T&T: Heeling and fuel tank crossover

[Chuck and Susan]

Stephen, No matter how well we try we will never get our boat completely level
in the water. Even movable stowage like groceries, tools etc. add up enough to
affect the trim, even if somewhat. A 3/8 crossover line seems very small to
me, even in our MT 34 it is about 1 inch. I believe a cut off is a must since
how would you stop the flow should a leak develop somewhere in that crossover?
Chuck

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--- On Wed, 6/3/09, hymarks at mindspring.com <hymarks at mindspring.com> wrote:

 

My KK42 is (I think) fairly well balanced with batteries split on each side
and water tanks near centerling.

There is a 30 gal hot water tank on Starboard.

I can fill up and have both tanks at what appears to be the same level however
especially with guest aboard and sleepng on starboard side by the morning I
will have a 3 degree  list.

There is a 3/8ths ID hose (at bottom of tank) going from one tank to the
other.  I have lots of valves to allow me to polish one tank and run on the
other or just draw from one tank and not the other.  However none of these
valves shut off the "cross over" line.

I can shut off either tank but do not want to do this since the valves for
controlling polishing  etc are after the tank shut off valve.

I could put a shut off valve in the cross over line itself and this would not
prohibit any of the functions of the valves that allow polishing and running
at the same time.

Is there a reason to always have a way for one tank to equalize with the
other.  Obviously when I am heeled the fuel does not flow back 'uphill"  so
perhaps the liquid level is even but the boat surely is not.  Whether it is a
load distribution problem or perhaps one tank is physically just an inch or
two higher than the other one I do not know.

It seems to me that putting a shut off valve in the crossover line would
work.

What say you experts?

Thanks

Stephen Starling