A Solution to Those Embarassing and Illegal Fuel Spills

K

kmcclish

New member
:cry I have not been able to keep fuel from spilling out of the fuel vents on my Venture 23, even when filling the tank very slowly. It didn't matter if I was filling at a gas station or at the dock.

Even if I didn't spill, a too full tank on a hot day would allow gas to drip out of the vent and create a "spill" on the water or dangerous fumes in the barn where I store the MARCIA JANE.

I recently installed a Green Marine Fuel Whistle. Yesterday, I gave them their first test. It worked perfectly! Other than attracting several onlookers who wondered what that piercing noise was; I was able to fill the tanks just full enough. When the "whistles" stopped screaming, the tanks were full. I am a happy man! :D

They were kind of a pain to install, but well worth it for the peace of mind.

Kent
MARCIA JANE
 
Interesting info .... any details on steps - especially problems you ran into - required to do the installation would be appreciated.

The ad I found on the web implies nothing but a knife and a screw driver is required to install. Does that match your experience?

We also have a 23' Venture and I too have encountered spills (luckily, always while on the trailer on land) filling the fuel tanks.

Tanks for any additional info you can provide on the Fuel Whistle.

Regards,
Dan
 
Some of the boats have problem with "sputtering" fuel as you fill. Would this prevent this? We also have a problem with the vent tube being inserted too far into the stb tank-so it will overflow if filled over 3/4 full, later at the house.

We keep our head near the vent and listen to the fuel, as well as keep an absorbant pad right by the vent--and catch any spill as it occurs.
 
We had a huge problem when fueling the Cosmic C when it was new. When we got above three-quarters full we would frequently experience sudden spurts of fuel, many strong enough to project fuel over a foot into the air! It didn't matter how slowly we filled the tank; in fact it occasionally happened after we had stopped filling and were reaching for the fuel cap. We complained to C Dory and brought the boat back to the dealer for repair. Initially we were told that this was a known problem with boats of our vintage and the fix was a new tank. Then we were told that the problem would be solved by installing a second vent using an unused port on the existing tank. This is what was done, but, although things improved considerably, we still find it difficult to fill the tank completely without some spillage. We found the best way (in addition to going really slowly) is to have the boat tipped so that the port side of the boat where the fill tube is located is higher than the starboard side. So we always move the generator and any passengers to the starboard side of the cockpit as we fuel. Now we spill a small quantity of fuel maybe every fourth time instead of a lot of fuel every time (and it mostly goes into the boat, not the water). I've been trying to think of some contraption I could make to solve this problem, but so far to no avail. The problem is that most devices on the market are designed to catch fuel coming out of the vent. This is not our problem; we need to catch fuel coming out of the fill hole.
 
Dan, installation of the "whistles" was not too involved, but I had to disconnect and remove the main fuel line on each side to be able to get full access to the vent line. A small socket set helped to get at the two clamps on the top of the hose. It was still worth it!

Bob had a question re: sputtering. I don't think it sputtered - more like when full, the gas blasted out of the vent. It was very hard to tell when it was close to full. With the "whistles", when the sound stops, it's full or close to full. Both tanks read full and that's close enough for me. :D

Good Luck!

Kent
MARCIA JANE
 
I've had really good luck with two items from West Marine. The first is a Davis product that has two suction cups and a reservoir, that fits over the overflow vent deal on the hull just below the gunwales. The other is a sock-type affair filled with absorbent beads that fits over the gas hose nozzle and catches blowback. Between the two devices, I have had very little gas escape to the water.

Warren
 
I bought one of those Davis fuel catchers for a sailboat. They only work with a vertical surface. The sailboat had a sloping transom, and the Davis catcher was useless.. Just a word of caution.

Boris
 
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