Swollen Fuel Tank

[ffejsmada]

The other day I was getting a live bait tank installed in my tinny. It was out in the hot sun for two days. When I got boat home the plastic fuel tank was MASSIVE! Instead of being 23lt, it looked like 50 litre!
I was sh#$@%ng myself in case it exploded. What I want to know is, have you ever heard of a plastic tank exploding before, and should you keep the breather valve open at all times?
I've only ever had S/S underfloor tanks before. Makes you wonder what happens in the tank underfloor!:o:o

[FNQCairns]

Yeah I have seen that, 2 choices keep it nearly full or loosen the breather up just a bit, the last one works well.
You underfloor tank will have breathers open all the time so no problem.

cheers fnq

[Black_Rat]

Had a 20 ltr+ red tank hooked up to a 30hp on my tinnie once :) It would always expand in the sun when the breather wasn't open ;)

Mind you I did see it when I didn't open the brether ! It started to go
anorexic and stall :)

[bootyinblue]

Never seen one explode, but have seen them get pretty big. The fuel vapour is what is heating and expanding causing the tank to bulge. A completely full tank will not do it, so can have the breather shut to prevent spillage, but once using the tank, open the breather up.

Used to have a tinny down the south coast with an old johnson motor and it used to scream once the pressure built up in the tank during the day and forced way more fuel into the port than was needed... Great fun!!

[Dan_A]

I had one in my boat that would swell up, but also came home one day from work to find a pool of petrol in the back of the boat, I didnt know what to do, thinking any little bit of static could cause it to blow.

The petrol got forced back out through the valves of the tank.

Anyway, ended up diluting it down with water and then soaking it up.

Dan