Installing a fuel polishing system

[GILow]

Wiring the system directly to the ignition system is madness in my view. If something goes wrong with the polisher electrically, you'll kill your engine electrics, and if a leak develops in the system you won't be able to run the engine without hosing diesel everywhere. KISS. Just put a switch in there to run it manually, or as suggested above a timer switch if you really want to be clever.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Larry Florida

Excellent

What pump do you use on this beast?

Reverso Fuel polishing module.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

a64pilot, what does the bottom and sides of your tank look like? If you ever have a fuel line plugged in a seaway you will become a believer. At least I am.

Mine has clogged probably a dozen times.
When I first bought the boat it had obviously had a "bug" problem, an hour after leaving RPM began to sag, then she died. I diagnosed if as no fuel pretty easily, but misdiagnosed it as a bad lift pump as the filter was as clean as it could be. Anyway I discovered what to me looked like tofu clogging the dip tube, tight at the elbow usually, wouldn't flow thru to the filter though, just clogged the tube.
My fear that turned out to not be the case was that I had a layer of tofu an inch or two thick that was going to break up in rough water

[a64pilot]

Since then I have had the dip tube clog again, this time with what looked like varnish flakes, that happened the other day and did so gradually, I was noticing the vacuum gauge tattle tale increasing and knew the filters were clear.
None of the instances I have had fuel polishing would have helped as I have not had a rash of clogged filters.
Cleaning my tank is not an option as there is no access, but if I could there are people who polish your fuel and wash the inside of the tank with a pressure washer, just fuel of course. The guy I used years ago, his filters were actually paper towels. I had water in the fuel on a Sportfisher, never did figure out how it got there, I suspect from a garden hose

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by GILow

Wiring the system directly to the ignition system is madness in my view. If something goes wrong with the polisher electrically, you'll kill your engine electrics, and if a leak develops in the system you won't be able to run the engine without hosing diesel everywhere. KISS. Just put a switch in there to run it manually, or as suggested above a timer switch if you really want to be clever.

^^^ THIS ^^^

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Since then I have had the dip tube clog again, this time with what looked like varnish flakes, that happened the other day and did so gradually, I was noticing the vacuum gauge tattle tale increasing and knew the filters were clear.
None of the instances I have had fuel polishing would have helped as I have not had a rash of clogged filters.
Cleaning my tank is not an option as there is no access, but if I could there are people who polish your fuel and wash the inside of the tank with a pressure washer, just fuel of course. The guy I used years ago, his filters were actually paper towels. I had water in the fuel on a Sportfisher, never did figure out how it got there, I suspect from a garden hose

A proper polishing system prevents all the issues you've described. Cut an access clean-out port in the top your tank, clean it out properly, then install a polishing system. Why would you want to keep revisiting the same problem?

You seem to be missing the entire reason for having a polishing system, it's to prevent the slime and "tofu" build up... not to prefilter your Racor.

[a64pilot]

No a polisher wouldn't do anything. Reason is what stuff I have isn't getting to the filters, whether a polishing filter or my racor.
Fuel tank is nearly inaccessible. Tofu was gone prior to delivery being over, and three years later I had this varnish flake build up. I can live with cleaning the pick up tube once every three years as it takes all of about 3 min to do.
I keep thinking about a polisher, but as I don't have a clogging filter problem I don't think one would fix anything.
What micron is your polisher? Where do you get the filters? How often have you had to change filters? What was the cost of the system?

[skipgundlach]

We had installed a fuel polisher in our initial refit (immediately before
our wreck); the tank was about half empty and had experienced in the range
(based on the storm duration and the period of waves) 3-5000 impacts. Ran
the polisher in the first yard, changed the filter, ran it again on the
rock-and-roll trip back to the original yard, changed the filter, and have
yet, 3000 hours later, to change a Racor.

If you'd like to see our fuel polisher, all parts from McMaster-Carr, click
here (with apologies for lots of other pix intermixed:
Pictures: Flying Pig Early Refit + Projects/Flying_Pig_Has_Flown-Splash_and_More_Work/Getting_Close-Nov06

L8R

Skip

Morgan 461 #2
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[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

No a polisher wouldn't do anything. Reason is what stuff I have isn't getting to the filters, whether a polishing filter or my racor.
Fuel tank is nearly inaccessible. Tofu was gone prior to delivery being over, and three years later I had this varnish flake build up. I can live with cleaning the pick up tube once every three years as it takes all of about 3 min to do.
I keep thinking about a polisher, but as I don't have a clogging filter problem I don't think one would fix anything.
What micron is your polisher? Where do you get the filters? How often have you had to change filters? What was the cost of the system?

Here's the complete description and thread regarding our polishing system. The only change we made was eliminating the "T" and now the generator is on it's own separate Racor 500.

It doesn't seem to me like you fully understand the concept of how an onboard polishing system works and how it's used to prevent fuel problems. Good luck.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...on-132030.html

[a64pilot]

I do understand, and for a boat with say more than six months of fuel aboard then maybe I can see the use of one.
I have a dual Racor set up, seems every 100 hours or so. Which is two fuel tanks for me, the restriction gauge creeps up and I switch to the other filter, then at next oil change I change the 30 Micron Racors. The engine final filter I change yearly.
So if I spend nearly $2,000 for the fuel polishing system you have, it will do what, knock my regular Racor changes down from nearly 200 hours to almost never?
But instead now your changing that other filter, and it's a different filter that you have to stock as well as your Racors, and what does it cost?

But with your fuel polisher you not cleaning the fuel that gets to the engine any better preventing any engine wear, your merely trapping contaminates in your polishing filter as opposed to your Racors.
I don't see that being worth $2,000. Least not to me anyway.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I do understand, and for a boat with say more than six months of fuel aboard then maybe I can see the use of one.
I have a dual Racor set up, seems every 100 hours or so. Which is two fuel tanks for me, the restriction gauge creeps up and I switch to the other filter, then at next oil change I change the 30 Micron Racors. The engine final filter I change yearly.
So if I spend nearly $2,000 for the fuel polishing system you have, it will do what, knock my regular Racor changes down from nearly 200 hours to almost never?
But instead now your changing that other filter, and it's a different filter that you have to stock as well as your Racors, and what does it cost?

But with your fuel polisher you not cleaning the fuel that gets to the engine any better preventing any engine wear, your merely trapping contaminates in your polishing filter as opposed to your Racors.
I don't see that being worth $2,000. Least not to me anyway.

Nope, that's not how it works. The primary purpose of installing a fuel polishing system is to prevent all the sludge, varnish and "tofu" as you call it from building up in the tank. The inside of our fuel tanks are spotless three years following the system installation, and we've only changed the Separ filter once and the Racor filter once after using approximately 2000 gallons of fuel.

Fuel polishing is a preventative measure.

[a64pilot]

Replacement cartridge I found on Defender is about $27 ea.
I buy my Racors a dozen at a time for $110

[skipgundlach]

My system was under $500, and uses large canister filters in series, 30 and 10 micron.

Following the two cleanings post wreck (when it would be reasonable to expect that the half-empty tank would have sloshed anything present loose), I have changed the polisher filters once (more than 8 years, and 'just because'), and the Racor once, only because I thought it was why I was stopping, when it was a loose fitting - and that one was a throw-the-valve change - in about 2500 hours of operation.

It's not about the cost of filters - though I have a plethora of Racors, having bought them before installing the polisher - but avoiding the inconvenience, and perhaps potential safety issues, inherent in a fouling shutdown.

I have to say that - as filtering becomes increasingly fine as buildup progresses - that it's likely that my Racors see 2-5 micron fuel...

[a64pilot]

If your turning your fuel every couple of months and you use a biocide, nothing will build up.
My boat when I bought her had 500 hours on her, that is ten tanks of fuel burned in 27 years, that was the source of my tofu, fuel that had likely sat in the tank for years at a time.
I think with the generator and us full time cruising that I will turn a tank of fuel (50 gls) every other month at least.
At one time you posted your fuel burn and it was quite high, not picking on you for burning fuel, I plan on burning it when it's convenient to do so myself and not sit becalmed, or roast in the sun.
You know there are filters for engine coolant as well, but most see no need.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Replacement cartridge I found on Defender is about $27 ea.
I buy my Racors a dozen at a time for $110

I tried to explain... and now I give up.

I initially got the idea from other full time cruisers on this forum, the system works.

Someday.... you'll "see the light." Most likely just after you fill up with a bad tank of diesel, or during a stormy, rocky passage. Hopefully, not when your engine shuts down and leaves you drifting towards a rocky coastline.

Good luck.