Water detection cream?

[robtheplod]

Hi, just seen a vlog where the user smeared cream onto a stick and put it into the diesel tank. It turns red if water is present. Does anyone know what this is called - be great to check mine out....

 

thanks rob

[Alan de Enfield]

 

Water Finding Paste (85 gms). Detects harmful water in Fuel / Heating Oil Tanks: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

 

 

Water Gauge Paste - 3 oz Tube - 19748 - Consumables (bes.co.uk)

Edited April 10, 2021 by Alan de Enfield

[Jackofalltrades]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Water-Finding-Detects-harmful-Heating/dp/B00NU6C036

 

3 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Water Finding Paste (85 gms). Detects harmful water in Fuel / Heating Oil Tanks: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

 

A cheeky referrer link in that URL Alan. Who's that for?

Edited April 10, 2021 by Jackofalltrades
Edit - that's the one Alan!

[Alan de Enfield]

2 minutes ago, Jackofalltrades said:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Water-Finding-Detects-harmful-Heating/dp/B00NU6C036

 

 

A cheeky referrer link in that URL. Who's that for?

 

 

Sorry not understanding your post.

 

I quoted the Amazon lunk then found the other one a  bit cheaper so added it as well.

[matty40s]

You will probably need a 5 gallon containers of it in some CRT waterways in a months time just to find the channel.....

[Tracy D'arth]

Save your money, just vac out the bottom of the tank where the water and muck will be. Use a length of copper tube in the end of the vac hose to get into the lowest corner.

[Jackofalltrades]

29 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

Sorry not understanding your post.

 

I quoted the Amazon lunk then found the other one a  bit cheaper so added it as well.

 

If you look at the link in your post you'll see "ref=....." in the address. The ..... (upto the "?" I think) is a unique reference to an Amazon affiliate i.e. someone making commission on the sale if a purchase is made via that unique address.

 

The address in my link is: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Water-Finding-Detects-harmful-Heating/dp/B00NU6C036

 

The address in yours is  : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Water-Finding-Detects-harmful-Heating/dp/B00NU6C036/ref=asc_df_B00NU6C036/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309859607452&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8412443082455426128&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006876&hvtargid=pla-553546391919&psc=1

 

The same product and price but someone somewhere gets a bit of commission on the sale. I don't mind this at all as long as it's up front and I know who's getting the kickback. But it could be a spammer that floods social media, discussion forums & website comments with links, in which case I won't click on them (to avoid encouraging the boogers).

 

Ah, your edited post adding a second link includes a second (different) referrer. If you strip out everything before "ref=" the link becomes 'clean'. So:

https://www.bes.co.uk/water-gauge-paste-3-oz-tube-19748/?ref=gs&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmcWDBhCOARIsALgJ2Qd1P28SOvmRAqweorSAbheqQxq_ZAWqAMOljNfAj8o_x15CvWNq3RAaAvvMEALw_wcB

 

becomes:

https://www.bes.co.uk/water-gauge-paste-3-oz-tube-19748/

 

Why bother? If you don't know where the commission is going how do you know it's not funding crime or certain groups with guns.

Edited April 10, 2021 by Jackofalltrades

[pearley]

Used this regularly when we operated petrol stations. Still have a tube onboard for occasional checks.

[David Mack]

13 minutes ago, Jackofalltrades said:

 

If you look at the link in your post you'll see "ref=....." in the address. The ..... (upto the "?" I think) is a unique reference to an Amazon affiliate i.e. someone making commission on the sale if a purchase is made via that unique address.

 

The address in my link is: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Water-Finding-Detects-harmful-Heating/dp/B00NU6C036

 

The address in yours is  : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Water-Finding-Detects-harmful-Heating/dp/B00NU6C036/ref=asc_df_B00NU6C036/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309859607452&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8412443082455426128&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006876&hvtargid=pla-553546391919&psc=1

 

The same product and price but someone somewhere gets a bit of commission on the sale. I don't mind this at all as long as it's up front and I know who's getting the kickback. But it could be a spammer that floods social media, discussion forums & website comments with links, in which case I won't click on them (to avoid encouraging the boogers).

 

Ah, your edited post adding a second link includes a second (different) referrer. If you strip out everything before "ref=" the link becomes 'clean'. So:

https://www.bes.co.uk/water-gauge-paste-3-oz-tube-19748/?ref=gs&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmcWDBhCOARIsALgJ2Qd1P28SOvmRAqweorSAbheqQxq_ZAWqAMOljNfAj8o_x15CvWNq3RAaAvvMEALw_wcB

 

becomes:

https://www.bes.co.uk/water-gauge-paste-3-oz-tube-19748/

 

Why bother? If you don't know where the commission is going how do you know it's not funding crime or certain groups with guns.

I suspect the first referrer is to google - either because Alan found the link via a Google search, or because he found a google ad for the product.

[Jackofalltrades]

3 minutes ago, pearley said:

Used this regularly when we operated petrol stations. Still have a tube onboard for occasional checks.

 

I kind of expected things would be a little more high tech at petrol stations! Now I have a vision of a man poking a long stick with gunk on the end into the darkest corners of the underground fuel tanks. Tell me it aint so!

 

 

[Ex Brummie]

This is basically Copper Sulphate.  If it is just water, then it works, but if it is a  sludge it's not so obvious, but the sludge is quite visible.

[Jackofalltrades]

3 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I suspect the first referrer is to google - either because Alan found the link via a Google search, or because he found a google ad for the product.

 

The problem is that if you don't know who the referrer is how do you know a tiny fraction of your money isn't ending up in the hands of one of the many nefarious groups that exist around the world?

 

[DandV]

24 minutes ago, Jackofalltrades said:

 

I kind of expected things would be a little more high tech at petrol stations! Now I have a vision of a man poking a long stick with gunk on the end into the darkest corners of the underground fuel tanks. Tell me it aint so!

 

 

Water finding paste is used in the fuel industry as a routine test for water presence to alert to problems.

When I was involved in the  maintenance of the sales dispensing facilities for a major oil company our contractors extracted all water and reported the condition of all our storage tanks at least quarterly, daily for aviation fuel tanks. Keeping tank bottoms dry is the primary defence against bug growth. No water no diesel bug.

And yes even for underground tanks when the bottom was three metres below ground,  it was just a set of screwed together extension tubes connected to a hand stirrup pump into a glass jar.  Process continued until fuel clear and bright and no water droplets visible after settling.

 

 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

49 minutes ago, Jackofalltrades said:

 

The problem is that if you don't know who the referrer is how do you know a tiny fraction of your money isn't ending up in the hands of one of the many nefarious groups that exist around the world?

 

If you buy from Amazon, some of the money goes to Amazon, so yes, nefarious.

[blackrose]

2 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Save your money, just vac out the bottom of the tank where the water and muck will be. Use a length of copper tube in the end of the vac hose to get into the lowest corner.

 

You'll never be able to use the wetvac for anything else again but I guess an old wet vac that you'll probably have to throw away afterwards is cheaper than fuel polishing.

 

I just use 1m thin clear acrylic tube to dip the tank and see if there's any muck at the bottom. You only want about 5mm ID. Any bigger and you can't hold the vacuum when you bring it out.

[robtheplod]

3 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Save your money, just vac out the bottom of the tank where the water and muck will be. Use a length of copper tube in the end of the vac hose to get into the lowest corner.

Interesting.. I've never had an issue with fuel as yet, so do people have a pump generally as a precaution and use regularly?

[Jen-in-Wellies]

10 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

You'll never be able to use the wetvac for anything else again but I guess an old wet vac that you'll probably have to throw away afterwards is cheaper than fuel polishing.

 

I just use 1m thin clear acrylic tube to dip the tank and see if there's any muck at the bottom. You only want about 5mm ID. Any bigger and you can't hold the vacuum when you bring it out.

Not a wetvac. Lots of simple cheap hand pumps around. An example for £10, which I've not used, but can't be bothered finding the one I have on-line. Use some 8mm copper pipe so you are sure the intake side is at the bottom of the tank and pump in to a clear jar till you get diesel, not water.

Jen

Edited to add: Or this for £8. Lots of others.

Edited April 11, 2021 by Jen-in-Wellies

[Tony Brooks]

Or, for most narrowboats,  just a length of plastic tube with the copper pipe and syphon it out into a milk "cartons" sitting on the baseplate beside the engine bed. I have tried an electric pump (Lidle) and a slightly modified Pella oil extractor and syphoning was the easiest and fastest.

[pearley]

12 hours ago, Jackofalltrades said:

 

I kind of expected things would be a little more high tech at petrol stations! Now I have a vision of a man poking a long stick with gunk on the end into the darkest corners of the underground fuel tanks. Tell me it aint so!

 

 

Your vision is correct. Our first petrol station had relatively small tanks, I think the largest tank was 3000 gallons. So dipsticks made of engraved brass were only about 8 ft long. Second petrol station more modern with 6000 gallon tanks, horrible much longer, fibreglass dipsticks. Third one we only ran for a couple of years and half way though the dipsticks were taken away and gauges fitted so if any water it stayed I guess.

 

We did get delivered 1000 gallons of seawater once which caused havoc but that's another story.

 

 

[Slim]

I simply use my Pela twice a year. Probe to the bottom of tank, suck out a few litres and pour into a can. Take it home to (i) check in a glass container, (ii) light a bonfire when needed

[Bee]

My experience with the fuel tank on my boat is that water is the first problem and solvable by pumps/syphons/vacs but the bigger problem is the sludge that forms , a nasty rusty and black goo that really has to be extracted by hand. If I had a new boat built I would specify a decent sized inspection lid so you could get a torch and an arm in the thing. That was what I had on 'Bee' but I did it myself, drilled a ring of holes then knocked out the middle, it was like cleaning the back teeth of a crocodile but it worked, I would not be 100% confident of taking a boat on bouncy tidal waters without having a good look in the tank. 'Bee's' engine died on just off the river Scarpe in France, It could have been any other river or leaving Sharpness or Limehouse, not just unpleasant but truly dangerous.

[ditchcrawler]

14 hours ago, Jackofalltrades said:

 

I kind of expected things would be a little more high tech at petrol stations! Now I have a vision of a man poking a long stick with gunk on the end into the darkest corners of the underground fuel tanks. Tell me it aint so!

 

 

I used it regularly when I was at work, Mind you we would be measuring perhaps 2 foot of it in the bottom of a storage tank. we used a steel measuring tape with the cream on the last 4 or 5 feet. a weight on the end all fed through a small hole it the roof of the tank. Periodically we would drain the water off. This was from un processed hydrocarbon known as Condensate that fell out of the natural gas. This was done both offshore and at the gas terminal. On shore in was in Bonded tanks inspected by HMRC so you didn't want them taxing water.

[cuthound]

18 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

If you buy from Amazon, some of the money goes to Amazon, so yes, nefarious.

 

If you use Amazon Smile a charity (one of which is the RNLI) can benefit from your purchase.

 

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ref=smi_ge_rl_rd_gw?_encoding=UTF8&hvadid=253960556084&hvdev=m&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvpone=&hvpos=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvrand=12230146018310748934&ref=pd_sl_4islyhydq2_e&tag=hydrukspg-21

[BEngo]

The top product is the Shell water detector kit.  Pricey,  but the K9's cojones for finding water. Only needs 5 ml of fuel.

N

 

 

[robtheplod]

Thanks for all the replies. Been looking about the house today and have some 18mm steel tube I can use although not as long as I'd like. Is it ok to have just enough to reach the bottom of the tank or have people needed to 'search about' in the tank when siphoning?  I thought if it just stays in one place then eventually it would pickup all the water (and bits also being 18mm wide) - I'd cut castle shapes or an angle in the bottom of the pipe so it sits flush to the tank floor its still effective... does that make sense??

Edited April 11, 2021 by robtheplod