Clear plastic fuel viewing tubes? Help!

The tubing is fiber reinforced clear tubing from West Marine, off of the spool in the store, about 1/2" inside diameter, whatever is on your boat now.
In my opinion the easiest way to change
close top and bottom valves, take the tubing lose at the top, if the tube is flexible lean it over to dump what diesel you can into a bucket, then, as you open the bottom valve blow into the tube to force the remaining diesel back into the tank. As soon as you see the hose is empty close the bottom valve, remove the tube and bring it to WM or other supplier to get a tube same diameter and length. be sure to get the full length, someone earlier posted their tube had shrunk and pulled off of the hose barb.
Reinstall the new tube with good hose clamps and you should be ready to go. As previously mentioned always keep top and bottom valves closed except when actually checking the fuel level.
This probably isn't an urgent project, it will be easier to do when the fuel level in the tanks is below half full. Place oil absorbent pads under the valve area before in case of spills.
Good luck!

Donna said:

I am having such a difficult time posting trying to post pics. Yours are exactly like mine. Can you please tell me what you used and where to find them?

I am worried about everything being coast guard rated because of insurance. I guess I am exempt from some rules because of my size?

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You are exempt because you are not a commercial vessel nor are you an inspected vessel.

Donna, you are doing a great job on your boat.

One thing that I am not clear on. Do your sight tubes have a valve at both the top and bottom? Current standards call for a valve at both the top and bottom of the tube. The idea is that in the event of an engine fire the valves will keep both fuel from the tank from feeding the fire after the sight tubes finally melt or fail.

Not all boats had the upper sight tube installed, mine included. If not, this is something that your surveyor should have flagged as being a recommended change. Anyway, if you don't have an upper valve, take the opportunity to add one while you are changing the sight tube. Adding that valve is one of my winter projects.

What about Tygon® F-4040-A fuel line...

dhays said:

Donna, you are doing a great job on your boat.

One thing that I am not clear on. Do your sight tubes have a valve at both the top and bottom? Current standards call for a valve at both the top and bottom of the tube. The idea is that in the event of an engine fire the valves will keep both fuel from the tank from feeding the fire after the sight tubes finally melt or fail.

Not all boats had the upper sight tube installed, mine included. If not, this is something that your surveyor should have flagged as being a recommended change. Anyway, if you don't have an upper valve, take the opportunity to add one while you are changing the sight tube. Adding that valve is one of my winter projects.

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I do not have valves on top of the sight gauges on my boat. Where would I buy them and new hose?


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dhays said:

Donna, you are doing a great job on your boat.

One thing that I am not clear on. Do your sight tubes have a valve at both the top and bottom? Current standards call for a valve at both the top and bottom of the tube. The idea is that in the event of an engine fire the valves will keep both fuel from the tank from feeding the fire after the sight tubes finally melt or fail.

Not all boats had the upper sight tube installed, mine included. If not, this is something that your surveyor should have flagged as being a recommended change. Anyway, if you don't have an upper valve, take the opportunity to add one while you are changing the sight tube. Adding that valve is one of my winter projects.

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Thank you! I DO have valves top and bottom. Guess I'm lucky there! I also have a Halon fire suppression system. Hoping to get one of my firefighter friends on board soon to have a look!

I know the rules say a valve on top and bottom of sight hose, but I don't see a big deal with just having a valve on the bottom. Lots of folks use the nylabrade reinforced vinyl hose with no issues that I have heard. Change it when it gets hard to see, usually lasts many years. And leave bottom valve closed when not viewing.

Oceania said:

I do not have valves on top of the sight gauges on my boat. Where would I buy them and new hose?


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Any good hardware store or marine store.

Ski in NC said:

I know the rules say a valve on top and bottom of sight hose, but I don't see a big deal with just having a valve on the bottom. Lots of folks use the nylabrade reinforced vinyl hose with no issues that I have heard. Change it when it gets hard to see, usually lasts many years. And leave bottom valve closed when not viewing.

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I agree with you Ski which is why I have not done it yet. It is a relatively cheap and easy thing to add, at least on my boat, so it is something I will do as I run out of higher priority items.

The reason that I agree with you is that the top valve is near the top of the tank (duh). So unless my tanks are near full when I have a fire, the upper valve really wouldn't make much of a different. Since I am not planning on having an ER fire, and my tanks are rarely that full, the margin of safety that the upper valves would provide is pretty small. Again, something I will do at some point, likely this winter. However, if I had to change out the tubing now, I would add the valves at the same time.

Donna said:

I have no idea what to call the diesel viewing tubes. I need new ones because I have no idea how much fuel I have. That could be a problem.

Where can I get them and what are they called?

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Tygon tubing. Google it. Many types. Many applications.

I directed my admirable admiral into the crawlspace to look at the sight tubes for the water tanks. They're dirty and due for renewal. But minimally functional.

She was not wearing her leather shorts...

2 27" inch tubes replaced! Not glass and Home Depot has the same tubing the marine store had.

I now smell disqusting and the job was one of the easier ones I did. Just not a fan of fuel of any kind.

To the shower I go! Thank you for all your help!

Donna said:

2 27" inch tubes replaced! Not glass and Home Depot has the same tubing the marine store had.

I now smell disqusting and the job was one of the easier ones I did. Just not a fan of fuel of any kind.

To the shower I go! Thank you for all your help!

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Nice job Donna. You are an inspiration.

Do you know if there is a tank in a perfect rectangle or other formats? This can affect the amount of reliability, and deploy diesel. The easiest way would be, when the tank is empty, and you begin to fill it, you could mark at appropriate intervals, for example every 50galonan or whatever you need.


In the measurement of tank out side systems
Gobius waste holding tank level system.

North Baltic sea said:

Do you know if there is a tank in a perfect rectangle or other formats? This can affect the amount of reliability, and deploy diesel. The easiest way would be, when the tank is empty, and you begin to fill it, you could mark at appropriate intervals, for example every 50galonan or whatever you need.


In the measurement of tank out side systems
Gobius waste holding tank level system.

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I have never seen the tanks. In fact there is no way to see them unless I cut a hole in perfectly good insulation. I guess that wouldn't be a big deal since it replaces in tile form. I wonder if those tiles are asbestos! 1986? Could be. Ok, lets not think about that.

I have no idea what shape they are and as long as there is no evidence of a leak, I don't care if they are in the shape of mickey mouse. :lol:

I know they will need replacement at some point and have started a reserve for that. I just hope not anytime soon.

Shouldn't be asbestos in ceiling tile by 1986...in the USA.

My sight tube on the port tank is marked 1/4, 1/2, etc. by the P.O. Then the math in my head. Two tanks (tied together) according to Albin literature hold 400 gals, so that tells me what is up. The markings are not linear, so it leads me to believe that the excercise was actually carried out emperically. I fill them half way for the season.

Donna said:

Coast guard require clear sight.

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Where'd you get that from. CG has nothing to do with CFR's.

Steve said:

Here is my port side installation, very easy to replace tubes, yours may be similar.

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That is water hose and not rated for fuel of any kind.

Capt.Bill11 said:

Clear vinyl hose works just fine.

Use either the reenforced kind like in the picture, sometimes called "red tracer" hose or the non-reenforced type that is totally clear.

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Clear vinyl is not fuel rated and will go very brittle when exposed to diesel over time and the plasticizers are driven out by the naphthalenes and alkylbenzenes in the diesel.

stubones99 said:

What about Tygon® F-4040-A fuel line...

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+1 ...... finally someone recommends an actual fuel rated clear hose !

PS you can't get it at Home Depot.

boatpoker said:

Clear vinyl is not fuel rated and will go very brittle when exposed to diesel over time and the plasticizers are driven out by the naphthalenes and alkylbenzenes in the diesel.

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Bay Pelican has had clear plastic hose (home depot type) for more than 20 years. Was changed once when no longer clear.

Never had a problem. OK, top and bottom valves are always shut off when not viewing.

What am I missing?

The difference between what you should do and what you can do.

Like most life choices.....risk management.

Bay Pelican said:

Bay Pelican has had clear plastic hose (home depot type) for more than 20 years. Was changed once when no longer clear.

Never had a problem. OK, top and bottom valves are always shut off when not viewing.

What am I missing?

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Forget who it is but someone on here has a signature that goes something like .........

"There's the right way, the wrong way and what some guy has gotten away with"

boatpoker said:

+1 ...... finally someone recommends an actual fuel rated clear hose !

PS you can't get it at Home Depot.

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I got mine I think from McMaster or someplace similar. Definitely pricey, but I figured a bilge full of diesel is too. Three years, still totally clear. Enough left over to do my water tank too. Lined up the level markings from the old tube. If something else works for less $ then great; but this is my first diesel, so my confidence level in unapproved applications is not high.

I guess you could relate this to the thread on " how long does hose last"?

if you use cheap hose, plan on replacing it sooner than if you used the better stuff.

doesn't mean that you will have a failure any time soon.

plus, in my lifetime, I have had my share of factory defects in a lot of different things.

using any particular anything doesn't guarantee ratings.

so getting away with something is a general statement about everything in life.

I bought a boat that isn't close to unsinkable or can't catch fire. It's the way it came and I couldn't afford s boat that may have been closers. So in my upgrades, I try to incrementally make her better...but going to the 99th percentile or higher on every system is not necessary, especially if you can't do all at once.

Plastic fuel hose is available at most (all?) auto parts stores.

boatpoker said:

Where'd you get that from. CG has nothing to do with CFR's.

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Surveyor and ins. company.

I'm doing things once and right. Is it overkill? Maybe, but better to be safe than sorry.

Donna said:

Surveyor and ins. company.

I'm doing things once and right. Is it overkill? Maybe, but better to be safe than sorry.

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I think that is a good way to approach it. My surveyor flagged a number of things as "suggestions". The insurance company and the lender didn't care about those, but I am going through that list and getting them done over time.

I was in the don't know but don't want to make a big mistake mode, so went with the tubing made to go in this application. I hate doing a job more than once, except routine maintenance . Believe me, a lot (most) of the systems are done in less than perfect fashion, but it doesn't stop us from having fun.