What to do if you have water in your fuel tank

Several customers had to have their cars and trucks serviced after they found water in their gas tanks.

Residents in Elmvale got more than they bargained for when filling up their gas tanks.

Lindsay Fitzgerald, a resident from Tiny Township and her husband filled up their vehicle and the next day their car wouldn’t start.

Thanks to a social media post, Fitzgerald found out her tank of gas could possibly have water in it.

“I immediately called the mechanic, and I asked him to just check the gas, and so he siphoned a water bottle out and found that it was at least 50 per cent water,” said Fitzgerald. “And then once he had cleared out all the gas lines and the car was fine.”

Fitzgerald not the only resident to have this experience.

Jeremy Nadeau another resident filled up his work truck at the same gas station and ten kilometers later had to get his truck towed.

“It’s extremely frustrating when you’ve got a truck that’s just over two years old and still has warranty, and now you’re out over $1,000 for repair just for putting in what you thought was good fuel,” said Nadeau.

Mechanics in the area saw a rise in water in fuel tanks over the last week. Jeff Whiteside owns Jeff Auto Repair, and he said motorists are lucky the weather conditions are warmer.

“The only saving grace is this time of year, it’s not cold enough for the water to freeze, because if the water (was) to freeze, you’d be destroying fuel pumps, fuel injectors, fuel lines, possible tanks as it expands,” said Whitehead. “So, they got off really cheap.”

He added to take your vehicle to the shop right away if you think your tank is contaminated.

“Please take it into the shop right away. Don’t drive it. Tow it, if possible,” said Whitehead. “Get them to suck the fuel out and see where that lies as far as fuel water mixture. Like I say, they can take a little bit of water, but not lots.”

Fitzgerald made her own post on a community page, and other residents advised her to file a complaint with the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) which regulates gas stations making sure they follow standards and make sure fuel isn’t leaking.

The TSSA confirmed they received three complaints of contaminated gas from the same station.

“That’s what prompted us to set up an inspection and send someone out to see what was happening at that gas station. It isn’t something that happens that often. But I would say, you know, maybe about once a year. That we become aware of across the whole province.”

The TSSA visited the gas station in Elmvale, and their investigation found water had leaked inside the tank, but fuel was not leaking out. The tank has been decommissioned until it is fixed and passes an on-site inspection from the TSSA

CTV News did attempt to reach out to the owner of the gas station as well as its corporate office, but did not hear back before deadline.