In Good Old Boat magazine: Volume 2, Number 1, January/February 1999, Bill Sandifer has an article http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:jJL ... cd=2&gl=us about fuel and water tanks in which he discusses "water finder paste".
Appearently you coat a dowel with this paste and then sound your fuel tank with the dowel. When you pull the dowel out of the tank it shows you how much water is in the bottom of the tank.
Has anyone used this stuff and how did it work for you?
Water finder paste
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JonnyBoats
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Tim
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Anyone running large tanks, like merchant ships, marinas selling fuel, gas stations, etc. uses thieving paste on a regular basis to determine if there is an unacceptable amount of water in the storage tanks.
It is applicable for use on a boat, too. The paste simply changes color in the presencce of water, but is unaffected by fuels. So it allows you to measure exactly how much water is beneath the fuel in your tank.
I used thieving paste daily when I worked at a marina that had fuel tanks. We sounded the tanks each day with a stick, and applied a bit of the paste to ensure that the fuel remained clean and without water. I also used it when sounding tankage when on training cruises and such at Maine Maritime.
It works exactly as advertised.
It is applicable for use on a boat, too. The paste simply changes color in the presencce of water, but is unaffected by fuels. So it allows you to measure exactly how much water is beneath the fuel in your tank.
I used thieving paste daily when I worked at a marina that had fuel tanks. We sounded the tanks each day with a stick, and applied a bit of the paste to ensure that the fuel remained clean and without water. I also used it when sounding tankage when on training cruises and such at Maine Maritime.
It works exactly as advertised.
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JonnyBoats
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Who, I keep lerning so much about boats! Where can one buy
Also would it be aa good idea to use this stuff regulary on a sailboat? Perhaps when commissioning in the spring or when laying up in the fall?
? Should I just go by the local gas station with a small container and ask the attendent for some and give him a couple of bucks?thieving paste
Also would it be aa good idea to use this stuff regulary on a sailboat? Perhaps when commissioning in the spring or when laying up in the fall?
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JonnyBoats
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I found a place to buy a tube in Tamp, FL that sold it to me for $5.50. It is a company that installs underground fuel tanks for gas stations etc.
They had two kinds of paste, one that turns red in water and the other that turns color in the presence of petrolium products. I asked why one would want the later type and was told that when sounding tanks in parking lots on hot, sunny days it can be hard to see the exact height of fuel on the sounding stick and this makes it much easier. I would guess this would also be useful if one suspected that there might be some fuel in a tank (like a water tank) where it shouldn't be.
Anyway I used a dowel with a small amount of paste on it to sound my tank and sure enough, I had water :-( It doesn't take much paste and a tube should last for years. Incidently the stuff lasts a long time, the fellow that sold it to me said he a tube that was 10 years old and still good.
This is rather arcane stuff for a small sailboat, but in my opinion it is one of those special purpose tools that is ideal for a specific task. I can't think of any other simple way to determine the water level in the bottom of a fuel tank.
They had two kinds of paste, one that turns red in water and the other that turns color in the presence of petrolium products. I asked why one would want the later type and was told that when sounding tanks in parking lots on hot, sunny days it can be hard to see the exact height of fuel on the sounding stick and this makes it much easier. I would guess this would also be useful if one suspected that there might be some fuel in a tank (like a water tank) where it shouldn't be.
Anyway I used a dowel with a small amount of paste on it to sound my tank and sure enough, I had water :-( It doesn't take much paste and a tube should last for years. Incidently the stuff lasts a long time, the fellow that sold it to me said he a tube that was 10 years old and still good.
This is rather arcane stuff for a small sailboat, but in my opinion it is one of those special purpose tools that is ideal for a specific task. I can't think of any other simple way to determine the water level in the bottom of a fuel tank.
-
JonnyBoats
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- Posts: 372
- Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2005 4:54 pm
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I found a place to buy a tube in Tamp, FL that sold it to me for $5.50. It is a company that installs underground fuel tanks for gas stations etc.
They had two kinds of paste, one that turns red in water and the other that turns color in the presence of petrolium products. I asked why one would want the later type and was told that when sounding tanks in parking lots on hot, sunny days it can be hard to see the exact height of fuel on the sounding stick and this makes it much easier. I would guess this would also be useful if one suspected that there might be some fuel in a tank (like a water tank) where it shouldn't be.
Anyway I used a dowel with a small amount of paste on it to sound my tank and sure enough, I had water :-( It doesn't take much paste and a tube should last for years. Incidently the stuff lasts a long time, the fellow that sold it to me said he a tube that was 10 years old and still good.
This is rather arcane stuff for a small sailboat, but in my opinion it is one of those special purpose tools that is ideal for a specific task. I can't think of any other simple way to determine the water level in the bottom of a fuel tank.
They had two kinds of paste, one that turns red in water and the other that turns color in the presence of petrolium products. I asked why one would want the later type and was told that when sounding tanks in parking lots on hot, sunny days it can be hard to see the exact height of fuel on the sounding stick and this makes it much easier. I would guess this would also be useful if one suspected that there might be some fuel in a tank (like a water tank) where it shouldn't be.
Anyway I used a dowel with a small amount of paste on it to sound my tank and sure enough, I had water :-( It doesn't take much paste and a tube should last for years. Incidently the stuff lasts a long time, the fellow that sold it to me said he a tube that was 10 years old and still good.
This is rather arcane stuff for a small sailboat, but in my opinion it is one of those special purpose tools that is ideal for a specific task. I can't think of any other simple way to determine the water level in the bottom of a fuel tank.