Boat Gas Tank Venting Problems

Captain aurora richard kittar.

Boat gas tank venting problems.

Many fuel vents have fine wire screens that keep out minute debris as well as nesting. Sometimes it actually shoots out in a stream though the tank is nowhere near full it would require major work to get to the tank at the point the vent tube connects. The fuel tank vent is located on the outside of the boat normally relatively close to the fill port on the gunwale of the boat. A boat fuel tank overflow can be caused by a clog in the vent.

Listen as you loosen the gas cap to check whether air rushes into the tank. Boat fuel tank vent tips. Without a vent typically a small screw type fixture on the tank s cap or top a portable gas container can swell up in the hot sun forcing fuel into the outboard engine where it can spew inside. Some boats will have explosion proof exhaust fans to vent the area prior to starting the engines and others will have will have proper ventilation built into the locker design.

Don t trap fuel in your boat s vent line. As i found out. Thanks for your question. When installing a vent hose avoid sags aka traps anywhere in the vent line.

Clean the screen on your fuel vent. If in doubt take the tank off the boat to open the vent and make sure that there are no fuel fumes on the boat prior to starting the motor. The thing is once you have a tank that s swelled up full of pressure it s a problem and creates a good chance of gas spill and leaking. When filling the tank i get an excessive amount of gas coming out of the vent on the side of the boat.

Taking a look on the outside of the hull and seeing if the vent is even there if it is corroded broken or upside down. Mine leaked gas around the motor hose connection down through the motor casing and on to the floor. Put your ear close to the tank before you fill it.