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Portable fuel polisher
- Thread starter Bolo
- Start date
For small boats I have never understood the allure of fuel polishing, which a diesel does automatically by running the fuel through the filters.
With 10 gallons in the tank, might as well give it away and replace for $60 if suspicious of buggery or water. New diesel from our gas stations or marinas is very clean.
With 10 gallons in the tank, might as well give it away and replace for $60 if suspicious of buggery or water. New diesel from our gas stations or marinas is very clean.
If your engine has a bleed knob on the injector pump, you can open the knob fully, turn on the lift pump, and cycle quite a bit of fuel through the system and the filters without even running the engine. I always do this for 10 minutes or so before starting if the engine has been sitting for a long time without a run. Then I know there is freshly filtered fuel in the lines before starting.
Bolo
Contributing Partner
Yes, my engine does have that and to be honest I’ve never had an issue with “buggy” fuel. I think the creator of the video was trying to solve a problem with “buggy“ fuel he’s purchased from questionable sources. Although the portable idea is a cleaver one I think he’s “over solved” the problem. I would think a better solution would be to have TWO primary filters off the fuel tank that could be selected with a valve. If the engine begins to act up and you think it could be a clogged filter problem then you just switch over to the other primary. A better solution I think to a situation where loss of the engine is critical.
Filters are easy to change and in my ODay 322 the filter is not in the engine bay, so it has a clear plastic bowl to see if we have a problem.
I put a thimble of Biobor additive (https://www.amazon.com/BIOBOR-Diesel-Fuel-Additive-Supplement/dp/B0014434DG) in the tank when refueling and so far never have seen the tell-tale haze or brown crap.
(Knock on wood)
Worst case I ever saw were photos from one of the guys in my old group who worked a skydiving airplane accident after they lost power on takeoff. The glass filter bowl was dark mud brown.
I put a thimble of Biobor additive (https://www.amazon.com/BIOBOR-Diesel-Fuel-Additive-Supplement/dp/B0014434DG) in the tank when refueling and so far never have seen the tell-tale haze or brown crap.
(Knock on wood)
Worst case I ever saw were photos from one of the guys in my old group who worked a skydiving airplane accident after they lost power on takeoff. The glass filter bowl was dark mud brown.
Sometimes pictures are useful for comparison. This is the existing filter, one year old, last time I replaced it. It doesn't show much glop, if any at all--my 55 gallon tank happens to be proven clean since I installed inspection ports.
It's easier to get a visual with the 500 series Racor filter, since the metal spin-on filters of the 200 series hide the evidence. (My notes say the apparent foreign matter is bubbles.)
It's easier to get a visual with the 500 series Racor filter, since the metal spin-on filters of the 200 series hide the evidence. (My notes say the apparent foreign matter is bubbles.)
Bolo
Contributing Partner
Near the top of my “to do” list is an upgrade to the OEM primary filter on my E32-3 which is very well laid out in this EYO blog: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/ubs/fuel-system-refit-with-a-racor-500.880/
Pete the Cat
Sustaining Member
So I will offer a story here. I have a Tartan 37 that I have owned and cruised extensively for the last 30 years. I had always tried to keep the fuel tank more or less full when possible. I used Biobor algae killer in it regularly and checked my Racor 500 filter religiously and found it essentially clean. I ran a vacuum guage on the system that showed no problems. . I had also pumped the very small amount of water (1 tsp?) the lowest part of the tank would collect on a less than annual basis and could see no real problems when I removed the level sensor. Then I had a particularly bouncy trip to Nova Scotia and got goo in my fuel lines that was like those fake night crawlers fishermen use--the things were so elastic and adhesive you could barely remove them. Somehow the inside of my tank had become suddenly so infused with filth, I ended up having to manually pump my fouled tank and discard 30+ gallons of severely polluted fuel. I conjecture that this stuff somehow grew in my tank and was able to survive the Biobor and perhaps clinged to the top and suddenly let loose in the seaway. I share Christian's skepticism about tank polishing just the same. I had a friend who had his tank polished and had a similar experience to mine shortly thereafter. My tanks have no access other than the 2" hole for the sensor so I really do not see how someone could access all the crevices behind the various baffles inside the tank to get this goo out. My point is just not to necessarily trust that you will have no problems if your Racor looks good, and to suggest that even polishing is not a sure solution. I think that vigilance about keeping moisture out of the tank is important, though I have no proof that that works either. I supposed for 40 years of cruising having one instance of this problem is not so bad, but it was annoying. FWIW.
jtsai
Member III
Shouldn't the Racor 500 filter trap the goo before it enters the fuel line or you found goo upstream of the Racor?
Prairie Schooner
Jeff & Donna, E35-3 purchased 7/21
Contrarian choice, with respect.
Our ownership of the boat a year ago started with fuel problems which we've been hacking away at. It's been a semi-random process of learning about diesel engine systems and replacing parts. A suspect part was the 220 series Racor we inherited with the boat. We replaced this while the engine was out, but decided to go with a 120 series. With a maximum rate of 30 gph, we're gambling it will be adequate for the 1/2 gph consumption we estimate. We left it on the lower port engine compartment wall where the previous filter was and the smaller unit leaves even a little more room for change out. I've read a good deal of what's written on this site about the 500 series, understand there are more factors than just GPH, and the logic seems sound to me. But also seems like overkill.
I could very easily be wrong. I'll report in as time goes by and let you know how the experiment goes. The interesting thing about many of the choices we make is the time to prove them out can be many years.
Our ownership of the boat a year ago started with fuel problems which we've been hacking away at. It's been a semi-random process of learning about diesel engine systems and replacing parts. A suspect part was the 220 series Racor we inherited with the boat. We replaced this while the engine was out, but decided to go with a 120 series. With a maximum rate of 30 gph, we're gambling it will be adequate for the 1/2 gph consumption we estimate. We left it on the lower port engine compartment wall where the previous filter was and the smaller unit leaves even a little more room for change out. I've read a good deal of what's written on this site about the 500 series, understand there are more factors than just GPH, and the logic seems sound to me. But also seems like overkill.
I could very easily be wrong. I'll report in as time goes by and let you know how the experiment goes. The interesting thing about many of the choices we make is the time to prove them out can be many years.
It's not too hard to install inspection ports.
Pete the Cat
Sustaining Member
Nope. The goo was in the line from the tank to the Racor. Years before I had had a problem with the screen on the pickup tube, but I took that off. I had several pieces of goo about 6" long in the fuel line from the tank. Eventually the crud blocked the check valve fitting in the Racor 500--which was devilishly hard to diagnose. I note that lots of folks think this is a great filter. I realize the elements are cheaper, but I really do not agree that it is worth replumbing your system to put one in--my experience with the check valve told me there was an additional potential failure point in this setup. I sold mine and put a disposable cannister type in--Yanmar puts this in every new engine they sell--perhaps because their engines are self priming and do not need any kind of valve to hold the fuel in the line to the filter while you change it--though I have a manual valve.. My goal is to eliminate potential failures and simplify. In my cruising years, I met a lot of folks trying to fix sophisticated stuff in exotic places and not doing much sailing or exploring. Others will have other opinions.
Yeah, I've had that thought too. I still have the original frame-mounted Fram in-line filter and a spin-on canister filter.
I figure it's worked well for 37 years and I'm likely at least as diligent as previous owners about trying to keep my fuel clean.
I got a kick out of Racor's marketing hype, in the video above, regarding the "turbo" effect (or whatever they called it) of spinning water out of the fuel. In reality, it's gravity that separates the two, but you can't charge customers extra for gravity.
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Prairie Schooner
Jeff & Donna, E35-3 purchased 7/21
I'd read about that, the physics made sense, and I thought it pretty cool. Now that you mention it, there'd need to be quite a flow to create the toilet bowl effect. Though, perhaps I misunderstand the operation of the 'turbo'.
Scott solberg
1987 35-3 Winthrop harbor Il
Scott solberg
1987 35-3 Winthrop harbor Il
This worked well for cleaning out my tank about an hour to install easy access
Jerry VB
E32-3 / M-25XP
I would strongly recommend replacing that screw-out deck plate with one that is designed and engineered for diesel fuel tanks.
From the Beckson site:
Examples of cleanout plates designed for fuel tanks:
P.S. I installed Beckson screw-out deck plates in my water tanks (thread). I found that, when I filled the tanks full (until water stopped going in the deck fill), water seeped past the o-ring seal of the deck plate. That would be very bad with diesel.
From the Beckson site:
Examples of cleanout plates designed for fuel tanks:
- https://fueltankparts.com/products/stainless-steel-8od-x-6id-bolt-in-tank-clean-out-access-plate
- https://www.seabuilt.com/8plates.php
P.S. I installed Beckson screw-out deck plates in my water tanks (thread). I found that, when I filled the tanks full (until water stopped going in the deck fill), water seeped past the o-ring seal of the deck plate. That would be very bad with diesel.
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It's
I like the idea of being able to inspect the tank without having to remove a ton of bolts. My only concern would be using a plastic inspection port on a diesel tank. Do you know if it's designed to be used in that way (No judgement here, I have a wood inspection plate and I'm pretty sure that's not exactly ABYC approved)
Scott solberg
1987 35-3 Winthrop harbor Il
The plate is a hydraulic tank inspection cover it’s made of some type of polyethylene and I used a polyethylene gasket material to seal it to the tank so from what I’ve read it should hold up well I don’t put but 10 gallons of fuel or so in a 40 gallon tank so there shouldn’t be a lot of splashing that high In the tank to really come in contact with the cover
I appreciate your input thank you
I appreciate your input thank you
Alan Gomes
Sustaining Partner
I could barely change the canister type filter at the dock without slopping around fuel. I can't imagine changing one of those things in a seaway.
Additionally, the smaller Racor is subject to other failure modes (e.g., hairline cracks in the housing that admit air into the system) that the 500 is not. Apparently the 500 has the potential for a check valve failure in a "goo environment" that the other one does not. The point is, none of this stuff is 100% fool proof. (I've heard of multiple hairline crack failures with the small Racors, but I dare say this "goo failure" is much more rare? Maybe not enough data points to answer that one?)
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