T&T: Fuel transfer pump

[Albin43SDtr]

'Lo All,

At 03:14 PM 9/5/2006, Brent Hodges wrote:
> > Evening all,
> > I have a fuel tank question. On my Albin 43 there is a balancing pipe with
> > shut-off valves at either end, between the two wing tanks. It semms that
>that
> > system is not working very well. > Hans
>
>Hi Hans,
>My Albin 43 has this same setup. When I first got the boat, and left that
>crossover open, I battled the same problem.

Of course we have the same setup on the Celestial, also an Albin 43 - 
Sundeck version. I used to leave the crossover valves open all the 
time and it was never been a problem for us. The only thing I can 
think of that may make a difference is the weight of the engines low 
in the bilge, or possibly the amount of water carried. ??? I seldom 
used the 60 gallon centerline day-tank for a long time, so it was 
always full. That, too, may make a difference. I have never had the 
occasion to run the day-tank down to less than half a tank (always 
refilled it at the end of the day) - and had no problems between the 
other two tanks. At one time or another, I have tried all 
combinations of valve settings and found that the boat ran equally 
well with any combination.

I have pumped all the fuel out of one tank and put it into the other 
side when polishing the fuel, then did the same in the opposite 
direction. The boat takes on a SIGNIFICANT heel (20-25 Deg I would 
guess) with one side tank nearly full and the other completely empty, 
but when I open the crossover valves, the fuel load equalizes within 
an hour or so and the boat sits squarely upright. When I did this, my 
neighbors called to let me know the Celestial was sinking and was 
about to roll over.....

The reason for doing the above is to be able to polish 100% of the 
fuel in both tanks, just in case anyone was wondering. It is easier 
to polish 100% of the fuel in the day-tank as the two main tanks 
usually can easily hold the 60 gallons from the day-tank.


Take care and be safe.

Wayne
M/V Celestial
Albin43 Sundeck