Cleaning your fuel tank

One of the profound mysteries of operating sailboats is maintaining the fuel system.  There are several theories regarding your fuel, tank and filters.  Should the tank be topped off and kept full?  This minimizes the space for condensation, yet, if you are like us, we rarely motor, so a tank of diesel fuel lasts a  year or more.  Some claim, with the various additives, diesel fuel has a shelf-life and should be consumed within 6 months or so.  I don't claim to know the proper balance between topping off the tank vs. running it down and refilling.

I do know that microbiological organisms tend to grow in the tank which settle to the bottom.  If you've ever looked at a typical diesel fuel tank, the pickup tube stops about 1" from the bottom of the tank.  In theory, this prevents the the various sediments on the bottom of the tank to not be drawn into the fuel system.  

Theory is fine, but what happens when your tank level is low and you are motoring into a choppy sea?  The sediment becomes stirred and any growth may dislodge into the tank.  This will be picked up through the fuel line and hopefully filtered by your primary fuel filter.  Unfortunately, this also tends to block the filter, effectively shutting down the fuel supply to your engine.  In this case, your engine will stop.

This happened to us one, years ago on a friends boat.  We were motoring off the west end of Santa Cruz Island, through a region fondly called the "potato patch".   We hadn't planned on sailing through this, but this seemed like the best course to our planned anchorage for the night.  Of course, our fuel tank level was low.  Within a mile of the anchorage, the motor just stopped.  We tried starting the engine, it ran for a few seconds and stopped again.   The cause - blocked fuel system.  Believe me, it is not fun to change the fuel filters and bleed the fuel system while underway in choppy seas.

In preparation for our trip to Mexico, I am trying to anticipate problems before we head south.  Since this trip will entail a fair amount of motor sailing, I was curious about the state of our fuel tanks.  In preparation for this inspection, I deliberately ran the fuel level less than 1/4 tank.  

Our 2000 Tartan 3500 has a 25 gallon fuel tank, located under the starboard locker with two 5" inspection ports.  Clearing out all the junk in the locker (spare jerry can, paddles, dinghy wheels, lifejackets, siphons, fishing supplies...), I ventured into the locker to open the port.  It was very easy to unscrew 10 or so screws and to my surprise, the inspection cover came right off (I was expecting it to be sealed with gasket material - instead, just a crude rubber gasket). 

I pumped out about 1/2 the remaining fuel (2 1/2 gallons) to inspect.  Peering into this mystery void, I found black/brown goo lightly sticking to the bottom of the tank.  Diesel fuel is red in color.  What you see here is sediment on the bottom of the tank.  The red squiggly lines are where the bottom of the pump hose scraped against the bottom of the tank, dislodging the debris.  I was very pleased to see that the rest of the tank is pretty clean (lower left of the photo).

Looking at the 2 1/2 gallons of fuel that I pumped out, it was cloudy and dark red in color.  It was pretty ugly.  Obviously, this sediment was stirred up and became suspended in the fuel.  This dirty fuel is what would be pumped into your engine.  I'm waiting to see if this will settle down and I can filter/siphon the top clear good fuel.

Thinking about what I found, taking advice from friends, and considering our trip, I decided to clean the tank.

Cleaning the tank is actually two processes.  The first is to physically clean the tank.  Commercial systems either steam-clean the tank or pressure wash the inside with cleaned fuel.  The second process is polish the fuel, by filtering the suspended debris from the fuel.  The Alamitos Bay Fuel Dock provides a fuel-polishing service; however, the service is pretty expensive.  For our boat, there's a flat fee of $170 plus $85/hour.  I could see this costing $250 or more and I'd have to move the boat to and from Alamitos Bay.  I called a few mobile fuel polishing services, and I'm still waiting to hear back from them.

Using my iPhone, I took several photos of the tank interior.  I didn't see any nasty bits of growth on the tank.  In fact, the tank looked remarkably clean.  

Rather than put the cover back on this and hope that the tank was clean-enough, I decided to pump out the remaining fuel and clean clean the tank.  Armed with a couple rolls of paper towels, micro-fiber cloth, heavy-duty gloves, I jumped into cleaning the tank. Most of the debris was along the bottom of the tank, with more buildup by the pickup-tube and baffles.  

Using the paper towels, I mopped up most of the debris.  An interesting side note - diesel fuel makes a remarkable good cleaner.  Dipping my paper-towels in the remaining diesel fuel, made it easy to clean the tank.  Reaching around through the inspection port, I was able to reach all of the sides, top, bottom and tricky corners.

Finishing up with the micro-fiber cloths, I took a dozen photos, to verify that the tank was clean!!!  I was very surprised how clean the tank was and how quick this process actually went. After deciding to clean the tank, on the way to the boat I purchased 5 gallons of diesel to refill.  I refilled the tank with new, clean fuel.  Now my next dilemma - will the boat start?

Part of my concern is the fuel pickup tube is 1" diameter tube running from the top of the tank to near the bottom.  By emptying the tank, I was convinced that the fuel in this tube would drip out, leaving a large air-pocket in the fuel system.  Considering this, I bleed the fuel system at the secondary fuel filter, and a little bit of air came out of the system.  The engine started and I ran it for about 20 minutes at the dock.  

I still wasn't convinced.  The fuel that I bleed, was the old fuel, pink in color.  Recall, that I filled my jerry can with auto diesel, which is blue in color.  I was hoping to see blue fuel at the bleed screw.  I didn't.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day for sailing.  We filled the tank with 22.8 gallons of new, clean fuel, with additive, and sailed nicely in 20+ knots of wind.  Not trusting the fuel system, we ran the motor hard at 3000 rpm for 30 minutes, without incident.  A quick mental calculation, .66 gallons per  hour, 30 minutes is 1/3 gallon which is more than a quart.  There's not a quart of fuel in the fuel-pickup tube and 4' of 1/4" fuel hose.  I'm pretty certain there's no evil air pocket waiting to kill our engine at the most inopportune time!  I still don't understand why this wasn't a problem, but I'm happy it wasn't.

My only remaining issue is what to do with the 5 gallons of old fuel?  At $4.80/gallon, this is $24 worth of fuel.  It is not worth a lot of time or money to polish - it might be better to simply dispose of it.  Out of curiosity, I'm going to watch the fuel for a few days and see if the it the sediment settles to the bottom.  If so, I can siphon the clean fuel, filter, and possibly reuse.  If not, I'll check with auto supply stores if they'll recycle used diesel fuel.  As a last resort, I can dispose of the fuel at the Alamitos Bay Fuel Dock, for $2.00/gallon.  Perhaps I can use 1/2 of what I have and dispose the rest.  I've got time to sort this out.

I'm pleased how easy this entire process was and I'm now comfortable that large nasty bits won't be clogging our fuel system.  Once your tank level gets less than 1/2, I would strongly recommend opening inspection port and checking out the state of your tank.  This will give you piece of mind that your fuel system is clean and reliable!

Replacing Cabinet Latches

I love the push-button locks on our cabinets until one day something snapped inside the plastic mechanism. The cabinet was stuck in the locked position and my car keys were in there!  What was I going to do!

I pushed the button repeatedly hoping it would unlock. No luck. I then looked at the inside of another cabinet and realized the lock could be twisted from the outside. With a pair of channel locks, I gently twisted the bezel of the stuck latch about 90 degrees and the cabinet opened! Yay!

I looked at other cabinets around the boat. Some of the latches have screws securing the latch body to the cabinet. If that’s the case and one were to break, well, I'd just sell the boat. So I removed the screws, as you can see in the photo below. The center screw is all you need. 

Cabinet latch without screws holding it in place 

I researched replacements and found Tartan had nothing to offer, which seemed odd. I found OEM replacements at D.B. Roberts, which sells latches made by Sugatsune. The part numbers are PKL-08/GA (latch in gold) and PKL-S/WT (latch body in white). You might be able to find them on ebay, but they’re over-priced. At dbroberts.com you’ll pay $13 for the former, $3.00 for the latter. You may not need both parts. Of course, you’ll buy extras to justify the shipping, among other reasons.

By the way, my car keys weren’t in the cabinet, but the booze was. Now you understand my panic. 

Replacing The OEM Water Heater

I know a charter captain who is fond of saying, “From the minute you buy the boat, everything aboard is headed for the dumpster. It’s just a matter of how quickly.”

When your water heater is ready for the dumpster, you’ll have several choices. The current Tartan’s, according to Art Averell, get Force 10's. There are others, so shop around to see what you like. If you're like me and are attracted to things that are shiny and expensive, be sure to check out this one: 

 This is a six gallon heater by Torrid. It’s beautiful, well-built, and has a glass liner. It’s a little pricy, so find someone with a wholesale account at your local chandlery. (West Marine doesn't sell this brand.) The list price was $700. I saved $100 by calling in a favor.

The installation was a bit of work, but it would be with any new heater that is not exactly like the OEM. A pro could have installed this unit in two days. It took me three weeks. You know how it is--as soon as you need a tool that’s at home you’ve lost the rest of the day on the project. 

The primary difference in the installation is that the old heater was fastened with screws that sat fore and aft. The Torrid sits sideways, so I installed a couple of shelves made of HDPE–high density polyethylene–and you can see where the Torrid is bolted down. 

No doubt you know the water heater in a 3500 sits under the nav station. This is a fun place to work--only slightly better than in the lazarette. You might be happiest hiring someone to install this heater. If you do it yourself, be careful. The tank will have to go in and out of the space more times than you would imagine while you figure out and fine-tune the installation. The tank fits beautifully in this space, but go slowly so you don’t trash your woodwork. And try not to break your nose in the process. Yes, I technically broke mine. I was tired and diving into the empty space yet one more time when I hit my head on the wood trim above the space. I rebounded down and hit my nose on the fiddle of the seat—it’s the lower piece of wood in the picture above. I heard a crack and started to bleed, inside and out. It smarted for a while. A friend called a colleague, an otolaryngologist, who said, “If it isn’t deformed and you can breathe through it, don’t worry about it.” 

Above you see the Torrid heater has inlets and outlets that extend horizontally, so elbows were used to direct the flows down. That took some creativity due to the space limitations, but it was a fun puzzle to solve.

The water heater is so good-looking I considered replacing the cherry panel that covers it with a piece of Plexiglass. Wouldn't others want to admire it! 

I changed my mind.  

Electric Swim Steps -- Sexy Is Not Always Sensible

Anyone who owns a Tartan with an electric swim step knows there is always the possibility that it will fail to work. Failure is so imminent that Tartan devised a mechanical alternative so owners could deep-six the electric actuator and pull up the step with a series of blocks, lines, cam cleats, etc. That solution will be discussed later.

After 13 years, the swim step on my boat (Cheap Therapy, 2001 T3500) would not go down. It was a sudden failure, not having been preceded by grinding sounds or intermittent operation. For this reason, I assumed—and hoped—the problem was simple, such as a bad switch or crusty connection.

This is a schematic of the circuit on my boat, including wire colors. My drawing is a variation of the schematic posted by Phil Roberts of www.tartan3500.com. As you can see, the circuit is simple and there are only four places where things can go wrong electrically: the limit switches (2), the actuator (motor), or the control switch. (There are a lot of references to switches in this blog. I'll define the control switch as the one used to operate the step.) There are other places down in the lazarette where wires can be loose or corroded—a terminal strip, butt connectors, a three-way splice, and the connections behind the control switch. Some of this wiring is surprisingly vulnerable to moisture, so look for problems. 

A brief note on how the actuator works: the motor has a pinion gear on it. The pinion gear interfaces with an aluminium rack that has teeth on the bottom. The rack is connected to the swim step. When the motor turns, the pinion gear moves the rack in or out, pushing the step open or pulling it shut.  

Motor, rack/pinion in port lazarette

After studying the schematic and lowering myself into the lazarette, I traced the wires, measured voltages, and determined the swim step wouldn't go down because there was no voltage at the control switch.

Back of Control Switch on transom

Next, I needed to determine if the motor would work if the lower limit switch were bypassed. For this test, I cut the limit switch out of the circuit and bypassed it with a jumper. The motor worked, so the problem was a defective limit switch. 

Bypassing the limit switch with black jumper

In the photo above, note the terminal strip on the lower right. Granted, that's not the lowest part of the bilge, but I still can't believe Tartan would locate a hot 12-volts where it could be wet. About 18 inches aft is a safer location. Relocating this terminal switch would be a great exercise in prudence.

Next I went around to the transom and tried pushing the limit switch. The switch was stuck closed (the plunger was in), which meant the circuit was stuck open; hence, no current to the motor. (This is a Normally Closed switch, which means the circuit is made, not open, when the switch is not activated. This is the opposite of most switches we work with, but it makes perfect sense.) Due to being wet every time the boat is underway, the switch was DOA. Working it back and forth didn't help.

I gave this problem much thought and research. I arrived at four possible solutions.  

1. Throw Away The Electric Motor

The first solution—Tartan's mechanical line-lift system—can be dismissed quickly. Granted, it's a work of art, if you're an engineer. It's about as complex and labor/parts intensive as you can get. Rube Goldberg would have devised a much more simple solution. Art Averell at Tartan was kind enough to send me the PDF of the drawing, but to be able to read and work with it, you need to print it on a large-scale printer—the type used for blueprints. Contact me if you want the original PDF. 

A Tartan Engineer's Lift Line solution

I don't use my swim step often, so I wouldn't invest the time, money, and effort to implement Tartan's solution. Another mechanical retrofit was offered by a member of Tartan Owners of New England (TONE).  It's the polar opposite of Tartan's solution. Judge for yourself.

At a recent boat show I saw many swim steps with line controls. Go to a Beneteau dealer or elsewhere to see how they use double blocks on two sides and a block with a cam cleat. It's an easy installation, but remember-their swim steps are designed to accommodate the line hardware and hide it when the step is closed. We have to work within the physical constraints of our steps; hence, the challenge. 

2. Bypass The Limit Switch

If I were in a situation that required a quick fix, bypassing the limit switch would work and get the swim step functioning again. A more permanent and less-risky solution would be implemented later.

I would not recommend bypassing the limit switch and considering that a permanent fix.You'd run the risk of damaging the rack and pinion if you held the control switch too long. When activated at the right time, a limit switch opens the circuit and turns off the motor so the rack will not strip. 

3. OEM Solution

Some people will insist on an OEM solution figuring Tartan knew what they were doing when they design this. It's the most expensive and difficult to install. You'll be lucky if you can find someone to do the job. Getting to the lower limit switch will take an abundance of patience, a very small person or both. Consider yourself very lucky if you have a six-year-old malnourished niece or nephew who loves to be lowered into confined spaces. You'll be miserable if you attempt this repair yourself. Just getting a picture of the switch was a challenge for me. 

If you want to pursue an OEM solution, the lower limit switch is an Omron D4A-1109N. It's the one with the top plunger, not the roller. You can find these for $75 or more on ebay and elsewhere. If you're really lucky—like me—you can score one for $28 on ebay. I'm not going to install it; I just couldn't resist a deal and wanted to have it in my back pocket, just in case. I also wanted to gloat about my bargain karma. :)

Lower Limit Switch -- Omron D4A-1109N

The upper limit switch is an Omron ZE-N-2S. It's much easier to access and, if it it goes bad, just replace it. In fact, if you're going to work on a swim step electrical problem, replace this switch anyway so it's done. As I discovered about five weeks after posting this blog, the upper switch can fail at any time. Given the confined space in which you have to work and get aggravated, you don't want to revisit this issue more than once every five (?) years. 

Upper limit switch and bracket -- Omron ZE-N-2S

The only reason I would pursue the OEM replacement of the lower limit switch would be either: 1) I'm O.C.D., 2) I'm paying someone to do the work or 3) I'm O.C.D. The OEM solution does not guarantee a long-lasting fix. The previous owner of my boat replaced the lower limit switch twice in 11 years. Including the first one, that means they last an average of three to four years. There are very few other switches on your boat that are so unreliable. When you see where this switch is located, you'll agree there's got to be a better way.  

By the way, if you choose the OEM solution, be sure to thoroughly seal the opening around the switch with 3M 4200 or a similar sealant. If the switch leaks, water could get on the terminal strip. It's also important to turn off the swim step breaker when not in use.

4. Magnetic Reed Switches

I have to thank Chris Hancock for suggesting a magnetic reed switch. They're simple, have no moving parts, are plentiful, cheap, and you couldn't ask for an easier installation. The genius for which I'll take credit is the location of the reed switch. After considering the outside of the step, an Ah-ha! moment lead me to a dry spot out of the weather. I mounted it on the rack and the motor housing! 

You can buy magnetic reed switches at any electronics store or online. Get the kind that can be wired Normally Open or Normally Closed. Wire it Normally Closed. When the two parts of the switch are not in close proximity (swim step up), the circuit will be closed, allowing current to flow to the control switch, then to the motor, thus allowing the step to be lowered. When the step is lowered, the two parts of the reed switch will come close together, the switch will open, the current will stop flowing, and the motor will shut off even before you release the control button. 

The key is to position the two parts of the reed switch so the circuit opens at the right time in the travel of the swim step. I lowered the swim step all the way and put the unwired part of the reed switch--the magnet--on the end of the rack. I used Velcro with a heavy-duty sticky back. I figured Velcro would enable me to move the switch parts and fine-tune the positioning. I then attached a VOM to the leads of the switch half of the reed switch and attached it to the plastic housing of the motor. 

I used the audible resistance setting on the meter, which I would hear until the magnet came close enough to open the circuit of the reed switch. By playing with this set-up, I found the perfect spot for each part of the reed switch. That position was verified after I wired the switch into the circuit and tested it by lowering the swim step. I then used some very sticky tape to hold the reed switch in place. The way you attach it may vary. I may change the tape to something better in the future. Let me know if you have a better idea. 

One More Switch Idea

If you wanted a somewhat different solution, you could bypass the lower limit switch—or both switches—by mounting a DPDT (Double Pole, Double Throw) momentary switch somewhere inside the lazarette, at the top of the hatch where it could be reached. The idea would be to hold that switch at the same time you're activating the swim step control switch. One switch could bypass both limit switches. (Think ahead—the upper switch might quit someday.)You would wire 12-volts to the center of the switch and then use each pole to bypass the limit switches. If you read the schematic, this will become clear. The advantage would be ease of installation compared to the OEM option. It would also be fail-safe because only people who knew about the second switch could operate the swim step. The momentary switch would have to be pushed at the same time as the swim step control switch—and remember to release either switch when the swim step is close to or exactly at the desired position. Caution would dictate that, when lowering the step, the switch should be released just before the guy wires pull tight. That last inch might save your rack and pinion.

I hope this write-up helps. I welcome comments by folks who might be more experienced or knowledgeable. 

Garry Schaeffer

Cheap Therapy

2001 T3500

San Diego, CA

June 29,2014