Fuel Vacuum Gauge

[Steve DAntonio]

A suggestion, spend a few more bucks and get the good gauge that is oil filled, less fluctuations and I noticed more accurate reading. Anything over 7” and my Cummins starts to surge, this in turn might be causing unnecessary load on the lift pump.

Completely agree here, liquid filled is worth the extra cost, more durable, less fluctuation. While you are at it, also get the version with a drag needle, without that you have to be at the gauge, looking at it while at cruising speed. The recording gauge retains the highest reading until reset. More about that here https://www.proboat.com/2012/04/the-vacuum-gauge-tool/

Personally, I don't care for the T handle replacement gauge kits. Most do away with the T handle, which is useful, and they stand well above the filter just begging to be knocked off by an errant hip, thigh or tool bag. Better to permanently plumb the gauge to the filter.

(In Xiamen, China)

 

[Simi 60]

. While you are at it, also get the version with a drag needle, without that you have to be at the gauge, looking at it while at cruising speed.

But we all go down into the ER for the quick once around every hour anyway don't we? (-;

 

[smitty477]

Wow! Where have you been hiding?

There has been a huge number of discussions on forums and Passagemaker magazine regarding 2 micron filters in the last 20 years. It 's old news.

There is a large number of Racors installed on every type and style of boat. If Racors are "more prone to problems, harder to replace, have less filter area, and more expensive", why do the majority of boat owners choose Racor when adding fuel filters. Why would boat manufacturers install Racor if they are expensive? There are knock off Racors for less money.

Quite a number of boats have crossed oceans and circumnavigated the globe with Racors protecting their engines.

The other fuel filters on boats are Separ and Fleetguard. Neither is as easy to service as the Racor Turbines.

And as for my gauge on my Racor 500 feeding a Lehman 120 which flows minimal fuel since it does'nt cool the injection pump, it reads 0, needle slightly up off the stop. How about I say .0365 instead of 0

Yup - never will read zero.
I prefer the Fleetguard setup per Tony Athens to the Racors I have had.
Of course a spin on and off is very easy compared to a Racor change.
We have numerous people who work the water here every day - lobstermen,
small service boats, tugs and LEO's.
No Racors on any of these boats ...always the larger capacity , easily serviced filters.
2 mics in primary usage - I know the Racor data sheets and manuals do not call for a 2 mic in the primary and I have not had a diesel where they call for 2 mics in a primary. Which engine manual does call for a 2 mic primary filter?

There are some good resources here:
https://www.sbmar.com/articles/marine-fuel-filtration-the-seaboard-way/

 

[smitty477]

I have one of these type on ours
Never had any idea where it should read but I have never seen it go any higher, or is that lower, than what is shown in the picture.

I like that one it looks like what we used to buy, perhaps these are the same:
- bottom mount
- 2" SS face
- +/- 2% accuracy full sweep
- Glycerin fillable in back

We just added a snubber at the connection to restrict all needle bounce.

 

[FF]

We have moved the dual filters as well as the fuel tank selection valve OUT of the engine space.

No need to visit the Hell Hole with the engine operating , the battery bank is also not in the engine space to make life even easier.

 

[catalinajack]

I change filters when the clear fuel bowl is full of fuel. No gauges, no guesswork. My filter housings are Davco, used extensively on big rigs and construction equipment. Filter changes are quite easy.

Racor, the fuel filter people, sells a vacuum gauge specifically for this purpose. It is marked with three vacuum ranges: 0-7" is normal, 7-10" is yellow, and 10" and above is red.


See https://www.marinepartssource.com/v...trMevKrq9bMTV834sPqwICZh8ARWU7DhoCKP4QAvD_BwE


David

 

[smitty477]

Davco filter change...

 

[FF]

Davco is a delight to live with , the only hassle can be an insurance survey , as the plastic dome may not last long enough in a fire.

Not sure the SS bowl stuck on the bottom of many labeled "marine " filters does anything , but it keeps the insurance folks happy.

 

[dhays]

Davco is a delight to live with , the only hassle can be an insurance survey , as the plastic dome may not last long enough in a fire.

Not sure the SS bowl stuck on the bottom of many labeled "marine " filters does anything , but it keeps the insurance folks happy.

That SS bowl shield does a great job of making it hard to see the clear bowl. :-(

 

[smitty477]

That SS bowl shield does a great job of making it hard to see the clear bowl. :-(

There really is no reason to see the bowl - changing the filters when the vac gage indicates a change is needed will be the best solution.

 

[Island Cessna]

Photos of tee and vac gauge at helm.

One of the few discrepancies on my last purchase survey was the line from the tee to the fuel suction gauge on the dash needed to be USCG approved fuel hose. I considered it a valid concern as the tee was below the fuel level in the tanks.

 

[syjos]

Personally, I don't care for the T handle replacement gauge kits. Most do away with the T handle, which is useful, and they stand well above the filter just begging to be knocked off by an errant hip, thigh or tool bag. Better to permanently plumb the gauge to the filter.

(In Xiamen, China)

The new, improved filter mounted gauges have T handles.

 

[dhays]

There really is no reason to see the bowl - changing the filters when the vac gage indicates a change is needed will be the best solution.

The purpose of the bowl is to be able to see any water that may have accumulated in the bottom of the Racor. Water won't affect the vacuum. I keep doing a visual inspection of my bowls when I check the drag needle on the vacuum gauge. I've never found water in any of boats, but that doesn't mean I don't keep looking.


I've also never noticed a significant increase in vacuum as I change out the filter being used each year. That doesn't mean that I don't keep checking the gauge.

 

[smitty477]

The purpose of the bowl is to be able to see any water that may have accumulated in the bottom of the Racor. Water won't affect the vacuum. I keep doing a visual inspection of my bowls when I check the drag needle on the vacuum gauge. I've never found water in any of boats, but that doesn't mean I don't keep looking.


I've also never noticed a significant increase in vacuum as I change out the filter being used each year. That doesn't mean that I don't keep checking the gauge.

Its great that you want to stay up on the maintenance but the filter changes prior to being required are less optimal for fuel filtering, economy and labor.
We have had WIF alarms on the filters as well as on engine water seps that have also never seen water.
Water blocking filter elements will show an increase in Vac when they have been subjected to water.

 

[dhays]

Water blocking filter elements will show an increase in Vac when they have been subjected to water.

Thanks. I didn't know that water exposure would decrease the flow of a water block element.

 

[Simi 60]

I like that one it looks like what we used to buy, perhaps these are the same:
- bottom mount
- 2" SS face
- +/- 2% accuracy full sweep
- Glycerin fillable in back

We just added a snubber at the connection to restrict all needle bounce.

Yeah but what's the point of the neg/left half but only neg on the psi section?
And why the different scale of measurement?

It seems that looking at the pretty colour gauges that 0-20 psi = green/good and higher than that is change filter.
What does a neg reading mean and would it ever happen?

And then this one, the whole bloody thing is in the neg

And, to confuse things even more, on this one, 17kpa = 2.4psi, a long way from 20 on the one above it.


Add:
Spoke to Parker Hannifin rep.
For our setup with filters before the pump we use the left hand side of the gauge and change when it hits near 6hg or -20psi.

 

[Boat]

Vacuum sensor and electric gauge at the helm is a good idea. Keep all of the fuel behind the fireproof bulkhead. Know how to plug airways to keep all the air out in case of a fire. Not on a yacht. Just sayin'. Not many yachts anyway.

The two micron filter thing was part of the million mile warranty for over the road diesels. I think they built some sub-micron filters for research but not production. That's the real warranty for vehicles that actually go a million, not the gimmick.

Good thread, good timing, feel like I need to change my truck filter.

 

[larryccurtis]

5e kohler genset

thanks first of all, my question is how far down does the fuel pick up tube go into my port tank for a cabrio 330? my genset is cutting off at a 1/4 tank on my fuel gauge, I know gauge could be off but genset stops at that level.I ...

 

[smitty477]

thanks first of all, my question is how far down does the fuel pick up tube go into my port tank for a cabrio 330? my genset is cutting off at a 1/4 tank on my fuel gauge, I know gauge could be off but genset stops at that level.I ...

-Fuel gages are notoriously inaccurate.
-No way to be sure until you stick the tank.
-Typical fuel pickups are 1/2' or more above the tank bottom - many are 1" or more.
- Some tanks have the genset pickup purposely mounted much higher than the mains

 

[smitty477]

Yeah but what's the point of the neg/left half but only neg on the psi section?
And why the different scale of measurement?

It seems that looking at the pretty colour gauges that 0-20 psi = green/good and higher than that is change filter.
What does a neg reading mean and would it ever happen?

And then this one, the whole bloody thing is in the neg

And, to confuse things even more, on this one, 17kpa = 2.4psi, a long way from 20 on the one above it.


Add:
Spoke to Parker Hannifin rep.
For our setup with filters before the pump we use the left hand side of the gauge and change when it hits near 6hg or -20psi.

No negatives on our gages - no color scheme either. Just a plain , large , accurate , SS gage that has a snubber and is filled with glycerin.

 

[wwestman]

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=1771858

This is what I use. Seems to work fine and holds the highest level until you reset the gauge.

 

[smitty477]

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=1771858

This is what I use. Seems to work fine and holds the highest level until you reset the gauge.

Interesting - says accuracy is +/- !0%.

 

[dhays]

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=1771858

This is what I use. Seems to work fine and holds the highest level until you reset the gauge.

I used the same on my last sailboat. To be honest, it was kind of a waste of money. I never had any fuel issues, I never saw any significant increase in vacuum, and I replaced the single Racor 500 filter yearly regardless. However, I think it works great. I have found that prefer a gauge dial however.

I have this on my current dual Racors. Having a drag needle is huge and I’d not even bother with a gauge without one.

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|311|2349076|2349087&id=3939915

 

[Steve DAntonio]

For the last couple of years I've been recommending this gauge (depicted in an earlier post), it's not cheap but it has some nice features, easy to read large face, and liquid-filled (used to be an option but I'm pretty sure it's standard now). More importantly, however, the scale is far more practical, the gauges that go all the way to a perfect vacuum of 29" are wasting much of that space, as few engines would run at those higher vacuum levels. The Dent Gauges goes from 0 to 15 (with no pressure side), covering the whole range of the gauge face. The owner of the company is an engineer with a manufacturing business, and a boat owner. https://dentmarine.com/

Racor's own drag needle gauge works, but its scale is too broad, going to9 29", it isn't liquid filled and the drag needle reset knob lacks the necessary resistance, it can be moved if you simply brush by it with a shirt sleeve. One common fault I encounter is the drag needle is 359 degrees out of position, i.e. it is set on the wrong side of the primary black needle, which means the drag needle will never move.

I have some reservations on the pop up gauges mounted on the top of the filter, they are an equivalent to an idiot light, when compared to a gauge. I'd rather see a needle's movement when troubleshooting a fuel supply issue. Also, they are too easy to knock off, just like filter top mounted gauges, and it's plastic, so I suspect it would not be flame proof. It might meet the ABYC H-33 flame resistance test if the flame were directly under the filter, as the test specifies, as the filter would shield it for a time. Still, I'm leery of plastic fuel components. Having said all that, they are better than having no vacuum indicator what so ever.

Speaking of plastic, earlier in the thread someone brought up Racor's plastic bowls and flame shield. I've been to the plant where Racor filters are made, in Modesto CA. Their engineers showed me results of a flame test on Racors with and without the heat shield. While they recommend the heat shield on all Racor turbine series used afloat, the filter without the bowl shield passed the test...provided it had a metallic drain. The bowl did not burn through, but the black plastic drain did. They see the stainless shield as a belt and suspenders approach. You should have both heat shield and metallic UL Marine approved valve. Here is the article about that visit
https://stevedmarineconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Racor-Very-Fine-Filtration.pdf

 

[psneeld]

If the bowl is full of fuel...maybe that's why.


I remember an old fiberglass building/repair book that discussed fiberglass fuel tanks. It went on to say how often they survived bad fires when full of even gasoline. There was a picture of a boatyard full of burned boats yet a few tanks that were charred but not destroyed and they were full of gas.


I had heard this was one of the major reasons why insurance companies nsist that boatyards store gas boats for the winter full of fuel.

 

[caltexflanc]

I've always liked the stuff from these guys. Wild website but lots of cool, and high quality items. Fun place for boat nerds. For you with "look down into" engine rooms, the face-up model is nice, I've seen it in action on another boat.

DragPointerLookDown

 

[Codger2]

Interesting Thread!

For many years I worried about fuel contamination causing an engine shutdown in my single diesel trawler. I changed the filters religiously every year to assure that I was mitigating the dreaded shutdown.

I am now driving a twin diesel boat and have added duel Racors to give me "get home filters" should the shutdown occur. Since I added said Racors, I check the gage often to see the position of the drag needle. After a year of use, it has hardly moved! So, my next experiment is to not change the filters so often but rather wait until the needle says it's time!

 

[dhays]

For the last couple of years I've been recommending this gauge (depicted in an earlier post), it's not cheap but it has some nice features, easy to read large face, and liquid-filled (used to be an option but I'm pretty sure it's standard now). More importantly, however, the scale is far more practical, the gauges that go all the way to a perfect vacuum of 29" are wasting much of that space, as few engines would run at those higher vacuum levels. The Dent Gauges goes from 0 to 15 (with no pressure side), covering the whole range of the gauge face. The owner of the company is an engineer with a manufacturing business, and a boat owner. https://dentmarine.com/



Racor's own drag needle gauge works, but its scale is too broad, going to9 29", it isn't liquid filled and the drag needle reset knob lacks the necessary resistance, it can be moved if you simply brush by it with a shirt sleeve. One common fault I encounter is the drag needle is 359 degrees out of position, i.e. it is set on the wrong side of the primary black needle, which means the drag needle will never move.



Speaking of plastic, earlier in the thread someone brought up Racor's plastic bowls and flame shield. I've been to the plant where Racor filters are made, in Modesto CA. Their engineers showed me results of a flame test on Racors with and without the heat shield. While they recommend the heat shield on all Racor turbine series used afloat, the filter without the bowl shield passed the test...provided it had a metallic drain. The bowl did not burn through, but the black plastic drain did. They see the stainless shield as a belt and suspenders approach. You should have both heat shield and metallic UL Marine approved valve. Here is the article about that visit

https://stevedmarineconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Racor-Very-Fine-Filtration.pdf

Steve, thanks for this post. It was really informative for me. I appreciate what you say about the advantages of the Dent gauge. If I was buying a gauge now, I’d definitely buy that one. As it is, my Racor gauge with the drag needle is working well so no need to change it it.

I also appreciate the information about the stainless heat shield. I have metal drain valves on my Racors that I added to replace the simple metal plugs that were there initially. On my sailboat, there was no heat shield on the single Racor filter and it was much easier to see the bowl than my current filters. Hearing the testing, I’m tempted to remove the heat shield. Even though I’ve never had a fuel problem, I’m more concerned about being able to easily visualize the filter bowl than I am about the filter assembly melting in a fire.

A question that I always ask (primarily because I guess I have a terrible memory and I get conflicting answers) is what is the life of the aquablock treatment in the Racor filters?

 

[syjos]

All the talk about damaging the "T " handle gauges. I will repeat an earlier post.

I've had the 2 "T" handle gauges on my Racors for 19 years and never had any issues.

Had them on my previous boat for 15 years without damage.


Racor has sold thousands of the "T" handle gauges in the last 30 years and have improved it at least 3 times during the same period. The improvements were; adding a drag needle, pressure relief valve, and adding an actual "T" to the gauge mount. If there was an issue with the gauges being damaged easily, Racor would have beefed up the gauge.

I worked for a boat charter/time share company in the 90's that had around 180 boats in the fleet. All the boats were required to have fuel vacuum gauges on the fuel system. About 90% of the boats had the "T" handle gauges. I don't recall a single gauge damaged out of the hundreds of incidents reported by lessees.

I've sold/installed close to 75 "T" handle gauges in the last 20 years to clients. I'm in contact with most of my clients and I have not had any complaints about the fragility of the gauges. I did have complaints about the second generation gauges which when they got warm in the engine compartment, the dampening oil oozed out of the relief valve at the top of the gauge. Racor promptly replaced the gauges on warranty after switching to a different source.

If these gauges are so easily damaged, why is Racor selling so many and why are owners of the older "T" gauges upgrading to the new version with handles at a cost of $60.

There are threads discussing the "T" handle gauges but none regarding actual accidental damage.

As psneeld likes to remind us, stop disseminating unsubstantiated false claims.

 

[Trawler_traveler]

...my vacuum gauge reading is taken from a tee in the fuel line after both Racors and before the engine-mounted fuel filter, and the gauge is at the helm via a translucent hard plastic line like you use for an ice maker water line. ...

But that hard plastic isn't fuel or fire-safe, is it ? We have the same setup but our line is copper, just like most of the fuel lines.

Brings up another question: Will the line leading up to a helm mounted gauge be full of air or fuel ? If it is fuel, where did the air go (I assume it had air in it when installed) ?


-Sven