Fuel Polishing- Racor P510

[Privleoplag]

Has anyone bought and used this particular setup? I need to either get my diesel polished or setup so I can do it myself. At the price they want to polish my fuel, I could pay for this.

Racor P510MAM P50 SERIES,12V/24V MARINE

[toodleoo]

Just installed one. So far zoo good.

[Privleoplag]

Did it have a 10 or 2 micron filter? did you have any pre or post filters added in line? I'm still considering other options.

[Cheechako]

How much is polishing now days? The thing is, they do it significant pressure, removing much of the debris clinging to the tank etc. And it's done and ready in a few hours. These low flow units will clean the fuel, but not the tank much.

[Privleoplag]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

How much is polishing now days? The thing is, they do it significant pressure, removing much of the debris clinging to the tank etc. And it's done and ready in a few hours. These low flow units will clean the fuel, but not the tank much.

So far, I've found about $5 usd a gallon.. I can stir up the fuel in the tank to get that pretty clean too. If I use my already installed transfer pump, which is rated at 462 gallons hr, that might generate enough pressure to stir up the fuel in the tank too.

[Kenomac]

How large is your tank? You'll still need to empty the tank at some point to begin your polishing habit with a clean tank. Our pump does 145gph, but thats for a 225 gallon tank. To be considered polished, usually the fuel needs to pass through the filter three times in one session. The system should be set up to wash the bottom of the tank as it opperates.

[Privleoplag]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

How large is your tank? You'll still need to empty the tank at some point to begin your polishing habit with a clean tank. Our pump does 145gph, but thats for a 225 gallon tank. To be considered polished, usually the fuel needs to pass through the filter three times in one session. The system should be set up to wash the bottom of the tank as it opperates.

I have two ~50 gallon tanks. I'm thinking about a looped system that I can run whenever, but also run anytime I'm motoring. The transfer pump that is installed is for balancing the two tanks and is set up currently to only go from one tank to the other, the one the generator feeds off of.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Privleoplag

I have two ~50 gallon tanks. I'm thinking about a looped system that I can run whenever, but also run anytime I'm motoring. The transfer pump that is installed is for balancing the two tanks and is set up currently to only go from one tank to the other, the one the generator feeds off of.

Since the unit you're looking at does 60gph, you're looking at a run time of five hours following a fill up. That's doable.

[Lepke]

I use a stabilizer every time I fuel. I keep my fuel clean buy buying from commercial fuel docks not ordinary marinas. And I run a 2 micron primary filter. I've never had a fuel problem. In this boat or any other I owned or managed.
My mains pump about 60 gallons an hour more than burned, so I get lots of circulation. If you have a small engine with a small flow, a circulation pump using the fuel path thru the existing filters will clean the fuel of debris and water. Using a good fuel conditioner will clean the tank of sludge slowly over time.
A few weeks ago I visited a friend at a marina. I had to walk by the fuel pumps. For grins, I looked at the fuel filter on the side of the diesel pump. It was a metal spin on with no water drain and had 2006 written on the bottom.

[Kenomac]

That's not the same as fuel polishing.

[Cheechako]

I bought a boat that had sat for 3-5 years in a hot climate. It ran, but when I put some fuel in a jar it was so cloudy you couldn't see thru it. No amount of fuel conditioner made that growth go away. (I kept adding more and more over time) Maybe it killed it, but it was still there. It tended to clog up the fuel filter a bit, although it continued to run. (no real distance, but at the dock) Slimy. At any rate the fuel was polished and then was crystal clear.

[Symphony]

What does "cleaning the tank" require while polishing?

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Symphony

What does "cleaning the tank" require while polishing?

You'd need to remove the fuel and then physically scrub out the tank and begin fresh, otherwise, the crud remains attached to the tank walls and bottom. All that polishing will do with a dirty tank is filter out the suspended particles. The hazard in not cleaning the tank then becomes what might happen when you're out in rough seas or wavy conditions with a partially filled tank of fuel that sloshes around and loosens up chunks of the crud, which then can clog your fuel lines when you need your engine most.

[Symphony]

Thanks, Ken. Assuming a nice access port, what's the best method or cleaning tools for fuel tank scrubbing?

[upston]

I have 6 old steel 80 gal tanks. Two have small seam leaks and were emptied by the PO but the other four were full of older fuel. I have installed a day tank and two 100 gal aluminium new to me tanks for $50 each.

I then collected three Racor 500 used filters/ separators and hooked them in series with 30-10-and 2 micron elements powered by a small electric pump on the suction side. I pump from the steel to the aluminum then to the day tank.

On a budget so a $500 rig was not going to get approved , the used set up cost $30 per Racor and $15 for the 30 gal PH pump and $40 for new elements.

Old steel tanks have no inspection ports so may get removed one day or could be filled for the zombie Apocalypse