Accidently pumped gas in waste tank today

[msd58]

I was fueling up today when I accidentally pumped maybe < 1 gallon of gas in waste tank. My new (to me) boat waste cap is in the exact location of my old boat's gas fill. So it was just force of habit. I immediately pumped out the holding tank (20 gal cap) that was maybe 1/3 full prior to accident. I flushed about 5-7 times with fresh water and then poured a 1/2 cup of liquid Wisk laundry detergent into empty tank and filled it capacity with water -pumped it out, flushed it poured another 1/2 cup of Wisk and repeated this whole process several times. I even filled head bowl and flushed that back several thru times. I left boat with full waste tank of water and Wisk solution to sit over night. Do you think this will be sufficient to get all the fuel residue out of system?

Signed,

Embarrassed.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Accidently pumped gas in waste tank today

Suprisingly, all the Wisk did was make the petroleum sink to the bottom of your tank. That's why it's illegal to use detergents to clean up a petroleum spill on the water. What you need to use is baking soda and vinegar. You don't mention where you pumped it out to but if it was a dump faciltiy at the dock then you need to let them know about it asap. You may also want to call your insurance agent.

If you don't believe me, check your state and federal laws. State laws can only make the Fed laws more stringent not less and the Fed laws are really tough.

P.S. After you read the laws you may wish you never posted about it.

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: Accidently pumped gas in waste tank today

If you would have just hooked your holding tank to your fuel pump, you would have had a great gas/bio fuel mixture. lol - sorry, couldn't resist.

It sounds like you did a pretty thorough job of flushing. Much more than most people would do. I wouldn't expect problems, but the only concern is that flushing a holding tank never seems to get everything (solids) out. If that material was able to soak up a bit of gas, fume could get created in the tanks. Vapors and sparks are not a good combination. I would check your tank vent to make sure it is clear (you wouldn't believe how many boat's have old or clogged filters). Take note of any gas odor from the vent.

Good luck.

Sea ya...

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: Accidently pumped gas in waste tank today

Have to agree with sschefer (good advice from him, btw) on where the gas went. If it went in the water, it would have evaporated fairly quickly. I had my tank spring a leak and the bilge pump chucked it out into the water in our canal, repeatedly all morning. I'm talking somewhere around 50 gallons. When I got to the boat I called the fire department and they sent the Hazmat unit. They didn't seem to know what to do about the gas, but the Sea Tow guy told them don't worry about it, it would evaporate quickly. It did. And they never sent me any cleanup bill or anything. But I was lucky.

However, if you pumped it at a pumpout facility, they definitely need to know. Gas in a closed space is what makes for explosions.

As for your tank, I don't know about Wisk, but many dish soaps have ingredients to cut grease and oil. Dawn, for example, is amazing. But when you filled the tank with water, it would have stirred up the mix, but only briefly. So, hopefully, you immediately flushed each time before the mix separated. But each flush should have taken some fuel with it. One other problem. You said you filled the tank with water. A full tank is when the filter is very vulnerable to getting clogged. So definitely make sure your vent is clear.

Sea ya...

 

[msd58]

Re: Accidently pumped gas in waste tank today

What is the proper amount of baking soda and vinegar combination in solution to be used for 20 gal holding tank?