issues with filling tank

[royalcitymarina]

I have a new kingfisher that has had issues fueling from day 1. fueling the boat has been super slow and my fuel sender is not reading properly. i have contacted kingfisher for warranty work but wondering if anyone has any advice. I already ensured the air line is not kinked and above the fuel line. I can't even get to the fuel sender because hard to take out the floor boards in the cabin. Thank you.

 

[Aces]

I have a new kingfisher that has had issues fueling from day 1. fueling the boat has been super slow and my fuel sender is not reading properly. i have contacted kingfisher for warranty work but wondering if anyone has any advice. I already ensured the air line is not kinked and above the fuel line. I can't even get to the fuel sender because hard to take out the floor boards in the cabin. Thank you.

Sounds like your vent line isn’t performing

 

[Pineapple Express]

Does your vent line have a charcoal filter? If so, see if you can bypass that to improve performance

 

[zurk]

the EPA charcoal filters are incredibly bad. just replace with a straight vent pipe. the KFs have a perko vent which works nicely.

 

[royalcitymarina]

thanks guys. much appreciated

is the charcoal filter that big black tube that sits on top of the fuel tank? It has a few black hoses going into it ?

 

[zurk]

its this thing (carbon canister) -


i replaced mine with this thing -

PERKO Inc. - Catalog - Fuel System Components - Air/Fuel Separator - New Compact Design [0733]

PERKO Figure No. 0733 Air/Fuel Separator - New Compact Design [0733AF1L00, 0733AF1R00, 0733AF2L00, 0733AF2R00]

www.perko.com

it does the same job but without the carbon nonsense. it basically separates fuel vapor and air. bonus is its also EPA and CARB compliant so no problem if they check you and ask to check your fuel system.

 

[royalcitymarina]

thats great. thank you so much

 

[terrin]

its this thing (carbon canister) -

View attachment 116432
i replaced mine with this thing -

PERKO Inc. - Catalog - Fuel System Components - Air/Fuel Separator - New Compact Design [0733]

PERKO Figure No. 0733 Air/Fuel Separator - New Compact Design [0733AF1L00, 0733AF1R00, 0733AF2L00, 0733AF2R00]

www.perko.com

it does the same job but without the carbon nonsense. it basically separates fuel vapor and air. bonus is its also EPA and CARB compliant so no problem if they check you and ask to check your fuel system.

Would an older boat be grandfathered when “they” come to check you?

 

[zurk]

they would be the USCG. if you go into US waters.

EPA and Coast Guard to Jointly Enforce Air Pollution Requirements for Vessels Operating in U.S. Waters | Insights | Holland & Knight

www.hklaw.com

Since January 8, 2009, all U.S. flagged vessels and non-U.S. flagged vessels operating in U.S. waters must be in compliance with the regulations of MARPOL Annex VI and the APPS provisions implementing Annex V

no grandfathering in for you.

 

[terrin]

they would be the USCG. if you go into US waters.

EPA and Coast Guard to Jointly Enforce Air Pollution Requirements for Vessels Operating in U.S. Waters | Insights | Holland & Knight

www.hklaw.com

Since January 8, 2009, all U.S. flagged vessels and non-U.S. flagged vessels operating in U.S. waters must be in compliance with the regulations of MARPOL Annex VI and the APPS provisions implementing Annex V

no grandfathering in for you.

The EPA and USCG have authority and responsibility for fuel oil availability and quality (as per Regulation 18 of Annex VI), including the bunker delivery note and fuel sample. The EPA is responsible for verifying compliance with fuel oil availability and quality and for maintaining a register of local suppliers of fuel oil. The USCG is responsible for examining bunker delivery notes during the course of a flag State inspection or port State examination. Either party may request that the other attend or assist on any inspection or investigation related to fuel oil availability and quality under the MOU......... I'm not using bunker fuel oil so don't think this would apply to rec boater.

 

[Samnjoe]

My old Kingfisher has no such nonsense. Fills at full speed. Never backs up.

 

[Max123]

The issue that most boats will have with a charcoal filter on the vent line is this:

The filler pipe is the highest point in the system, and the charcoal filter on the vent line is located signficantly lower (As shown in the diagram below). If you fill your system at a pump to the point where the pump clicks off (like you would in a vehicle), you have fully filled not only the tank, but also the filler neck pipe, the vent pipe and the charcoal filter. Once the charcoal filter is fully saturated with fuel it doesn't vent until it drains itself out and dries.

In a car, the charcoal filter is located just above the max fill point. Next time you are filling your vehicle, look at the gas cap or cover - it will usually have a sticker saying 'DO NOT TOP UP TANK'. The reason they put this sticker there is because if you do top up the tank, you have likely flooded the charcoal filter - which prevents the tank from properly venting, and can affect fuel flow.

The main point is - don't overfill your tank. Fill based on fuel sender gauge. Do not fill to the point where the pump clicks off.

 

[Bryan Allen]

Dont screw up your warranty by changing anything until you have a reply from Kingfisher.

 

[InterMechanico]

The issue that most boats will have with a charcoal filter on the vent line is this:

The filler pipe is the highest point in the system, and the charcoal filter on the vent line is located signficantly lower (As shown in the diagram below). If you fill your system at a pump to the point where the pump clicks off (like you would in a vehicle), you have fully filled not only the tank, but also the filler neck pipe, the vent pipe and the charcoal filter. Once the charcoal filter is fully saturated with fuel it doesn't vent until it drains itself out and dries.

In a car, the charcoal filter is located just above the max fill point. Next time you are filling your vehicle, look at the gas cap or cover - it will usually have a sticker saying 'DO NOT TOP UP TANK'. The reason they put this sticker there is because if you do top up the tank, you have likely flooded the charcoal filter - which prevents the tank from properly venting, and can affect fuel flow.

The main point is - don't overfill your tank. Fill based on fuel sender gauge. Do not fill to the point where the pump clicks off.

I know this is good advice that should be followed, but I can get 73L into my VW Atlas when I put the extra effort in. A win for everyone

 

[Sharphooks]

the EPA charcoal filters are incredibly bad. just replace with a straight vent pipe. the KFs have a perko vent which works nicely.

For what it’s worth—the manufacturer of my boat mentioned his company was under the EPA mandate to install those charcoal canisters on every boat they build but the EPA had no control over whether or not the final end-user (consumer) removed the cannister after purchasing the boat

I just went through a major cluster-F with the cannisters on my boat. You can’t reach them to change out the charcoal if they get plugged up and I’m hearing they are notorious for getting plugged up (as mentioned above, overfill the tank and that’s what happens)

Result: when they clog up you end up with an un-vented tank which expands and contracts with temperature changes. Combine that with a leaky filler cap and you get water intrusion into the tank which happened to me——I just had 25 liters of water sucked out of my starboard tank and 12 liters out of the port tank

A fuel/water separator will work up to a point. Once the filter gets bombarded with too much water, it clogs up and the water will bypass the filter and go direct into your engine. My starboard DF300 sucked water all the way back to the VST while underway and conked out leaving me with a huge repair bill

Boat is back at the manufacturer having fuel filler tubes re-routed so filler caps aren’t in an area that pools water. Also, there will now be an accesible compartment for the canisters so the charcoal can be replaced if necessary

Part of the clue of a plugged up filter (Just my guess but it seems logical)—-when you unscrew the filler cap to re-fuel there is a loud hiss….I should have known I had issues going on last summer because it was notable how loud that hiss was—-definite vacuum building up in both my tanks….silly me—-I thought that was normal