where to buy gravity fed eq

[Moon]

Sorry, this is not tractor related.

I boat on the Ohio river. Because of slipages our local gas dock is closing down. There are a few others but they are more than 15 miles away. So, I'm looking for a easy way to gas up my boat while it's in the water. It has a 66 gallon tank.

My docks are located down a long flight of stairs and ramps, about 50' lower than the area where we park. I'm thinking of setting up a gravity fed tank so that I don't have to haul eight 5 gallon cans down to the boat. (I normally need about 40 gallons to fill up ...you never want to get to low on gas on the water.)

A 55 gallon container would work fine. I'd probably need 75' to 100' of hose from the tank to the docks. We have 4 boats sharing this docking area and I have not measure the distance to the furthest one yet. But I'd need a shut off valve near the end of the hose. Not sure if I'd need a shut off valve where the hose leaves the 55 gallon drum.

Each boater will transport their own gas from the local station to the drum and just dump it in the big drum. No fuel would be stored in the drum. Once you dump it in, you'd open the hose and fill the boat, then the tank is ready for the next boater.

Does this sound like it would work?
Where could I buy supplies for building this? The one piece I know I do not have figured out yet is the fitting needed where the hose leaves the drum. I'm hoping the supplier will have something to solve that.

Your thoughts on this whole setup ....what am i missing?

Thanks,
Moon of Ohio

 

[Soundguy]

i'd put a shutoff valve on both the hose AND the drum.

Soundguy

 

[Moon]

Thanks Soundguy ....after posting I got to thinking of that also. For example if someone forgot to close the shutoff at the bottom, you'd need to be able to stop the flow from up top. So I'll need a couple of shut off valves.
What type of hose would you need for this? I suppose an industrial supply place might have the hose. I'm afraid that will be the most expensive item for this project. Any ideas how much the hose costs, and what size would be best for my application?

Thanks again!
Moon of Ohio

 

[MikePA]

Some things to think about....

Who will own the equipment?
Who will maintain the equipment?
Diesel or gasoline?
If the equipment is damaged, who pays to repair/replace?
If there's an accident with this equipment, who is liable?
Where will the equipment be stored in the winter?
If there's a spill, e.g., malfunctioning valve/nozzle, who's liable?
Does your homeowner's insurance cover something like this?

 

[Soundguy]

For safety.. I'd only use a fuel rated hose.. and yes.. that's going to probably be your most expensive cost.

TSC sells fuel hose, though if you have a fuel dealer I'd also try them.

I'd go for something similar to what yuo see at a fuel station. This will be gravity fed.. not pressurized. Anything smaller than probably 3/4 ID will take forever to get 40 g's down that line into your tank.. Could always use a standard gas pump handle on the end of the line, PLUS a shutoff valve at the top and bottom. The gas pump valve should stop fuel flow fine, and be a good 'safety net' if the bottom valve is left open..e tc. That way you can add your fuel, open the top valve and then walk down, throw the handle inthe tank.. open bottom valve and then depress handle and fuel.. etc.

Soundguy

 

[edski]

My initial reaction is that this sounds like a fuel spill into the river waiting to happen.

75-100 feet of line will likely hold a good amount of residual fuel, and will eventually leak.

Once you have a spill, how will you contain, and clean-up. With my luck, it'd be all 40 gals at once.

I'm not sure , but I'd look into the potential for a static charge, fire, explosion, etc.

The more I think about this, the less I like it. I'd consider a different means of transport.

 

[JerryG]

Yes, by all means have a shut off on both ends. Like said, a fuel nozzle will work for the shut off on the boat end and I have and do use a ball type valve at the tank end. If you have everything stationary, I would say use steel line with a short piece of hose at the tank end and the fuel hose with nozzle at the boat end. That way there is less likely a chance of damage from using that long of a hose.

 

[TOMLESCOEQUIP]

Moon........sent you a PM regarding fuel info...........Tom

 

[Moon]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Some things to think about....

Who will own the equipment?
Who will maintain the equipment?
Diesel or gasoline?
If the equipment is damaged, who pays to repair/replace?
If there's an accident with this equipment, who is liable?
Where will the equipment be stored in the winter?
If there's a spill, e.g., malfunctioning valve/nozzle, who's liable?
Does your homeowner's insurance cover something like this?
)</font>

Thanks for the thought provking questions Mike.

This is gasoline not diesel. I would own it all and be responsible. The other boats are my brothers and SIL. So the responsibility is all mine. I have no idea if homeowners would cover any of this ....i kinda doubt it.

As for the concern on spills, to me this seems safer than carring 5 gallon containers and filling the boats directly from them. For saftey sake, we'll probably have to make this a two man operation with someone at each end. We rarely boat alone so someone is normally around.

I agree the hose would hold a good bit of fuel, but my plan is to empty the hose with each use. If someone misjudged the amount of gas they needed, we could end up with fuel still in the hose. Maybe I'll put a double shut off at the bottom to be sure nothing could leak out. No one would leave fuel in the line on purpose, because the next user would then get that fuel for free. Gas costs to much to do that. We know the size of our tanks and how much it takes to fill. We play a game of guessing how many gallons we take when gassing up on the river, that helped us get pretty good at knowing how much we need. Running out of gas on the river can ruin a perfectly good boating day.

The whole setup would be taken down after boating season. We boat from May to Sept. Winter storage would be in my pole barn.

Thanks for all the replies. Helps make sure I don't overlook something critical.

 

[LBrown59]

Why not put the drum below and fill it from above?
This way you don't have a drum and hose filled with fuel under pressure.

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> Why not put the drum below and fill it from above? </font>
Do you mean;
1. Put the 55 gallon drum on the dock
2. Run the 100' of hose up to the top of the hill
3. Pour the gasoline in the open end of the hose

 

[Moon]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Why not put the drum below and fill it from above?
Do you mean;
1. Put the 55 gallon drum on the dock
2. Run the 100' of hose up to the top of the hill
3. Pour the gasoline in the open end of the hose

)</font>

LB: makes no sense to me either. I do not plan to keep any fuel under pressure. It will simply be poured into a container at the top of the steps and run to the boat below via the hose. Putting the 55 gallon drum way down line kinda defeats the purpose.

Thanks,
Moon of Ohio

 

[Scrounger]

Drum at top or drum at bottom sounds like a disaster waiting to happen to me. Someone is going to forget to shut off the hose or mix diesel with gasoline. That much hose is going to have a fair amount of fuel in it and that will get spilled.

I would think of a ramp-evator and electric winch and just raise and lower the fuel cans on the inclined elevator. Something like this. http://tinyurl.com/bcn37 You can build a cheap version yourself. I did one at a lake cabin years ago. It will also be good for moving supplies up and down the hill.

Put a key operated switch on it so only the 'authorized' few can use it.

 

[Moon]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Drum at top or drum at bottom sounds like a disaster waiting to happen to me. Someone is going to forget to shut off the hose or mix diesel with gasoline. That much hose is going to have a fair amount of fuel in it and that will get spilled. )</font>

Thanks for your comments and suggestion. One of those lifts would cost alot more than I'm intersted in putting into this project. I've refueled from the 5 gallon containers and normally have a drip or a leak in at least one of the cans right at the base of the nozzel. I think a better quality hose would help avoid spills. I am planning a saftey nozzle at the bottom so that it can't be left on by mistake ...just like the gas stations use. I've recently found these available and within the price range thanks to a tip from another TBN member.

None of our boats use diesel and there is no diesel close by so I don't think mixing them up would be an issue.

Thanks for your thoughts on this project.

Moon of Ohio

 

[thcri]

In one of the harbors that I am familiar with and have docked at the local guy use to come down with his truck and he had a long hose and would fill people up until the EPA got a hold of him and put a stop to it. He would sit his truck up on the bank and fill the boats up. Well I am sure the marina had a lot to do with stopping him as it was sales he was losing.

I guess your system is a good idea but if you had a major leak you could end up with a major fine. But no matter how you spill you could end up with a fine.

Check this unit out. It is expensive at this place but if you shop around you might find one a lot cheaper but this unit would give you 28 gals. If all of you chip in maybe not so expensive. But in your case you would have to make two trips.

Fuel Tank Marine


murph

 

[Moon]

Thanks for the pointer murph!

If we had more conventional sized stairs and ramps that might work, but as we are now I'd have to modify it to add larger wheels to traverse the steps and ramps I cross to get down to the boats.

The marina that used to sell gas is now trying to make his setup legal so that he can sell gas later on this year. So right now I'm up in the air as to whether or not I'll proceed with this project. We carried the fuel to the boat in 5 gallon cans this past holiday weekend. I found if I gassed up every other day, rather than wait until I was below half a tank, I only needed 15 er 20 gallons. Not to bad hauling 4 containers down to the docks.

Thanks all!

 

[Moon]

Update: Thanks to a fellow TBN member I got a good deal on the fuel line and nozzle for my setup. (Thanks Tom!) I now have it up and working with a couple changes to my original idea.
I used the KISS principle and eliminated the 55 gallon drum from the project. I carry the 5 gallon cans to the fuel hose, and pour directly into the hose. Wife &/or son man the nozzle down at the boat. Works like a charm. I don't have to haul four gas cans up and down the stairs!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
The line is capped at both ends after use.
Thanks to all for your thoughts and suggestions on this.