v pump from Amazon. I pumped all the fuel from the tank, about 15 gallons into 2 6 gallon empty outboard gas tanks from my Boston Whaler, and to some other empty gas jugs I had handy.
I closed them up and let them sit for 3 days in the cockpit, undisturbed for the contaminants to settle out.
I bought one of those Mr. Funnel Filters from Northern Tool and then carefully pumped the fuel back into the main tank, leaving a gallon or two of contaminated fuel in the outboard gas tank…The Mr. Funnel Filter is amazing. What little water I got from the contaminated tanks was trapped in the filter.
Of course I changed my racor filters and the on engine filter element… That was January of 2019, and Ive not had a fuel problem since. I still probably have a bunch of gunk at the bottom of the tank, but in the past year, Ive not found anything in the filters worth mentioning…
All the contaminated fuel was given to our local volunteer fire department to use for training purposes… they use it to teach fire fighters how to fight petroleum fires.
The article was really helpful.
Carolyn Shearlock says
Great idea on giving the contaminated fuel to the fire department! Never heard of that before, but I’ll remember it and pass it on.