Fuel polishing vs removing tanks and cleaning

[Big B Hova]

I need to get the tanks flushed and cleaned in my boat. There is alot of crap getting caught in the inline filter and fuel/water separator. Pretty sure my boat sat for some period of time before I purchased it.

I have talked to a few boat shops about removing interior, removing the aluminum tanks (which have fiberglass straps that would need to be cut and re-glassed in)

A buddy recomended me to a mobile fuel polisher that his boat shop uses. The guy says he has been in business for over 25 years and can completely clean and flush out the tanks with the tanks in the boat. And this option is also cheaper.

What does the RDP brain trust think? Pros & cons?

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Step 1: Shove a scope in there and see how bad it is.

Step 2: Flush the tanks in the boat unless you find some other problem.

 

[rvrrun]

I’d go for the cheaper, easier option and like LOF said take a peek after it’s done and see what it looks like.

 

[Big B Hova]

Its enough shit to clog the inline filter in just a few days of boating. My boat has 2 "v" shaped 20 gallon tanks. Left tank has been starving the boat for fuel, Right tank has had intermittent problems.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Can you tell what exactly it is?

After you flush I would change your fuel lines to modern ones rated for ethanol. If you can pull your pickups with out removing the tanks, do that too.

 

[Big B Hova]

Can you tell what exactly it is?

After you flush I would change your fuel lines to modern ones rated for ethanol. If you can pull your pickups with out removing the tanks, do that too.

Fuel lines and pump are 1 year old. I paid a shop a couple years ago to replace the check valves and clean the pick ups. Carb was rebuilt 4 years ago. Motor & filters serviced annually.

 

[Big B Hova]

Debris looks like sand and crushed walnuts lol. But if you empty the debris onto a paper towel and let it dry out, it crushes into a powder.

 

[Taboma]

I've heard of polishing diesel fuel, never gasoline. I suppose if it's good fresh gas worth using, they could super filter it and keep recycling it (stirring up the sediment) and filtering it until it's clean. My tanks were emptied a few years ago, but I'll be interested in following this thread, as prior to re-filling I might consider having the tanks flushed in the boat so I can refill with clean tanks.
Please share what you learn.

 

[buck35]

What's the cost to polish? Seems a small pump and a large filter unit and feed back to the tank in a.loop would get the Lions share of it. Could probably fab it up for a couple hundies. Make sure it's all well grounded so no booms occur.

 

[Big B Hova]

He quoted me $675. Services include polishing fuel and acetone flush of tanks through sending unit hole and filler pipe. Mobile service too. He sounds very confidant and warranty's his work for 3 months. He also said he has done this work for Eliminator so thats a plus.

 

[Taboma]

What's the cost to polish? Seems a small pump and a large filter unit and feed back to the tank in a.loop would get the Lions share of it. Could probably fab it up for a couple hundies. Make sure it's all well grounded so no booms occur.

The "Safe" secret, in addition to good grounding when pumping gasoline is keep the flow rate slow. It's not the volume that causes the static to build in the hoses but the rate of flow. A high rate of flow increases the molecular friction and static charge.
I've got an electric fuel pump and filter setup I made for transferring gasoline, works great, but it's intentionally not fast.

That's one reason I commented on having gasoline Polished, I'm not familiar with them even doing it.

 

[buck35]

The "Safe" secret, in addition to good grounding when pumping gasoline is keep the flow rate slow. It's not the volume that causes the static to build in the hoses but the rate of flow. A high rate of flow increases the molecular friction and static charge.
I've got an electric fuel pump and filter setup I made for transferring gasoline, works great, but it's intentionally not fast.

That's one reason I commented on having gasoline Polished, I'm not familiar with them even doing it.

I was hoping either you or someone else far more knowledgeable than myself would comment if I suggested a really bad idea. It just seems.to be so easy to recirculate through a filter, like.the big diesel pre units.

 

[Shlbyntro]

Debris looks like sand and crushed walnuts lol. But if you empty the debris onto a paper towel and let it dry out, it crushes into a powder.

Aluminum oxide. It may be time for new tanks. :/

 

[lbhsbz]

He quoted me $675. Services include polishing fuel and acetone flush of tanks through sending unit hole and filler pipe. Mobile service too. He sounds very confidant and warranty's his work for 3 months. He also said he has done this work for Eliminator so thats a plus.

Schedule it for the week before your first trip of the season...so that your 3 month warranty isn't over with by the time you get to use the boat.

$675 is a lot of money....I'd pull the tanks and clean 'em myself for that.

 

[Big B Hova]

Schedule it for the week before your first trip of the season...so that your 3 month warranty isn't over with by the time you get to use the boat.

$675 is a lot of money....I'd pull the tanks and clean 'em myself for that.

Boating season has just started! I've got 2 trips in october

 

[Taboma]

He quoted me $675. Services include polishing fuel and acetone flush of tanks through sending unit hole and filler pipe. Mobile service too. He sounds very confidant and warranty's his work for 3 months. He also said he has done this work for Eliminator so thats a plus.

Is your boat in Havasu ? Just curious if that's where this mobile service is located. I wouldn't need any polishing, but I might consider just a good flush and cleaning, certainly cheaper than pulling the tanks. If he's in Havasu or that area please post up the company name -- Thanks.
Years ago when I had my gasoline powered sports fishing boat in Mission Bay I couldn't find anybody who would do gasoline, the guys who had these mounted on boats were only Polishing diesel. One winter I had to get rid of over 150 gallons of old gas, so I could replace at least that much with fresh, then run it easy for a few trips. That was a lot of trips up and down the dock with 5 gallon jugs, then I'd mix it with fresh and burn it in some old job trucks.

 

[Taboma]

I was hoping either you or someone else far more knowledgeable than myself would comment if I suggested a really bad idea. It just seems.to be so easy to recirculate through a filter, like.the big diesel pre units.

Here's the setup I made. The electric fuel pump is mounted (Grounded) to an aluminum plate, the plate isn't painted on the bottom, so I'll wet the concrete where I set the pump to effectively ground it. The hoses are very long, long enough to transfer gas from my jet skis straight into my truck (As an example). The wiring is also long so that any battery connections are far from the tank any fumes. The On/Off switch is sealed and potted and again, located away from the tank(s). I've got several types of plugs and adapters I use depending on what 12V power source is available.
I've tried to make it as safe as is practical, large fire extinguisher is on hand, make sure hoses are making solid contact so there's no static arcing. We've used it a lot with zero problems, but let's face it, it is gasoline and deserves proper respect and precautions. I've also got a separate long ground cable with clamps not in the picture.

 

[Big B Hova]

I can filter fuel with a pump set up like above.... but this guy actually cleans the inside of the tanks with acetone and flushes them out, then filters the fuel and puts it back in.

 

[Shlbyntro]

Is your boat in Havasu ? Just curious if that's where this mobile service is located. I wouldn't need any polishing, but I might consider just a good flush and cleaning, certainly cheaper than pulling the tanks. If he's in Havasu or that area please post up the company name -- Thanks.
Years ago when I had my gasoline powered sports fishing boat in Mission Bay I couldn't find anybody who would do gasoline, the guys who had these mounted on boats were only Polishing diesel. One winter I had to get rid of over 150 gallons of old gas, so I could replace at least that much with fresh, then run it easy for a few trips. That was a lot of trips up and down the dock with 5 gallon jugs, then I'd mix it with fresh and burn it in some old job trucks.

The problem with gasoline is that as it ages, all the good parts of it evaporate and go up in the atmosphere. No amount of polishing can save it. Deisel doesn't have this problem and is why many backup generators that spend most of their lives sitting with the same fuel in them for sometimes years are Deisel powered. "Polishing" Deisel is really just a term used for cleaning it and removing contaminants, most notably water and algae.

Cleaning the fuel is a different story. If your gas is still good and not old, and your only main concern is contaminants then it can be removed and pumped through a series of filters to remove the contaminants: water, debris from the tank, and now also algae.

When gas was still 100% gas it had a descent shelf life to where it wouldn't start noticeably degrading until about a year old and good enough to still be used in normal (low performance) applications for as much as 2-3 years.

Today's fuel fuel that is 10-15% ethanol degrades much quicker with noticeable degradation occurring as quickly as 3months with a usable life of about a year. This is because the ethanol is a major part of the fuel that is bolstering the octane level to its declared rating whether it be 87, 93, or any octane rating in between and the ethanol evaporates much quicker leaving a lower grade of gasoline behind.

Fuel additives have become very popular in recent years to help combat this by chemically bonding to the fuel and ethanol molecules and prevent/slow down the evaporation process. They only work when used as a PREVENTIVE measure and will not do much or any good at all after the fact. I also recommend using a fuel drying additive that is isopropanol based in more humid climates on vented fuel systems that will help prevent accumulation of water in the fuel systems from humidity in the air.

Hope this helps on making a decision for you.

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

He quoted me $675. Services include polishing fuel and acetone flush of tanks through sending unit hole and filler pipe. Mobile service too. He sounds very confidant and warranty's his work for 3 months. He also said he has done this work for Eliminator so thats a plus.

You talk to Dustin at Menace Marine? He did my tanks.

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[Big B Hova]

You talk to Dustin at Menace Marine? He did my tanks.

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I did. He said he would have to take the tanks out and have them boiled at a radiator shop. Approx $1000

 

[Big B Hova]

The problem with gasoline is that as it ages, all the good parts of it evaporate and go up in the atmosphere. No amount of polishing can save it. Deisel doesn't have this problem and is why many backup generators that spend most of their lives sitting with the same fuel in them for sometimes years are Deisel powered. "Polishing" Deisel is really just a term used for cleaning it and removing contaminants, most notably water and algae.

Cleaning the fuel is a different story. If your gas is still good and not old, and your only main concern is contaminants then it can be removed and pumped through a series of filters to remove the contaminants: water, debris from the tank, and now also algae.

When gas was still 100% gas it had a descent shelf life to where it wouldn't start noticeably degrading until about a year old and good enough to still be used in normal (low performance) applications for as much as 2-3 years.

Today's fuel fuel that is 10-15% ethanol degrades much quicker with noticeable degradation occurring as quickly as 3months with a usable life of about a year. This is because the ethanol is a major part of the fuel that is bolstering the octane level to its declared rating whether it be 87, 93, or any octane rating in between and the ethanol evaporates much quicker leaving a lower grade of gasoline behind.

Fuel additives have become very popular in recent years to help combat this by chemically bonding to the fuel and ethanol molecules and prevent/slow down the evaporation process. They only work when used as a PREVENTIVE measure and will not do much or any good at all after the fact. I also recommend using a fuel drying additive that is isopropanol based in more humid climates on vented fuel systems that will help prevent accumulation of water in the fuel systems from humidity in the air.

Hope this helps on making a decision for you.

Im more interested in the fuel tank cleaning than trying to clean the fuel in the tanks. The gas in the tanks is fresh, but the amount of crap in the tanks is the concern. Theres approx. 10 gallons of fuel in each tank (20 gallon tanks)

 

[77charger]

Personally i would keep a couple filters with you your gonna eventually get the bigger crap out with a few uses.Im sure it will suck up more when low and slow planing too.

If not go for the flush im sure it would fix it for sure.Taking the tanks out would be a pain in ass.

 

[69hondo]

What does the RDP brain trust think? Pros & cons?

But a new 26 foot speedster.

 

[Big B Hova]

But a new 26 foot speedster.

I like your idea... but my HELOC isn't that big.

 

[Big B Hova]

Is your boat in Havasu ? Just curious if that's where this mobile service is located. I wouldn't need any polishing, but I might consider just a good flush and cleaning, certainly cheaper than pulling the tanks. If he's in Havasu or that area please post up the company name -- Thanks.
Years ago when I had my gasoline powered sports fishing boat in Mission Bay I couldn't find anybody who would do gasoline, the guys who had these mounted on boats were only Polishing diesel. One winter I had to get rid of over 150 gallons of old gas, so I could replace at least that much with fresh, then run it easy for a few trips. That was a lot of trips up and down the dock with 5 gallon jugs, then I'd mix it with fresh and burn it in some old job trucks.

Im not sure if he goes to havasu, hes here in california.

 

[69hondo]

I like your idea... but my HELOC isn't that big.

That was supposed to say buy not but, you go the idea though. I think you can finance for 30 years .lol

 

[Big B Hova]

This is the inline filter I installed on Friday. This is from 2 days of boating.

 

[rrrr]

I can filter fuel with a pump set up like above.... but this guy actually cleans the inside of the tanks with acetone and flushes them out, then filters the fuel and puts it back in.

If you think your boat needs it, go ahead and do it. The cost isn't prohibitive, and the method he proposes sounds like a good one to me.

I don't have any experiences with gasoline polishing, but after building a couple hundred large data centers I became quite familiar with sidestream diesel polishing.

It's called sidestream because the filtration and water separation modules were contained in a stand alone package. The fuel was pulled from the fuel tank(s) by a connection to the fuel pickup plumbing, and returned by a connection to the tank.

The filters were 5 micron and ran on seven day timers. Some of the installations had more than 10,000 gallons of stored fuel, and the usual goal was to turn it over once every couple of months.

 

[buck35]

This thread and a previous comment reminded me of a post on oso about having crap in a vst tank. Bup who seems a very knowledgeable guy said to not mix ethanol blend and non as a precipitate forms due to the differing chemicals.

 

[500bbc]

That salty looking crud is varnish from gas evaporating previoulsy.
I had an old flatty with it, emptied the gas, dumped a gallon of parts cleaner in each tank, dragged it around on the trailer then emptied them. Cleaned them very well but it was the good old parts dip, currently banned by the hippies.

 

[Bigbore500r]

This is the inline filter I installed on Friday. This is from 2 days of boating. View attachment 682792

Is there a flower garden in the bottom of your tanks?

 

[guest hs]

I was on board with this until I heard the price i was guessing half that

 

[rrrr]

That salty looking crud is varnish from gas evaporating previoulsy.
I had an old flatty with it, emptied the gas, dumped a gallon of parts cleaner in each tank, dragged it around on the trailer then emptied them. Cleaned them very well but it was the good old parts dip, currently banned by the hippies.

The original Berryman's B-12 was so hot it would probably dissolve a carburetor if it was soaked more than a few hours.

 

[DLow]

Here's the setup I made. The electric fuel pump is mounted (Grounded) to an aluminum plate, the plate isn't painted on the bottom, so I'll wet the concrete where I set the pump to effectively ground it. The hoses are very long, long enough to transfer gas from my jet skis straight into my truck (As an example). The wiring is also long so that any battery connections are far from the tank any fumes. The On/Off switch is sealed and potted and again, located away from the tank(s). I've got several types of plugs and adapters I use depending on what 12V power source is available.
I've tried to make it as safe as is practical, large fire extinguisher is on hand, make sure hoses are making solid contact so there's no static arcing. We've used it a lot with zero problems, but let's face it, it is gasoline and deserves proper respect and precautions. I've also got a separate long ground cable with clamps not in the picture.

View attachment 682782

Nice set up. You may also want to bond between both vehicles when doing a fuel transfer. Any time we do a fuel transfer, we double ground both vehicles (and pump depending on what system we are using) and double bond between vehicles. It is overkill, but we have a 0% margin for error.

 

[lIQUIDATEDdAMAGES]

Sort of a different animal but I had been fighting algae in my diesel tanks for about a year until a few weeks ago. Had been treating the fuel and swapping fuel filters more often than usual. Got to the point where I was plugging the fuel pickups and I was losing at least one motor almost every trip. Finally bit the bullet and had the tank cut open, emptied, cleaned and the fuel polished and put back. $1,050 later I have four new inspection ports, a clean tank and had about 110 gallons of clean diesel put back where it came from...


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[rrrr]

Do you use a fuel biocide? Probably a dumb question.

Most of the stuff growing in diesel tanks is anaerobic bacteria.

 

[Taboma]

Nice set up. You may also want to bond between both vehicles when doing a fuel transfer. Any time we do a fuel transfer, we double ground both vehicles (and pump depending on what system we are using) and double bond between vehicles. It is overkill, but we have a 0% margin for error.

That's an excellent point and why I made the long grounding jumper --- straight forward when I'm transferring from my Rzr with metal components to my truck.

But with the jet skis, you've got a plastic tank sitting on rubber isolators, in a fiberglass ski and no metal components other than the engine which is electrically isolated from the tank. Since static can build up a charge in some non-conductive materials (Like the hose), but not actually conduct through them (Travel), the question becomes, where to attach the bond on the ski side ? Ideally, you're striving to maintain uniform potential between the components and vehicles and the path between.
Achieving this state, such as your double bonding provides, mitigates the static charging in one component to the point it reaches a potential that enables it to arc. When you're dealing with materials that are otherwise insulators, this gets tricky.

It's an interesting subject, the more you head down the rabbit hole the more you understand you shouldn't be wearing polyester when you fill up your vehicle and you especially don't want to get into and back out of your car with cloth interior, then grab the nozzle again unless you've grounded yourself to the vehicle or pump enclosure prior -- unless of course, it's raining.

One thing I discovered after having granite tops installed in my home --- it's the Holy Grail when it comes to safely and painlessly draining static. Cool dry Santa Ana weather day, wearing my polyester furry jacket, walk across the carpet wearing Uggs --- holy shit I'm charged to the point Tesla would run and hide (Not a good time to handle gasoline !!!), touch the stainless frig and you'd hear me yell all the way down the street --- BUT, touch the granite top and there's no arc, no pop, no blue flame, no pain, no yelling, yet the static has been instantly drained and dissipated -- you can even feel it leave.

Being of electrical mind I've found this extremely interesting. Doesn't matter if the granite is completely electrically isolated from ground, no plumbing or anything electrically grounding it, it still works. What I haven't determined yet is, how large of a piece of granite is required. In other words, if I place a 4"x 4" granite square in my polyester pocket, will that absorb the static while I shuffle my Uggs across the floor ? And if so how many times ?

I don't have granite at our Havasu place and I'm constantly getting nailed, touch the frig and you can hear the snap clear outside.
This winter I will be conducting advanced studies with various pieces of granite while vacationing at our Havasu place. I mean what if I could just stick a small granite rock in my pocket and never have to scream out in pain again

PS: I don't wear anything but cotton while transferring gas

 

[Taboma]

Dlow, since I'm a believer that experience is the ultimate educator and it seems you've got that --- I'm listening should you want to offer any additional anti-boom tips

 

[spectra3279]

That's an excellent point and why I made the long grounding jumper --- straight forward when I'm transferring from my Rzr with metal components to my truck.

But with the jet skis, you've got a plastic tank sitting on rubber isolators, in a fiberglass ski and no metal components other than the engine which is electrically isolated from the tank. Since static can build up a charge in some non-conductive materials (Like the hose), but not actually conduct through them (Travel), the question becomes, where to attach the bond on the ski side ? Ideally, you're striving to maintain uniform potential between the components and vehicles and the path between.
Achieving this state, such as your double bonding provides, mitigates the static charging in one component to the point it reaches a potential that enables it to arc. When you're dealing with materials that are otherwise insulators, this gets tricky.

It's an interesting subject, the more you head down the rabbit hole the more you understand you shouldn't be wearing polyester when you fill up your vehicle and you especially don't want to get into and back out of your car with cloth interior, then grab the nozzle again unless you've grounded yourself to the vehicle or pump enclosure prior -- unless of course, it's raining.

One thing I discovered after having granite tops installed in my home --- it's the Holy Grail when it comes to safely and painlessly draining static. Cool dry Santa Ana weather day, wearing my polyester furry jacket, walk across the carpet wearing Uggs --- holy shit I'm charged to the point Tesla would run and hide (Not a good time to handle gasoline !!!), touch the stainless frig and you'd hear me yell all the way down the street --- BUT, touch the granite top and there's no arc, no pop, no blue flame, no pain, no yelling, yet the static has been instantly drained and dissipated -- you can even feel it leave.

Being of electrical mind I've found this extremely interesting. Doesn't matter if the granite is completely electrically isolated from ground, no plumbing or anything electrically grounding it, it still works. What I haven't determined yet is, how large of a piece of granite is required. In other words, if I place a 4"x 4" granite square in my polyester pocket, will that absorb the static while I shuffle my Uggs across the floor ? And if so how many times ?

I don't have granite at our Havasu place and I'm constantly getting nailed, touch the frig and you can hear the snap clear outside.
This winter I will be conducting advanced studies with various pieces of granite while vacationing at our Havasu place. I mean what if I could just stick a small granite rock in my pocket and never have to scream out in pain again

PS: I don't wear anything but cotton while transferring gas

I keep a dryer sheet in my pocket at havasu. If I don't I get nailed about every 5 minutes. Also put one in the bed. Gets rid of the lighting storm

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[CobraDave]

What would the cost be in just replacing the tank? I would imagine it getting close to the cost to
Clean it.


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[Taboma]

I keep a dryer sheet in my pocket at havasu. If I don't I get nailed about every 5 minutes. Also put one in the bed. Gets rid of the lighting storm

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Excellent tip --- I know they work in the dryer, never considered stuffing one in the pocket of my warm but often painful furry "Lightning Jacket" It's pretty funny around my house, especially to outsiders as my wife and I have trained ourselves to be constantly touching the granite before touching metal --- when she goes to kiss me goodbye in the morning, we both reach for the granite first, lol --- dryer sheet would be easier !!

 

[240Hallett]

This is the inline filter I installed on Friday. This is from 2 days of boating. View attachment 682792

Looks like you’re good for a couple more days… Not even half full yet!!

 

[Big B Hova]

Looks like you’re good for a couple more days… Not even half full yet!!

Now that's a cup half full kinda mentality

 

[Big B Hova]

What would the cost be in just replacing the tank? I would imagine it getting close to the cost to
Clean it.


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t would be a grand just to remove and reinstall the tanks. I'd imagine another grand at least for new tanks. 675 to clean them.

 

[DLow]

That's an excellent point and why I made the long grounding jumper --- straight forward when I'm transferring from my Rzr with metal components to my truck.

But with the jet skis, you've got a plastic tank sitting on rubber isolators, in a fiberglass ski and no metal components other than the engine which is electrically isolated from the tank. Since static can build up a charge in some non-conductive materials (Like the hose), but not actually conduct through them (Travel), the question becomes, where to attach the bond on the ski side ? Ideally, you're striving to maintain uniform potential between the components and vehicles and the path between.
Achieving this state, such as your double bonding provides, mitigates the static charging in one component to the point it reaches a potential that enables it to arc. When you're dealing with materials that are otherwise insulators, this gets tricky.

It's an interesting subject, the more you head down the rabbit hole the more you understand you shouldn't be wearing polyester when you fill up your vehicle and you especially don't want to get into and back out of your car with cloth interior, then grab the nozzle again unless you've grounded yourself to the vehicle or pump enclosure prior -- unless of course, it's raining.

One thing I discovered after having granite tops installed in my home --- it's the Holy Grail when it comes to safely and painlessly draining static. Cool dry Santa Ana weather day, wearing my polyester furry jacket, walk across the carpet wearing Uggs --- holy shit I'm charged to the point Tesla would run and hide (Not a good time to handle gasoline !!!), touch the stainless frig and you'd hear me yell all the way down the street --- BUT, touch the granite top and there's no arc, no pop, no blue flame, no pain, no yelling, yet the static has been instantly drained and dissipated -- you can even feel it leave.

Being of electrical mind I've found this extremely interesting. Doesn't matter if the granite is completely electrically isolated from ground, no plumbing or anything electrically grounding it, it still works. What I haven't determined yet is, how large of a piece of granite is required. In other words, if I place a 4"x 4" granite square in my polyester pocket, will that absorb the static while I shuffle my Uggs across the floor ? And if so how many times ?

I don't have granite at our Havasu place and I'm constantly getting nailed, touch the frig and you can hear the snap clear outside.
This winter I will be conducting advanced studies with various pieces of granite while vacationing at our Havasu place. I mean what if I could just stick a small granite rock in my pocket and never have to scream out in pain again

PS: I don't wear anything but cotton while transferring gas

I think you have everything covered very well, especially since you are already bonding between vehicles. Guys that want to go the extra mile get into ohming out their ground fields, but that is a whole new level of redundancy.

Interesting thought on the skis and their construction. I’m curious as to bonding to the engine, then jumping to possibly the hose clamp on the fill neck? Thoughts?

The point here is to understand the potentials and huge risks when dealing with moving gasoline, whether it being transferring or polishing. It is a whole different animal compared to diesel (or jet fuel).

 

[Taboma]

I think you have everything covered very well, especially since you are already bonding between vehicles. Guys that want to go the extra mile get into ohming out their ground fields, but that is a whole new level of redundancy.

Interesting thought on the skis and their construction. I’m curious as to bonding to the engine, then jumping to possibly the hose clamp on the fill neck? Thoughts?

The point here is to understand the potentials and huge risks when dealing with moving gasoline, whether it being transferring or polishing. It is a whole different animal compared to diesel (or jet fuel).

At the flow rate you guys are pumping, you're generating a static charge that requires it be bleed off constantly. I also believe your hoses have an internal bleed wire.
I have the luxury of easily removing the filler hoses at the tank. Otherwise with all the bends and kinks it would be tough to stuff a hose in and chances are it would curl up, not down. Seems there's some universal law that states all hoses when shoved down a filler hose will curl up and away, not down and in ---
Yes, I've bonded off to the engine, mostly because in a round about way it's grounded to the tank sending unit -- so might help.
I don't treat the process lightly, I'm certainly not holding a beer in one hand and very methodical about set up, solid hose to tank contact, down to being careful what I'm wearing --- certainly NOT that warm fuzzy jacket that crackles on dry cool nights, LOL Been doing it for years, but never forget it demands respect.
But then I spent a career working around and with extremely dangerous live electrical voltages. I treat this with similar respect.

Recently I was reading the USCG regs about marine fuel systems. There was an extensive section on grounding and bonding all the various components together. I'm not sure all manufacturers of recreational or performance boats are reading these regs.

 

[DLow]

Most of my transferring is done either after a semi truck rollover or when one is damaged and needs offloading. I’m not an expert by any means. First time I hunkered down and drilled a 3” hole into the top (which was actually the side) of a rolled 9000 gallon semi tank mostly full of gasoline it brought a new respect for making sure there wasn’t any static buildup.

 

[rrrr]

 

[zermenojr]

Check out these pics. We were having the same problem and ended up ditching the old tanks and going with two new ones. Approximately $2k.