Full or Empty??

nickl · 27 October 2005, 18:00

Could I just get some views on whether it's best to leave a fuel tank (petrol, built in, 70 litres) full over the winter or empty?? (ie petrol goes stale for next year and I can't get rid of it, or tank gets water in it from condensation - which is worst?)

Cheers,

Nick

archie720 · 27 October 2005, 18:16

i know that with yachts its best to drain the water tank completely and fill the diesel tank up to the brim so i imagine you should treat petrol the same (i.e. leave it full). You can always siphon off half (or all) of it at the start of next season and mix it with some fresh stuff.

I suppose it depends where you are keeping it over winter - if in a nice warmish dry garage then perhaps you can get away with emptying it but if leaving it outside then fill it up!

robin · 27 October 2005, 18:26

Keep using the boat every now and again. No more fuel contamination worries.

I'll get my oilies.

Downhilldai · 27 October 2005, 23:23

The condensation will only arise from moist air entering the tank (commonly through the open breather). If you seal the tank off from the ambient air you should avoid any condensation occuring. The fuel feed to the engine should be airtight, as should the filler tube, so you'll probably only have the breather to deal with.

nugent · 28 October 2005, 07:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

The condensation will only arise from moist air entering the tank (commonly through the open breather). If you seal the tank off from the ambient air you should avoid any condensation occuring. The fuel feed to the engine should be airtight, as should the filler tube, so you'll probably only have the breather to deal with.

yes i go with this theory. i never lay mine up for the winter,, but i do and have allways placed some electric tape over the breather intake. in the winter, on my last boat..my main reason was due to the smell of fuel whenever i left her coverd up for to long, fire hazard awaiting some ones fag when uncovering the rib

betya one day i will forget to remove it and suffer from fuel starvation

Simon B · 28 October 2005, 07:55

Most reliable winter we had was when we filled it to the brim chucked in some of that fuel stabiliser stuff and ran it up every month on the flushing muffs, hadnt thought of the breather sealing idea but it sounds sense.

Mollers · 28 October 2005, 08:52

Difinitely brim full. I've always done it without stabiliser and the boat has always started a run perfectly the next season. The added bonus is that it's £120 less to splash out at the begining of the new season. Mine get put away serviced/winterised and full of fuel. Then it's turn the key and go in March/April. If not totally empty and dryed the moisture trapped in the tank will condensate and the evaporates in the fuel will evaporate off, tank sealed or not. Much less hassle just to fill it. Adding stabiliser is prob a good idea also.

Jimbob · 28 October 2005, 10:45

We usually keep our 1/2 full to full and and we dont open the fillers, however we dont tape the vent pipe, but we do have a good cover. Reading the other posts i think that expalins whey we dont have problems.

Also we try to use once a month

Ribshop · 28 October 2005, 16:14

Fill it to the brim, this will help prevent the build up of condensation. You can also put some additive in the tank over the winter to help soak up any moisture. The additive is £8.18 and a bottle is ample for a 70lt tank.

jyasaki · 26 November 2005, 07:44

The condensation thing is not a single-event thing, but an accumulation of water over time and many cycles. A small amount of water on each long term storage adds up eventually. For those with steel tanks, it also becomes a corrosion issue.

I'd suggest filling it up and stabilising the fuel with a commercial additive. That way you don't have to worry about the water contamination.

Taping off or otherwise sealing the breather vent will help with water intrusion and nesting critters.

jky