Northern Spy
Guru
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2012
- Messages
- 4,075
- Location
- Canada
- Vessel Name
- Northern Spy
- Vessel Make
- Nordic Tug 26
how many drips in a gallon?
58,369
how many drips in a gallon?
Thanks all,
I'm not disagreeing with you, but I think you are also not listening very well.
I will add water sensors to the Racors. They have the hole for them and I would have caught it sooner.
It was salt water. I tasted it.
Probably won't do anything else.
Again, EVERYTHING on the boat could be better, newer, have more redundancy. In fact, why not just hire a crew to do it all.
Wait, why not just go on someone else's boat?
Dauntless has gone over 11,000 miles, 2000 engine hours and 4,000 gallons of fuel, without the engine ever stopping without human intervention.
Think what that means.
For better or for worse, this is the system I like and can afford.
Nuff said
58,369
Thoughts??
And so you should be. That was a fantastic voyage. And to discuss it all openly for our benefit is mighty big hearted of you. Thanks a bunch Richard, and I wish you continued success on the rest of your journey.
That'll do it. That and being severely shaken (emulsified ?) is enough to get the water thru the racor. The Simms pump and the Lehman injectors are more robust than most others on engines in that size class. Being "looser" didnt hurt either. I would venture to guess that a new electronic engine would have suffered a major cat ass trophy. I know the rules say that all fills and vents must drain over board, but inboard/protected fills and vents dont have this problem and can be built to drain overboard. Just sayin. Personally, I like to open a hatch/cover plate, unscrew a 4 inch t-handle plug and fill the tank there, while looking straight down at it, tug boat like. However, with all that has been posted, and all the "i wouldnt have done it that way" opinions, the two relevant words are "done it", congratulations.
I had a similar but not the same situation a few years ago. I thought it was the filler O-ring; it wasn't. I even thought maybe I pissed someone off to the point of sabotage. I may have, but it wasn't it either.
Turns out it was a combination of a poorly bedded fuel filler (there was a gap in the sealant) combined with a loose(ish) hose clamp on the filler hose.
Rainwater during rainy winter months went through the sealant gap and funneled into the loose filler hose. All capillary action. One drop at a time.
Discovered just off the harbour entrance when the Racor filled with water quickly.
Now when I dip my tanks, I use a dab of KolorKut on a little concave hollow on the bottom of my tank gauging stick.
How many drips in a gallon?
58,369
I'm taking that to the bank!
Thanks.
Don't. I was low. It's probably closer to 75,700 = 20 drops/ml x 3785 ml/US gallon.
I was using 15.42 drops to the ml because that was the number given to me by a lab tech. I didn't say water.
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I'd make sure the diesel had a mechanical fuel cutoff so the engine will keep on running even without power.
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And common sense should tell you that you change ALL your fuel filters before heading out on any long trip unless you've just changed them very recently. Especially if you're crossing an ocean. And even more so if you're running a single screw vessel. That is cruising/mechanics 101 in my book.
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I will ONLY use and install the Davco Detroit Diesel type of filter units. Why the "yacht" industry still uses the POS racor escapes me. Why anyone would keep the racor unit on a boat for any length of time after purchase is beyond my abilty to understand. At anytime a like new Davco 382 can be had on ebay for less than $200. They can be bought at a big truck salvage for even less. Filters can be bought by the case for less than 1 racor 1000 filter. The filter is visible and as FF said, you know exactly when it needs changed. You cant see the water/sludge with the 382, but, Davco makes another canister type filter unit with an identical clear "bowl" that attatches to the bottom (just like the one on top but no filter) with a drain valve so you can see any acumulation and drain it. On the 382 you just open the valve and let it drain until no more crap comes out. Parts/filters are available at any good truck stop in just about any developed country. And they dont leak air, unlike racors.
I've not heard of anyone "killing" an engine due to being over filtered, or even starved for fuel. You just dont starve a diesel engine to death. If that were the case plugged filters would have killed most older engines by now, hasnt happend. On the issue of stopping both engines on a twin engined boat, if that happens its just poor engineering on the owners part. Why would anyone have a backup plan with a common achilles heel. You certainly dont have just one start battery, even if it would work 99% of the time. Its simple to design 2 stand alone fuel systems into a twin (or even single for that matter) engine boat.
It is important to use the correct fuel filters in every application. Use of fuel filters that are not designed for the specific application may cause the engine to run poorly or may damage sensitive fuel system components.
Use of a fuel filter that is more efficient at removing contaminant than what is specified by the original equipment (OE) manufacturer may lead to premature plugging, thus shortening service life. Plugged filters may also cause the flow of fuel to be restricted as it passes through the filter media.
They made it very clear that the new engines require air, fuel and POWER to run. No power and the engine will not run.
Having a single engine boat is a red herring in this case. If fuel quality was going to kill one engine, it would have killed both engines.
Whatever about the crew, you are seriously screwed if you engine stops; you'll only get a few chances at a restart before your battery is dead.
So....
I'd make sure the diesel had a mechanical fuel cutoff so the engine will keep on running even without power.
I'd keep fully filtered fuel in a separate tank which is not connected directly to the main tank; this fuel will not need further filtering to keep the engine running.
I would have a totally separate main tanks, then you can polish it and filter it, strain it through muslin if necessary to get it clean in an emergency if the you've loaded on contaminated diesel.
...otherwise your filters may get blocked and STOP your engine!!!
NB: there's no filter between the day tank and the engine.