Tankbusters Review

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

I am not sure why, I think he feels he was fleeced, and decided  to state the bare facts, and let others come to their own conclusions.

I don't know who he is. He hasn't said. any of the ex windup merchants who have been here in the past could have posted that.

[LadyG]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I don't know who he is. He hasn't said. any of the ex windup merchants who have been here in the past could have posted that.

Well it all seemed very detailed, maybe there are some nuts who get a kick out of that sort of trolling. Then are we suggesting he is misrepresenting two others ... if that is the case you would thing the Real T Busters would complain, privately, or report the post at the very least. Forum Staff have ways and means to check up.

DHutch has seen this thread, and presumably done some checking. He seems to think it was a professional job, to me it looks like a rip off, what do I know, except that sort of money would buy both the kit and the consumables. Other people have made their own kit, it's not rocket science. 

Edited March 9, 2019 by LadyG

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

Well it all seemed very detailed, 

Detailed?? The first quoted a page from this site and the second just said 

"Its very simple, members that put adverse comments of companies or individuals  and do not put the truce facts, mislead other members.

That is very clear in Canal World Terms and conditions. The point being THINK BEFORE TYPING "

Nether offer any evidenct that they are conected with the companey in question. I could have made both those postings.

[Jim Riley]

3 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I don't know who he is. He hasn't said. any of the ex windup merchants who have been here in the past could have posted that.

No, not if they are Ex windup merchants, for, as you say, they have stopped doing it.

If it looks, waddles and quacks like a duck it's a ?. It's Mr Tank, busted. I won't be using him. 

[Tony Brooks]

If it is Mr Tankbuster perhaps he might like to consider that reports such as this raises concerns about the company's ethics so those of us who advise others via different media and apps are likely to pass on the concerns an suitable warnings when asked to advise on fuel tank matters. Naturally such concerns and warnings will be very carefully worded to avoid legal action but Mr Tankbuster can be sure anyone reading between the lines would be likely to avoid his company. It is also likely that his workload would increase because of the demands for written and binding quotations. Avoiding giving such quotations woudl simply reinforce any warnings that may be given and the company's reputation may well be shredded in a few months.

 

I find no explanation from Tankbusters, even just to deny know;ledge of the incident, very telling. I invite him to put his side of the story direct to me by email so I can  judge what   happened but so far it looks bad for the company.

[LadyG]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

Detailed?? The first quoted a page from this site and the second just said 

"Its very simple, members that put adverse comments of companies or individuals  and do not put the truce facts, mislead other members.

That is very clear in Canal World Terms and conditions. The point being THINK BEFORE TYPING "

Nether offer any evidenct that they are conected with the companey in question. I could have made both those postings.

The OP invoice post was detailed, I assumed you meant the whole thing was a wind up and that little-wren, and the other two were trolls, all three being one person.

[ditchcrawler]

7 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

 

I find no explanation from Tankbusters, even just to deny know;ledge of the incident, very telling. I invite him to put his side of the story direct to me by email so I can  judge what   happened but so far it looks bad for the company.

That is what raises my doubts. 

1 minute ago, LadyG said:

The OP invoice post was detailed, I assumed you meant the whole thing was a wind up and that little-wren, and the other two were trolls, all three being one person.

Never Assume, we are assuming that Cool and Tank buster are connected to the company, but other than the contents of their posting we have no proof. If they were part of the company I would expected them to ether  pointed out where the OP had misunderstood or said nothing at all. We have had that with other companies

[pete.i]

Looks to me, 99% anyway, that this is just a troll. Tankbusters are called Tankbusters not THE Tankbusters. Doesn't alter the fact that the real Tankbusters should come on, with some sort of verification, and give their explanation. If they don't then the damage already done to their reputation will just be compounded

[LadyG]

Lol, 

11 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

That is what raises my doubts. 

Never Assume, we are assuming that Cool and Tank buster are connected to the company, but other than the contents of their posting we have no proof. If they were part of the company I would expected them to ether  pointed out where the OP had misunderstood or said nothing at all. We have had that with other companies

It's not OK for you to assume, and for me not to assume ? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

Edited March 9, 2019 by LadyG

[ditchcrawler]

1 minute ago, LadyG said:

Lol, 

It's not OK for you to assume, and for me not to assume ? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

I didn't think I had assumed. I don't know who they are that is why I have doubts

[Stilllearning]

I thought that the OP was quite restrained, and merely sounded rueful, poorer and wiser, and was giving us a gentle warning to be aware.

[MHS]

 

Surely someone on the forum must know Bruce from Tankbusters. He may not know of this thread so please let him know. It’s only fair for him to give us his side of events. 

 

If “THE TANKBUSTERS” is the genuine article, he didn’t sign off as being Bruce. 

Edited March 9, 2019 by MHS

[RLWP]

9 minutes ago, MHS said:

It’s only fair for him to give us his side of events. 

It's rarely in a companies interest to respond on an internet forum

[Jim Riley]

4 minutes ago, RLWP said:

It's rarely in a companies interest to respond on an internet forum

Remember Mr Axiom! Did anyone ever buy one? 

[bizzard]

Ghost busters, they bust yer wallet. And I wouldn't wat my tank busted either.

Edited March 9, 2019 by bizzard

[mrsmelly]

11 minutes ago, RLWP said:

It's rarely in a companies interest to respond on an internet forum

Precisely. Same as Trip advisor, its a nonsense and replying only gives it credence which is undeserved in any case good or bad. If I were Tank busters I wouldnt worry as only a tiny percentage of boaters actualy read this forum. I know many many boaters for a long time and most never go on here. personaly I wouldnt pay loads of money to clean fuel, its cheaper by far to bin it on most narrowboats and gain access to the tank and do it properly.

9 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

Remember Mr Axiom! Did anyone ever buy one? 

Yes,  my bro in law............he know has a crowther.

[Teflon don]

Absolute con artist.

There is also another chap floating about that used to work for Bruce that also rips people off.i wouldnt bother with it it's all nonsense.the only way to clean a tank properly is to cut it open.

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, Teflon don said:

Absolute con artist.

There is also another chap floating about that used to work for Bruce that also rips people off.i wouldnt bother with it it's all nonsense.the only way to clean a tank properly is to cut it open.

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Care to expand??

[Grassman]

 

 

For the last 10 years we've used Andy of ADL Services based in Penkridge (near Stafford) and have been very pleased.  Because I do a fair bit of choppy river cruising including tidal, as well has having a 26 year old diesel tank, I like to have my fuel polished every 2/3 years. Maybe a bit over the top but I like to have piece of mind.

 

He's got all the same equipment but can keep his prices reasonable because he does it part time and doesn't have the overheads of a big company. One year a couple of weeks before I was doing the Ribble Link it revealed I had the beginnings of the dreaded diesel bug so I was very glad I had it done.

 

I don't know how far he is willing to travel but his prices are a much lower than the big companies charge and does just as good a job. He has never charged me travelling expenses because I get my boat to within about 15 miles of where his is based in Penkridge.

 

If anybody is interested in using him his number is 07768 942699

[MtB]

17 hours ago, Teflon don said:

Absolute con artist.

There is also another chap floating about that used to work for Bruce that also rips people off.i wouldnt bother with it it's all nonsense.the only way to clean a tank properly is to cut it open.

 

Or take the access panel off. 

 

I agree with you about it being all nonsense though. I can't imagine how "fuel polishing" (where someone turns up and pumps the fuel in the tank round and round a filter for a couple of hours) can result in a clean tank. It just gives to clean fuel in a tank still with all the crud swimming about on the bottom. These people are happy for boaters to conflate the term 'fuel polishing' with tank cleaning, i.e. getting all the water and loose crud out of the bottom of the tank. Maybe they clean the tank as well as polish the fuel but from the OP's account, I suspect not.

 

It's my uninformed opinion that what needs to be done is decant the suspect fuel in the tank to a clean drum or whatever and polish it from there if you must. Otherwise just let it stand for a couple of hours to let any contaminates to settle to the bottom, then recover the top 90% of it. 

 

Meanwhile with an empty tank, set about physically vacuuming up all the loose debris and water from the bottom of it using whatever access you have or can make. There's no way I'd want to do all the above for anything like the tankbusters initial quote. 

 

Probably someone will point out all the errors in the above but in my defence I fix boilers for a living, not on boats. Its probably a good thing I'm not a tank cleaner. 

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, MtB said:

Or take the access panel off. 

 

Although seldom fitted to UK narrowboats, the RCD / RCR does require an inspection hatch to be fitted to all diesel tanks and they must meet certain size criteria.

I'd have thought that the majority of people would be able to get their arm and/or a vacuum pipe into a 6" diameter hole

 

Extract from the RCD/ RCR

 

Fuel system and fuel tanks

 

ER 5.2.1 The filling, storage, venting and fuel supply arrangements and installations shall be designed and installed so as to minimise the risk of fire and explosion.

 

ER 5.2.2 Fuel tanks -

Fuel tanks, lines and hoses shall be secured and separated or protected from any source of significant heat. The material the tanks are made of and their method of construction shall be according to their capacity and the type of fuel. All tank spaces shall be ventilated. Petrol shall be kept in tanks which do not form part of the hull and are:

(a) insulated from the engine compartment and from all other source of ignition;

(b) separated from living quarters. Diesel fuel may be kept in tanks that are integral with the hull.

 

Harmonised standard: BS EN ISO 10088:2013 Small craft - Permanently installed fuel systems BS EN ISO 21487:2012 Small craft - Permanently installed petrol and diesel fuel tanks

 

The requirements for installation of a fuel system on a boat with fixed fuel tanks are given in the harmonised standard BS EN ISO 10088 Permanently installed fuel systems and BS EN ISO 21487:2012 Small craft - Permanently installed petrol and diesel fuel tanks.

The requirement for petrol fuel tanks to be ‘insulated from the engine and all other sources of ignition’ is deemed to be complied with if

a) the clearance between the petrol tank and the engine is greater than 100 mm and

b) all electrical parts on the engine which could create a spark, and any other electrical components in the engine/fuel compartment, are ignition protected. To ensure that these components are ignition protected the boat builder should use a petrol engine that complies with BS EN ISO 15584 Inboard petrol engines - fuel and electrical system components (the engine manufacture should provide this confirmation) and for other parts, e.g. blower fan or electric bilge pump, use only components that have been CE marked in accordance with Annex II 1. The clearance between a petrol tank and any dry exhaust components must be greater than 250 mm, unless an equivalent thermal barrier is provided. For diesel engine installations, the engines used should comply with BS EN ISO 16147

Inboard diesel engines – Engine-mounted fuel and electrical components to ensure that the fuel components fitted on the engine by the engine manufacturer are safe. The engine manufacture should provide confirmation that the engine complies with this standard.

Fuel hose used in the system must be fire resistant if used in the engine compartment and Where fuel hose is used the standard requires that only fire-resistant hose to BS EN ISO 7840 may be used in the engine compartment. Such hose should be stamped to indicate compliance

 

This appears to be the requirement in  BS EN ISO 21487:2012

 

If there is a drain in a diesel oil tank, it shall be fitted with a shut-off valve having a plug that can be removed only with tools.

Each tank shall have an inspection hatch with at least 150 mm diameter. The inspection hatch shall, as a rule, be located on top of the tank, but for diesel oil tanks it may also be on the tank side. There shall be access to the inspection hatch when the tank is in position.

[Grassman]

I see where you're coming from MtB however although my fuel tank has never been fully emptied in the process, my man did remove a lot of crud and other debris from the bottom of my tank the first time he did it, although perhaps not all from what you say. Since that first time there's been none each time or hardly anything, except for the time it revealed the diesel bug.

 

I can see why some people think it's a waste of time having it done but being predominately a flat water boater I'm just a bit paranoid about it when I'm due to be doing tidal waters 🙂.

[MtB]

My concern is that turning up with a big shiny pump with hoses and filters amounts to little more than 'theatre', and is all for show. 

 

The real problems are water, rust, debris and dirty diesel sloshing around in the very base of the tank, and diesel bug. I doubt either of these can be fully fixed by circulating the diesel through a pump and filter, no matter how fast the fuel is pumped. 

 

But as I said earlier, I've not even seen it done let alone done it myself.

[LadyG]

On 04/03/2019 at 20:10, Glynn said:

You should have paid him the Quotation price of £275.

Only an Estimate would allow him to charge more.

This is true. 

Also do not use RCR for recommendations, I had a very bad experience with one yard, and this very yard was recommended to do some work. I protested that the guy was disabled, had spilt diesel in my engine hole, left it dirtier than when he arrived, (he was tasked with cleaning the bilge) , and charged £220, I provided oil, ATF, and filters. RCR admitted they had had loads of complaints about him. So they should recommend anyone to AVOID this boatyard at Altham, ie Not to use it.

RCR.(they have a contract arm) were very impressive giving me marketing spiel, then when they discovered they could not solve my problem they dropped me like a stone.

That was three months ago, and I am still waiting for their recommended   person to fix my boat.

Better if I had negotiated for the work myself. I thought, in my innocence, that the people who had boating businesses would be more knowledgeable, more capable, and better motivated. 

When I bought my boat I got someone to pump out diesel tank in to three large containers (car wash) , it was easy enough to clean up that diesel in the large containers, the boatyard took 30l of dirty stuff, then I pumped back the clean stuff, vigorously, and pumped out as much as possible, this was repeated over three days till the stuff coming out was clean, I filled the tank with about 50 l of clean, added an additive, max dosage. Pumped out the fifty litres, left it overnight, repeated the dose with another additive type and also at max dosage, ran the Webasto, which then changed from wheezy to normal. By that time I was happy to fill the tank. 

No problems, I did pick up a leaflet from someone with a fuel polishing outfit but they never got back to me. 

I started off with a portable fuel pump fron Lidl which could not cope with any crud, it was fairly easy to clean, and also to get a refund, as it was not man enough for the job. 

I have been on the Trent since then, a bit choppy, but I had a fairly full tank and a waited a few days after refuelling before moving. 

Of course a proper pre filter would be nice to have, but I've managed without, touch wood. I am usually able to get fuel from a good place. 

I would gave taken a different approach if I had diesel bug. 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by LadyG

[David Mack]

25 minutes ago, MtB said:

The real problems are water, rust, debris and dirty diesel sloshing around in the very base of the tank, and diesel bug. I doubt either of these can be fully fixed by circulating the diesel through a pump and filter, no matter how fast the fuel is pumped. 

My parents kept tropical fish when I was a child. One of the regular maintenance task was to go around the bottom of the tank with a suction nozzle to suck up all the fish poo from the gravel on the base of the tank. The dirty water was filtered and returned to the tank.

To clean the bottom of your diesel tank you really need to do something similar. And that can only be done with a suction pipe inserted through the filler, or better, through an inspection hatch.