Fuel additives? Yes or no

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

She's an ex trawler that was working the gulf of Carpentaria so has been refuelled in some pretty remote locations.

South east Asia has some pretty remote filling spots and stories of fuel issues are legion.
Interesting that several long term cruisers I speak to up there, some with 25 years in the area claim to have had no issues and don't use biocide but they are the ones using 500fg or larger filters whereas the ones with the endless problems do not.

Something I am looking at installing prior to our trip up is a 200mic prefilter to get the big stuff before it hits my dual 1000ma 30 mic and 10mic and dual on engine 2mic filters.

https://www.boatstore.com/racor-3002...g-200-mic.html

I've cruised asia extensively. I had bad fuel twice, had to fly a dozen fuel filters in from Sydney to west Sumatra once.

The west marine type filters that you use to pour fuel into the tank through are fairly useless in my experience, although most up there use them.

I now have a mobile fuel polisher that all fuel passes through , a 2 micron racor 500 filters the fuel as it goes into the tank.

If I had a trawler I'd have a serious fuel polishing system installed and working fulltime, plus I'd use a bio biocide of sometype.

I watched a modern trawler get towed by my mates Selene 48 trawler 500nm in Raja Ampat. One had a great fuel polishing system the other didnt.

Nothing goes into my tank that doesn't go through the the 2 micron first.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by daletournier

If I had a trawler I'd have a serious fuel polishing system installed and working fulltime, plus I'd use a bio biocide of sometype.

I watched a modern trawler get towed by my mates Selene 48 trawler 500nm in Raja Ampat. One had a great fuel polishing system the other didnt.

Nothing goes into my tank that doesn't go through the the 2 micron first.

Like I said earlier, we have an nta855m Cummins, possibly the 2nd best engine EVER according to some sites.

Looking at the specs she pumps at full noise 326 litres/hr through the numerous filters including 2 x 2 mic sediment and water filters and dumps 265 litres of squeaky clean mothers milk back into the tanks.

Awesome bit of kit it would seem.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

I wonder how all those vessels in poorer countries go that can't access or afford to import biobor, stanydyne, startron or the like.

Their fuel tanks must have bubbling black mess exploding out the top yet for some reason they don't.

Many have very agricultural engines, I've seen many single pots that hand crank (many).

The tolerances on modern engines are alot less ,specially newer common rail diesels , at 30,000psi a very tiny thing becomes a dangerous projectile to a fuel system.

My old boat had a 3gm30f yanmar, somewhere in between agricultural and very modern. Sometimes in Asia you are getting fuel scooped from 44 gallon drums in a crappy dirty fueling depot, I've even had it scooped out of drums on the beach and filtered through a sock.

Trust me ,Biocide and a bullet proof filtering system has no downside if your cruising remotely of the beaten track.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Like I said earlier, we have an nta855m Cummins, possibly the 2nd best engine EVER according to some sites.

Looking at the specs she pumps at full noise 326 litres/hr through the numerous filters including 2 x 2 mic sediment and water filters and dumps 265 litres of squeaky clean mothers milk back into the tanks.

Awesome bit of kit it would seem. [emoji3]

I would want a filtering system that cleans the fuel prior to the engines fuel filter system, I'd rather clog the one that dosen't effect the engine.

In places like Australia, the US, Europe etc it dosent matter, theres always someone to help, help is a radio or phone call away, and the gulf of carpinteria isnt remote (relatively speaking), I've sailed it twice , that's not the case when travelling off the grid.

My point is that a bulletproof polishing system for a boat that is 100% dependent on its engine is very cheap insurance if traveling remote IMHO.

Your obviously a knowledgeable guy, if your comfortable with your system stick with it.

My perspective is based on seeing the problems of bad fuel in places where help is minimal and self sufficiency is a must. I've been sweating my ass off at a remote island on the equator emptying my fuel tank, hand cleaning it and then filtering fuel back in through a 5 micron water filters to get us going. My lessons have been earnt.

In regards to the people you've spoken to that have had no problems in Asia, theres many that go around the world with no problems that do nothing special BUT some do the same thing and get unlucky.

I had 2 friends last year stuck from growth in their tanks, both competent round the worlders.....it happens.

[CF32907]

Originally Posted by daletournier

Many have very agricultural engines, I've seen many single pots that hand crank (many).

The tolerances on modern engines are alot less ,specially newer common rail diesels , at 30,000psi a very tiny thing becomes a dangerous projectile to a fuel system.

My old boat had a 3gm30f yanmar, somewhere in between agricultural and very modern. Sometimes in Asia you are getting fuel scooped from 44 gallon drums in a crappy dirty fueling depot, I've even had it scooped out of drums on the beach and filtered through a sock.

Trust me ,Biocide and a bullet proof filtering system has no downside if your cruising remotely of the beaten track.

Not according to Semi 60, you don't need it.........

[MicHughV]

...some years ago, I repowered a sailboat I had at the time with a bigger diesel engine. As part of that process, I also removed the old fuel tank. That tank was probably 8 years old.

...on a whim, I opened the " inspection" ports on the top of the tank.

...the bottom inside of the tank was covered in about a 1/4" layer of black gooey slime...as were the lower sides of the tank. No additives were ever used in the fuel.

The fuel pickup line was about 1.5 " from the bottom of the tank...so I never had any problem that the filter good not handle....but was unnerved by the amount of goop inside the tank.

Flash forward a few years. My Beneteau had a brand new diesel engine installed by the previous owner, but there was no separate diesel fuel filter, so I added a Racor 500. Much to my surprise, within a few weeks, that Racor was black as mud. I had a fuel polisher guy come and clean the fuel and was stunned to see the crap in the tank...

One may be familiar with the so-called " Baha Filter".....a device one sticks under the fuel hose to catch detritus from unknown fuel sources..

Despite the ongoing thread about the various types of diesel fuel, getting good " clean" fuel is often a problem. Stateside, one would expect the " good "stuff.....but cruising may put you in a spot, where the diesel will be delivered to your boat from a truck or a rusty old drum on the truck...and there is no telling what you will get...

[JC Reefer]

In a past life I ran yachts for a living. Keep the tanks filled above to 80 % all the time to remove space where algae can grow. Always used fuel additives (biobor). Always have a fuel system with a fuel filter. I typically would not use a prefilter when filling from a known source but always used one if in unknown waters.

A good set of rancor filters is a life saver.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by CF32907

What makes you think they don't. Most of the third world areas I've been in have large filters with nasty glass and virtually black fuel. If you want to run your vessel that way, we know what your feelings are. I was a marine surveyor for 20 years, built six boats and to airplanes. I'm very opinionated, but that is what I was paid for. I've seen the best to the worst, I surveyed Haitian boats for the gsa, there systems are the nastiest, but most still ran. What's your point, we need to do no maintenance nor preventative work at all. You do what I say, it may keep you out of trouble, you do what you say, your eventually will break down, hopefully where you can get help.....I do feel very sorry for you!!!

Very strange writing. You criticize what "I do," when all I said was that people without money probably cannot afford to have a boat just sit around. They either use the boat, or don't have one. I did not say or imply anything about preventive maintenance, although you seem to have inferred much. In fact, I have published numerous articles on fuel system maintenance. I have been actively involved in researching additives and filtration systems as a part of my day job as a chemical engineer. As a licensed tank inspector, I assure you I have seen the worst.


Perhaps you were responding to someone else.