RickB
Scraping Paint
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2007
- Messages
- 3,804
- Vessel Make
- CHB 48 Zodiac YL 4.2
Move the fuel filters to more accessible location. Like I did...
Gosh, you do good work!
Move the fuel filters to more accessible location. Like I did...
Eric, the pump is a carbonator pump that fits directly on a 48Y/Z 120 vac motor, so no, it is not low speed. It is very quiet, can run indefinitely and is virtually indestructible. Part number and wiring diagrams are below. In the picture, the 24v unit on the right has been replaced with another carbonator motor and pump setup, with the 24v pump now used for engine oil changes.Tom,
I like what I see a lot. Looks like you've got a really big transfer pump plumbed for 3 outlets. Two primary Racor's and one secondary. I also like the timer. Great idea. Is that pump motor a very low speed unit? Can't get over it's size. I fairly often unhooked the outlet from my transfer pump to get fuel for samples and priming after filter changes ect but I noticed some black flakes coming out of it at least once. I suspect some got into my electric lift pump and reduced it's delivery rate.
After my Alaska adventure I've got much to do w upgrades and your system and photo is an inspiration.
It is very quiet, can run indefinitely and is virtually indestructible.
Well not exactly. A polishing system is used to remove natural condensates from fuel to ensure refinery specs that otherwise settle to the bottom of the tanks, eventually causing problems. The more fuel, the greater the chance for problems.A fuel polisher is to treat old fuel, contaminated fuel, or fuel from dirty tanks. I think i would be very pissed if I bought a brand new boat and found it had to have its fuel polished on a regular basis in order to keep the filters from clogging up.
The fact that Mark has construction crud in his tanks, or took on a load of crappy fuel in China is hardly a reason to condemn the quality of the build. Change the filters a few times and the issue will be a non issue.
Polishing fuel may get the IN the tank clean , but for most folks the tank sidewalls are the problem.
When the boat is in motion the old crud breaks off , mixes with the clean fuel, and shuts down the filter.
Sounds like an endorsement of polishing systems for new boats, or old ones who have had to have their tanks cleaned. I agree. I disagree that old boats who haven't had their tanks cleaned don't benefit on the grounds of common sense, simply because if the crud can come loose and plug filters supplying fuel to the engine, it can be polished out by filters that aren't supplying engine fuel. After all, a basic polishing system is all the professional cleaner generally uses anyway. Eventually, no more crud to break loose. The only argument against a properly designed system with adequate flow that makes sense to me is one having small tanks that burn through the fuel so quickly nothing has time to precipitate out of the fuel."With a proper polishing system you never get "old crud" in the first place. Kind of the whole point."
Great if you are the first purchaser ,and keep up with the process.
For folks with decades old boats , the tank gunk must be removed FIRST if polishing is to work , or a new fuel tank installed.
Fuel with moisture in it qualifies as "bad fuel" in my book.
By your standards there is no place in the world to fuel up , as moisture (WATER) is present in all fuel .
Fuel to be sold must meet a spec on the quantity of water that is permitted , but for sure its in every gallon you purchase.
"Too much" water in the fuel can be prevented with a Baja filter , but its a slow process to load 1/2 ton of fuel.
FF said:A far simpler system is simply to install a proper tank. not a box of fuel.
With a proper tank the water in fuel is trapped (gravity is your friend) in a sump that is easily emptied.
No ongoing cost (filters hoses motors and power) as with out water IN the fuel there are no bugs , and no tank walls covered with gunk.
In the archives is proper tank design information.
A far simpler system is simply to install a proper tank. not a box of fuel.
With a proper tank the water in fuel is trapped (gravity is your friend) in a sump that is easily emptied.
No ongoing cost (filters hoses motors and power) as with out water IN the fuel there are no bugs , and no tank walls covered with gunk.
In the archives is proper tank design information.
I have old tanks and replace the dirty Racors every 6 months and they come out black.....similar to the OP. My Racor collects 0 drops of water and i have never experienced a clogged 2 micron filter. So the dirt I am seeing is what?
On the other hand if a boat's original tanks start to fail it can be a relatively simple matter to design the replacement tanks to incorporate a drainable sump. This was the case with our boat. The previous owner replaced the original three iron tanks with five new tanks-- four saddle tanks and a center day tank. The four saddle tanks feed the day tank (or the engines directly) via gravity from their lowest points. The day tank also feeds from its lowest point. There are no pickup tubes in the system.
So a guy comes to this forum because his fuel filters are dirty and 85 posts later, the consensus is that he needs to rip out his fuel tanks and replace them with special custom made ones!
My advice to the OP - Take everything you read with a grain of salt. Possibly even the whole shaker.
How about dumping the crud and have it analyzed by one of the oil analysis labs. probably 15-20 buck you'll know just what the crud is.
Steve W