Got Algae in the diesel for my sailboat engine. Coulda been in the Bahamas but I'm not sure. Water separator actually had algae "mud" half filling it. I changed all filters, put in biocide and ran engine for hours. Now, problem seems to have returned. My daughter was sailing her out of Julington Creek and had to get towed in after dark (no wind at all) because engine would start but refused to run under any load. I havent been over to Jacksonville to verify this is the algae problem but considering how bad it was before and I never rinsed the tank......
So, removing the tank is not too hard but what then? What do I use to get the algae off the Aluminum tank walls (only real access is the 2" fuel sender opening). Must be some sort of high pressure spray thing I could spray diesel through against the walls.
Maybe empty all the diesel and fill with water clorox solution and spray it with a pressure washer. How would I go about drying out the water from the inside.
Can the old diesel be filtered or do I just use it for lighting fires (18 gallons).

On 2/28/2016 12:32 AM, Frogwatch wrote:
Got Algae in the diesel for my sailboat engine. Coulda been in the Bahamas but I'm not sure. Water separator actually had algae "mud" half filling it. I changed all filters, put in biocide and ran engine for hours. Now, problem seems to have returned. My daughter was sailing her out of Julington Creek and had to get towed in after dark (no wind at all) because engine would start but refused to run under any load. I havent been over to Jacksonville to verify this is the algae problem but considering how bad it was before and I never rinsed the tank......
So, removing the tank is not too hard but what then? What do I use to get the algae off the Aluminum tank walls (only real access is the 2" fuel sender opening). Must be some sort of high pressure spray thing I could spray diesel through against the walls.
Maybe empty all the diesel and fill with water clorox solution and spray it with a pressure washer. How would I go about drying out the water from the inside.
Can the old diesel be filtered or do I just use it for lighting fires (18 gallons).


Find a company that does mobile fuel polishing. They should use a long
pickup tube that reaches the bottom of the tank and can be moved around
to it's corners and a return nozzle that the operator can manipulate to
spray the walls of the tank under pressure.

The biocide you added probably killed most or all of the "critters" but
their dead carcases are still going to clog your fuel filters and lines.
If you have any water at all in the fuel they are likely to return.

On Sat, 27 Feb 2016 21:32:59 -0800 (PST), Frogwatch
wrote:

Got Algae in the diesel for my sailboat engine. Coulda been in the Bahamas but I'm not sure. Water separator actually had algae "mud" half filling it. I changed all filters, put in biocide and ran engine for hours. Now, problem seems to have returned. My daughter was sailing her out of Julington Creek and had to get towed in after dark (no wind at all) because engine would start but refused to run under any load. I havent been over to Jacksonville to verify this is the algae problem but considering how bad it was before and I never rinsed the tank......
So, removing the tank is not too hard but what then? What do I use to get the algae off the Aluminum tank walls (only real access is the 2" fuel sender opening). Must be some sort of high pressure spray thing I could spray diesel through against the walls.
Maybe empty all the diesel and fill with water clorox solution and spray it with a pressure washer. How would I go about drying out the water from the inside.
Can the old diesel be filtered or do I just use it for lighting fires (18 gallons).

Put a gallon of E10 or better E85 gas in it. That will suck up all the
water and it also has somewhat of a cleaning factor. You still have
the problem of getting rid of the gas but it will clean your tank.
It is not environmentally sound but good old boys use gas to kill fire
ants.

Frogwatch wrote:
Got Algae in the diesel for my sailboat engine. Coulda been in the Bahamas but I'm not sure. Water separator actually had algae "mud" half filling it. I changed all filters, put in biocide and ran engine for hours. Now, problem seems to have returned. My daughter was sailing her out of Julington Creek and had to get towed in after dark (no wind at all) because engine would start but refused to run under any load. I havent been over to Jacksonville to verify this is the algae problem but considering how bad it was before and I never rinsed the tank......
So, removing the tank is not too hard but what then? What do I use to get the algae off the Aluminum tank walls (only real access is the 2" fuel sender opening). Must be some sort of high pressure spray thing I could spray diesel through against the walls.
Maybe empty all the diesel and fill with water clorox solution and spray it with a pressure washer. How would I go about drying out the water from the inside.
Can the old diesel be filtered or do I just use it for lighting fires (18 gallons).

Steam? After it's drained, of course.

On Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:51:49 -0500, Alex wrote:

Frogwatch wrote:
Got Algae in the diesel for my sailboat engine. Coulda been in the Bahamas but I'm not sure. Water separator actually had algae "mud" half filling it. I changed all filters, put in biocide and ran engine for hours. Now, problem seems to have returned. My daughter was sailing her out of Julington Creek and had to get towed in after dark (no wind at all) because engine would start but refused to run under any load. I havent been over to Jacksonville to verify this is the algae problem but considering how bad it was before and I never rinsed the tank......
So, removing the tank is not too hard but what then? What do I use to get the algae off the Aluminum tank walls (only real access is the 2" fuel sender opening). Must be some sort of high pressure spray thing I could spray diesel through against the walls.
Maybe empty all the diesel and fill with water clorox solution and spray it with a pressure washer. How would I go about drying out the water from the inside.
Can the old diesel be filtered or do I just use it for lighting fires (18 gallons).

Steam? After it's drained, of course.

Steam and ammonia is the trick for cleaning gas out of a tank before
you weld on it but I am not sure about diesel scum.

On Mon, 29 Feb 2016 21:12:45 -0500, wrote:

On Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:51:49 -0500, Alex wrote:

Frogwatch wrote:
Got Algae in the diesel for my sailboat engine. Coulda been in the Bahamas but I'm not sure. Water separator actually had algae "mud" half filling it. I changed all filters, put in biocide and ran engine for hours. Now, problem seems to have returned. My daughter was sailing her out of Julington Creek and had to get towed in after dark (no wind at all) because engine would start but refused to run under any load. I havent been over to Jacksonville to verify this is the algae problem but considering how bad it was before and I never rinsed the tank......
So, removing the tank is not too hard but what then? What do I use to get the algae off the Aluminum tank walls (only real access is the 2" fuel sender opening). Must be some sort of high pressure spray thing I could spray diesel through against the walls.
Maybe empty all the diesel and fill with water clorox solution and spray it with a pressure washer. How would I go about drying out the water from the inside.
Can the old diesel be filtered or do I just use it for lighting fires (18 gallons).

Steam? After it's drained, of course.

Steam and ammonia is the trick for cleaning gas out of a tank before
you weld on it but I am not sure about diesel scum.

===

The advice to find a company that does mobile fuel polishing is right
on the money. The guys who clean tanks for a living know all the
tricks of the trade and will get it done right. It's possible to do
this sort of thing yourself but the upfront investment for a suitable
pump and filtration system, not to mention all of the fittings and
other small bits, will end up costing the same as the mobile service.
The professionals also know how to get rid of the waste products which
can be considerable. I've done it both ways and it's not a fun job.

wrote:
On Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:51:49 -0500, Alex wrote:

Frogwatch wrote:
Got Algae in the diesel for my sailboat engine. Coulda been in the Bahamas but I'm not sure. Water separator actually had algae "mud" half filling it. I changed all filters, put in biocide and ran engine for hours. Now, problem seems to have returned. My daughter was sailing her out of Julington Creek and had to get towed in after dark (no wind at all) because engine would start but refused to run under any load. I havent been over to Jacksonville to verify this is the algae problem but considering how bad it was before and I never rinsed the tank......
So, removing the tank is not too hard but what then? What do I use to get the algae off the Aluminum tank walls (only real access is the 2" fuel sender opening). Must be some sort of high pressure spray thing I could spray diesel through against the walls.
Maybe empty all the diesel and fill with water clorox solution and spray it with a pressure washer. How would I go about drying out the water from the inside.
Can the old diesel be filtered or do I just use it for lighting fires (18 gallons).

Steam? After it's drained, of course.
Steam and ammonia is the trick for cleaning gas out of a tank before
you weld on it but I am not sure about diesel scum.


Just a wild guess.