Fuel Polishing

[marinetrader]

I've been thinking of building a fuel polisher, a portable one where my friends could also use it. Hell my engine room has so much in it now, there's no where to mount it anyway.

Has anyone built one?

MT

 

[Keith]

I built one based on Captain Wil's drawings. Based on a Gulf Coast F-1 filter and a Walbro continuous duty diesel pump. There are other pumps that move a lot more fuel that others will recommend as well. I mounted it on a piece of plywood, then onto the engine room bulkhead. You could just as easily put it on a dolly or wagon of some kind, although you need a lot of hoses, copper tubing, etc. to be able to get the fuel out and return it where you want it. Here's the link to his article and specs:
http://www.trawlersandtrawlering.com/howto/captnwil.html

Here are a couple of pix of mine in place, as well as a dirty filter after changing.

 

[marinetrader]

Keith,

Nice set up. Whats something like this gonna set me back?

 

[Keith]

Geez, I built that thing around 2001. I think it was about $500 for the filter, maybe $100 or so for the pump, and another $50 for hose, fittings, switches, etc. You'll have to call the guys, but here is their article:
http://www.gulfcoastfilters.com/fuel_polishing.htm

The prices for their assembled polishing systems are ridiculous! You might Google "Gulf Coast F-1 filter" or maybe even check out E-Bay to find one if their prices seem too high.

-- Edited by Keith at 11:43, 2008-07-30

 

[FF]

IF you wish to clean fuel , a fuel filter is usually best.

A high priced toilet paper or Bounty holder is cheap to change , but its effectiveness as a filter is in considerable doubt.

PT Barnum is still laughing,,

 

[Tidahapah]

What model Walbro pump did you use for the system?
I have never had a fuel problem in Australia but once I start to cruise into more remote places this could be a concern.
When going north here one can buy fuel from the fishing fleet replenishing barges but due to circumstances there is allways the probability of contamination.
And being so remote it would pay to have a decent fuel cleaning system.
Benn

 

[Keith]

FF wrote:

IF you wish to clean fuel , a fuel filter is usually best.

A high priced toilet paper or Bounty holder is cheap to change , but its effectiveness as a filter is in considerable doubt.

PT Barnum is still laughing,,

Try again FF. Depth filtration works much better than*a membrane like the Racors. The GCF F-1 with a paper towl roll filters to sub-micron levels, while the best the Racors can do is about 2 micron, and they don't even filter all those out. We don't use them because they're cheap, they work better for the job.

 

[Keith]

I can't remember offhand the pump model, but it's the one Cap'n Will used. It has performed flawlessly for years, running a week at a time minimum. However, I think I would go for a bigger pump next time, and I'm sure someone will chime in with some suggestions. You can always contact Depco...they know this stuff inside and out, and have good prices as well.
http://www.depcopump.com/index.htm

 

[troy994719]

FF

IF you wish to clean fuel , a fuel filter is usually best.

A high priced toilet paper or Bounty holder is cheap to change , but its effectiveness as a filter is in considerable doubt.

PT Barnum is still laughing,,

After looking at the pictures of Keiths used filter it looks like it defiantly filtered out some bad stuff.

*
I would be willing to bet that a roll of Bounty paper towels can out filter a Racor any day, even compared to the biggest Racor the surface area doesnt compare. Not to mention for fuel polishing you can buy a case of paper towels for $12 compared to a case of 12 Racor 500s for $45 wholesale price.

 

[FF]

"I would be willing to bet that a roll of Bounty paper towels can out filter a Racor any day, even compared to the biggest Racor the surface area doesnt compare."

After the fuel channels in the roll of paper , the surface area drops to almost ZERO, so there is fuel thru the filter ., without cleaning.

This same problem was the death of early oil bypass filters that used Domascus Earth (tooth powder) unless under enough pressure to crush any channeling they simply bypassed.

When under enough pressure , they passed little oil.
Same catch 22as on toilet paper/Bounty style filters.

FF

 

[Keith]

You're mixing up surface filtration and depth filtration. "Channeling" refers to the liquid passing through a bed of contaminates on top of a membrane in surface filtration, like a Racor. That bed of contaminates actually helps the filtering, acting as a filter media of it's own. When it channels, the liquid bypasses the filter cake and goes right to the media. Picture a nice, even coating of contaminates on the filter, then you scratch away a part to expose the clean filter media. That's the "channel".

However, in a depth filter, the entire length of the paper towel acts as a filter media. The "stuff" gets caught at one end, and the fuel passes through a LOT of filter media, both paper and "caught" contaminates. As long as your paper filter media is tight enough in the holder, it won't really "channel". Now if you put a roll that's too small in there, it can bypass it, but that's your bad, not the filter's. It can catch lots more than any surface filter...that's what makes it so good for polishing applications.

 

[FF]

As long as your paper filter media is tight enough in the holder, it won't really "channel".

If there was a real success in toilet paper / bounty filtration it would be in use on every filtration issue ,Virtually every engine in the world.

Since its mostly hyped by a single company , have you not wondered why the Chinese , with no concepts of Patent Rights has not used it on every engine they operate?

FF