Diesel Tank Set Up Questions

[AceEquestrian]

We just got a used diesel tank for refilling our fleet and I would like some advice on how to set it up.

1. We have a Fill-Rite Clear Bowl Hydrosorb Filter and Particulate Filter that we want to put on but we aren't sure if there is a certain order they should be on or if they need to hang level or if there is any other tricky business on the assembly there.

2. There may be a little rust inside. How do I check and what to do about it? Is there a protective coating we can put inside?

3. We will be placing it in our covered bays, but should it be on completely level ground or should there be some tip to one end or the other?

4. The pump, with the meter attached, leaves the hose output nearly blocking the hanger for the pour spout handle thingy which means I will have to get really creative with running the pipe to put the filters on and attach the hose without blocking it. Will having multiple elbows and a pipe that meanders around to the other side of the pump cause a loss of flow pressure or any sort of problems?

5. Is there a certain type of pipe that is safe to use for diesel or can I use whatever fits?

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank You!
-Ace Equestrian

 

[porky69]

1. I would put the particulate filter first...get the big stuff dealt with first. Put them level, with the bottom of the filter pointing straight down as this will make the least mess if and when you service the filters.

2. Unless there are large amounts of rust I wouldn't worry about it. You are installing particulate filtration. But if the tank is empty just pull the drain plug at the bottom of the tank (below the pump facing out). DON'T use an open flame to look inside with. If there is enough to be concerned with tilt the tank (lift the end away from the pump, you will have to tip it quite a ways) and rinse with fuel, make sure to catch your outflow in some kind of container (environmental stuff you know). There are coatings but would not be able to be put on a used tank.

3. Shouldn't really matter. If you slope it towards the pump end you may be able to get a few more gallons pumped out if you like to drain the tank completely. That being said if you did have a bunch of rust inside, you might suck it up if your pickup tube goes right to the bottom.

4. I would take the hose off, put a short pipe (long enough to mount the filters in front of the tank) then a 90* elbow going down with another short (2-3") pipe with a 90* elbow to the left, then put your filters (as recommended above), another 90 facing down (to prevent a kink in the hose) and the the hose. Pumping loss from a few fittings will be next to nothing.

5. Use galvanized steel pipe fittings (from hardware store or farm supply store) being as diesel is really just a light oil and will not cause any corrosion. You could in theory use just about anything but steel will be the most durable.


It's not real easy to see but this picture shows what I described (with only one filter)

 

[AceEquestrian]

Thank you so much for your quick and detailed response! This will definitely help me to get us up and running.

 

[Cord]

When you put your drop tube in, cut the bottom with a 45 degree angle so it'll draw from a larger area. You'll leave a few more gallons behind, but will get better flow. My tank had a bunch of sludge in it so I went through 3 filters in quick order until it cleaned up. Happy to see you have the spillage tank as well.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Don't forget your secondary containment requirement. It is required to be big enough to hold the capacity of the tank. The enviornmental police are watching.

Ron

 

[Gary Fowler]

You are not supposed to use galvanized fittings on diesel, (google use of galvanized pipe on diesel) use straight black carbon steel fitting instead like is used for natural gas lines. Other than that, everything sounds like it will work.
Just make sure your last fitting turns straight down so the hose will be hanging from it and not putting kinking pressure on it. It will make your hose last much longer.

 

[progeras]

First of all, I mounted my pump on a 6" nipple to raise it up from the tank. Second, forget all the 90's. They make swivel fittings for your hose just like at the service stations. Just put one on pump end and another on nozzle end. If you have trouble finding them, your fuel supplier would probably know where to get them. Lastly, we only use a particulate filter. Adding BG fuel treatment or PowerService will help with the asphaltenes and also keeping the water from separating. Just remember, with the new diesel, make sure you never order more than you will use in a fairly short amount of time. Even with the fuel treatment, it doesn't keep as long as the old stuff used to.

 

[jim44]

On #3--I don't know if it would be applicable to your tank, but when they set up my 300 gallon tank, it was tipped just a little bit away from the outlet end, I think it may have been like an inch or so. Then there was a tiny little petcock on the low end, and each time they filled the tank, they would run a little bit out of it to check for and/or drain any water that had accumulated.

FWIW