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Does Gasoline Corrode Aluminum Boat Tanks?

Author: Brandon Hefner
by Brandon Hefner
Posted: Aug 15, 2019

People who own or intend to purchase a vessel in the near future with aluminum gas tanks should know the important things discussed in this article. For anglers, boats are exciting assets that come with challenging adventures. There are a lot of factors to check other than price tag and features before fixing the deal. There are avid boaters who like to stroll inshore and offshore for angling purposes. The matter of choice depends on your preferences. The type of boat gas tanks you would want will also affect the performance and efficiency of your vessel.

Whether it is a Grady White or Angler Pro, the boat gas tanks installed in it contributes significantly to its capacity to run without hitches. Materials, construction, installation, environment, maintenance, quality, and additives are main components that contribute to even EPA standards marine gas tanks failure.

Aluminum can be a perfect material for boat gas tanks but commercially available gasoline sometimes contains additional levels of ethanol content that can deteriorate the condition of your tank in the long term. This may significantly reduce the lifespan of your tank and you may need to replace it a few years later. Ethanol-blended gasoline is always capable of fuel a separation that happens when you hold the boat for a long period and during this phase separation, ethanol sits to the bottom of the tank and influence corrosion.

However, when you fill the storage with fuel that contains lower levels of ethanol (such as E10 which contains only 10%), this might not create a problem. Aluminum gas tanks are of protective property due to the oxide layer that combats against the corrosion buildup. The reality is there is not a strong database or research that could evidently claim the average life of boat tanks that are manufactured by aluminum.

There are not common problems that lead to tank failure and thus it is still undefined whether it is possible to keep them completely unrusted in presence of ethanol. Practically, ethanol’s hygroscopic property promotes it to soak up water molecules from the surrounding environment and that gradually develop rust inside and out of the tank. The corrosion particles do not limit to the only tank but simultaneously affect other parts of the boat such as fuel filters and engine components.

It is always advisable to buy EPA standards marine gas tanks that eliminate the safety and durability concerns to a great extent and keeps you in compliance with regulations as well. Make sure you’re not feeding fuel that contains more than 10% of ethanol because that causes several issues. For your choice, stainless steel can be another material for your tank which is known for its strength. For more information on boat fuel tanks, you may contact to professional manufacturers.

Whether it is a Grady White or Angler Pro, the boat gas tanks installed in it contributes significantly to its capacity to run without hitches. Materials, construction, installation, environment, maintenance, quality, and additives are main components that contribute to even EPA standards marine gas tanks failure.

About the Author

We take pride in making a superior product at a competitive price. All aluminum, stainless steel and steel tanks that we build tanks out of is made right here in the USA.

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Author: Brandon Hefner

Brandon Hefner

Member since: Jan 22, 2019
Published articles: 32

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