The Best Fuel Filtering Ever!

[DeepFrz]

Put two and two together and I am thinking the rusty crud is the culprit responsible for the pitting I found on the bottom of the tank. If you have aluminum tanks, I think this might be just one reason to pre-filter your fuel.

Or install a good fuel polishing system that will move stuff like that and filter it out before it causes any harm. A good system will also keep the fuel tank free of water as well.

[stevensuf]

just dont let lots of fuel sit in your tank for a long time, put in what you need or are going to use in the next month or so, no diesel bug problem then.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Delancy

so....everyone agrees I should install a multi-stage fuel filtering set-up something like 30/10/2 micron before the lift pump?

As before the engine itself is a 28 year old Universal M-50 (5444) which is based on a Kubota block. The manual that came with the boat doesn't indicate what micron size the fuel should be filtered to but as an older engine I am going to guess the 10 Micron filter installed on the engine is what is required.

That said, I like the idea of filtering down to 2 micron even though some may think this is a waste. Some may also think multi stage filtering is a waste but it makes perfect sense to me. Thanks DeepFrz for the link to the Seaboard Marine article, interesting reading.

Having a parallel filter set-up sounds like a good idea but I am wondering if a really effective multistage filtering doesn't obviate the need for it? Same goes for "fuel polishing"?

I am mean, constantly re-filtering your fuel to keep it clean so it can just sit there in the tank until it is called to the engine where it gets filtered again? Isn't that a waste? Why not have bad-assed oversized (surface area) filters and do it once, when it's on it's way the engine?

Sounds to me like you have a good system as is, and what the majority of people have. I would go to 5 or 10 micron on the Racor rather than the 2 personally. If your tanks are squeaky clean now, you should be good to go for a long time. If you've got money laying around and the room for a dual racor valved assembly, (they are big!)by all means do it. But its not a "Must Have" if you maintain things.

[Delancey]

So, maybe not the best fuel filtering ever but here's where ended up - scored a Racor housing sans functioning primer pump from Mr. Dumpster. This is getting a 10 micron filter ahead of my existing Racor housing with a 2 micron filter ahead of the lift pump. This set up at least gives me one more chance to catch water before it gets to the engine than I had previously.

I currently have a good source for clean fuel free of rusty chunks but will plan using a Baja-type funnel filter when the source is suspect and skipping the 30 micron filter part of the multi stage set up.

While I have a forty gallon tank, I am with stevensuf on not topping off the tank and only keeping as much fuel in the tank as I will be using in the near future. I think it should be pointed out that less fuel in the tank means less fuel load on the filters and the more effective they will be.

A valve on the bottom of the tank to drain off water might be nice but my tank installation doesn't allow for it.

A friend pointed out that you could always swap the fuel line from the pump to the engine with the return line to the tank and achieve effective fuel polishing without investing in a separate fuel polishing system.

Of course this means bleeding the lines anytime you did this but hey, practice makes perfect right? Alternately I suppose you could "T" and valve the lines and get the same result.

Cheers