Water and Racor Question

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Arch

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Sep 2, 2012
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Picked up a load of fuel with water in it. I just changed out my 6th Racor 500 filter. With each change I drained out a housing full of water and crud.

However, the last change, still drained off water but the filter was pretty and pink.

Question, is the filter still useable? Put another way, does water hurt a Racor filter?

Thanks for any knowledge, experience, and thoughts.

PS, thankfully I started out my trip down the Exumas with a case of filters.

Arch
 
Last year I got 3-4 quarts of water in my fuel due to either a bad vent or fill fitting. I dumped the Racor bowl many times, but never changed the filter. I also dumped the on engine fuel filter.

Ski encouraged me to change both filters once the water was gone, as he believes that they will swell in water. But I was lazy and didn't follow his advice:blush:. So far so good and the vacuum gauge on the Racor still indicates good.

David
 
djmarchand said:
Last year I got 3-4 quarts of water in my fuel due to either a bad vent or fill fitting. I dumped the Racor bowl many times, but never changed the filter. I also dumped the on engine fuel filter.

Ski encouraged me to change both filters once the water was gone, as he believes that they will swell in water. But I was lazy and didn't follow his advice:blush:. So far so good and the vacuum gauge on the Racor still indicates good.

David
Click to expand...

I would definitely change those elements if they have been in contact with water.
 
Racor has Hydrobloc treated elements. I have not been able to find out what it actually is, but I assume it is a DWR coating, not unlike used on outdoor gear. Racor does recommend changing them if significant amounts of water are found in the bowl. I have it on a PDF I downloaded, but left my thumb drive at work this week.
 
Arch said:
Question, is the filter still useable? Put another way, does water hurt a Racor filter?
Click to expand...

I would take a simple approach to this situation. After the filters, consider the down stream replacement cost and labor of an injector pump, injectors, and other items possibly damaged by water making it through. Now consider the cost and relative ease to replacing that Racor element. Nobody ever said,"I wish I hadn't changed the filters quite so often".

Ted
 
I agree that replacement makes sense. I am going to hang onto these used but clean filters as emergency filters in case I run out on my way back to civilization.

Thanks,
Arch
 
Just let the filters spend the day sunbathing in a nice hot engine room to drive any entrained water out.
 
Why are we even talking about this? These are fuel filters they are consumable items. Unless you're in a position where you can not get new ones change them and throw them away
 
Another $200000 boat and want to save $10 thread



If there is a large amount of water getting into the bowl on the Racor place a bucket under the filter and loosen the drain plug so you have a slow drip this will prevent the filter from totally filling with water
 
Last edited:
Well guys, we are talking about this because I have gone through 6 filters while burning 168 gallons of fuel and I'm 560 miles down deep in the Exumas. Not a West Marine in sight. Luckily I have more fresh filters on board. So the question was about running out of fresh filters.

What the question was NOT about was saving a buck and putting the boat at risk. It is alway nice to hear from folks who like to offer judgement rather than help, keeps things in perspective.

For those with constructive answers, thanks,
Arch
 
Arch said:
Well guys, we are talking about this because I have gone through 6 filters while burning 168 gallons of fuel and I'm 560 miles down deep in the Exumas. Not a West Marine in sight. Luckily I have more fresh filters on board. So the question was about running out of fresh filters.

What the question was NOT about was saving a buck and putting the boat at risk. It is alway nice to hear from folks who like to offer judgement rather than help, keeps things in perspective.

For those with constructive answers, thanks,


Arch
Click to expand...



Sorry I took it the wrong way :smitten:


Another thought is if you have a sight tube attach your fuel line to the bottom fitting this will keep you off the bottom of the tank
 
Gaston, great idea! Unfortunately I don't have a sight tube, but wish I did.

Good news, the Flying Fish Marina, where I'm waiting on weather, came up with filters for me. I'm back to 10 fresh filters on board plus the two I installed today so I should be good.

Arch
 
gaston said:
Another $200000 boat and want to save $10 thread...
Click to expand...
True, but wish Racor spin on filters were $10. Retail just under $80 here. I import them from USA, much cheaper, even with freight.
 
Nothing wrong with repeated draining of racor bowl to get rid of water. Element may or may not get cloggy, seen them respond both ways.

The biggest concern is whether water has got past the racor in into the secondaries. It would be good to drain them to be sure. Exuma is not a place to try to find injection pumps and injectors.

Good to see some Carolina Redneck mentality has rubbed off on Dave M. Don't need to change no stinkin filters!!!
 
I added a peacock and short hose to my Racor. Had a a bunch of water in fuel last yr...wont get into details of how...
After draining as much as possible from tank I started and ran slow and was able to drain the bowl on the Fly by backing to idle and draining using the peacock.
I tracked time to build up to a fixed low level in the bowl and monitored it closely while running and draining. The time kept increasing and when I could ring for one or more days I changed filters and continued to monitor.
 
The vacuum gauge may read ok after water damage to the filters because, depending on the maker, the filter media may have weakened and allowed bigger holes/tearing and no restriction.
I don't know how you get so much water in your fuel. In 6 years I haven't drained a pint and I tank 2000 gallons. That includes buying a boat that sat for 6 years w/o care. My deck fills are 70 years old and open to the weather.
I always use a conditioner and check the fuel bowls every time I start an engine.
 
What happens to a Racor filter that is left out in the sun to dry out? Does that not evaporate off the water and allow it to return to service? There are plenty of ways to clean a "disposable" filter and return it to service when finding a new one is impractical.
 
Off topic a little . Back to water in fuel . Out on the farm when we get a 20000lt delivery of fuel we check the first 5 liters into a clear plastic bucket in 15 years we have rejected 2 delivery before they went into the holding tank . We still get 5 liters of water a year in the 20l settling tank which is directly under the main tank god knows where it comes from .
 
Years ago a mechanic I respect advised that before filling the tanks,squirt some diesel into a glass jar. If the "bubbles" don`t dissipate, they are water, not bubbles, don`t fill the tanks. From unreliable memory, Calder says something similar.
Bacchus, my Racor`s have drain cocks in the bowl. As you fitted a petcock and hose, a good idea, yours must be a different design. I drain the bowl regularly too, checking for water, debris, etc. It`s a lot better than it was.
 
gaston said:
Another thought is if you have a sight tube attach your fuel line to the bottom fitting this will keep you off the bottom of the tank
Click to expand...


On my earlier boat the builder took the opposite approach. The pickup tube was all the way at the lowest part of the 1600 gallon tank. No trap or small sump. I doubt there was ever more than a few ounces of water ever in that tank because it was always being "polished." Of course having a couple of Detroits helped with that.
 
Capt.Bill11 said:
Notice what is stated about the micron size of a water molecule vs a fuel molecule.
Click to expand...

5 microns. So according to that filter manufacturer, a 2 micron racor filter should "grab" any water that got past the separation bowl.
 
Nope. Oh boy looks like John greviskas needs to review his high school chemistry. A water molecule is way smaller than any fuel molecule. You don't even have to do the math to figure it out. Just visualize 2 hydrogen atoms bonding to one oxygen atom and then comparing it to a multi carbon atom chain connected to more than twice as many hydrogen atoms. The reason it doesn't pass through the filter is the magic of the aquabloc coating. It has nothing to do with the size of molecules and micron rating of the filter. We actually have 5 and 1 micron filters on our boat's freshwater system.
 
Nightsky said:
5 microns. So according to that filter manufacturer, a 2 micron racor filter should "grab" any water that got past the separation bowl.
Click to expand...

Any micron size Racor element is supposed to stop water. Based for what I understand on the coating on the element not the micron size of the element.

So I question his figures.
 
I have no idea work, but a very fine screen does seem to catch water , and let the fuel pass.
 
Capt.Bill11 said:
Any micron size Racor element is supposed to stop water. Based for what I understand on the coating on the element not the micron size of the element.

So I question his figures.
Click to expand...


:eek: Racor water separation based on gravity, water heavier than diesel and settle to the bottom of the glass jar where you put it away. and the filter element is a network which catch in particulate larger than its rating for example. 10my
 
FF said:
I have no idea work, but a very fine screen does seem to catch water , and let the fuel pass.
Click to expand...
Just guessing but I think this has to do with surface tension of the liquid.
 
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