metal bowl under Racor filter

psneeld said:

I know that based on all the engine room fires I have seen on small GRP vessels...unless the fuel filter is on the engine itself...the last thing that I'm worried about is whether my Racor has a heat shield around it.... unless by majic the fire started right under the Racor.

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Exactly right !!! and on my last boat I was dinked by the surveyor at time of sale for not having the shields on the Racors that were more than ten feet from the engines.

I think you may be right Rick and if I recall, on the 76 Nordy. The lazerette houses the banks, inverters etc.

gwkiwi said:

Exactly right !!! and on my last boat I was dinked by the surveyor at time of sale for not having the shields on the Racors that were more than ten feet from the engines.

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There aren't many in the boating business with a breadth or expertise's....and it shows...

It's easy to profess the merits and follow published guidelines by the USCG/ABYC ...but after running hundreds of vessels over tens of thousands of miles, many of them marginally kept commercial boats under horrific conditions, reviewing thousands of Search and Rescue cases as to what ACTUALLY cause the distress and attending several world renown aviation accident investigation schools...you get a decent appreciation of what's REALLY important and what's not.

jukesy said:

I think you may be right Rick and if I recall, on the 76 Nordy. The lazerette houses the banks, inverters etc.

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You may be correct. The plethora of batteries and double inverters are common on the smaller Nordhavns, but the 76 is all electric with normally two gensets. The ER is auto fire extinguishing, the laz I'm not sure on the 76. The laz does house the diesel heat most likely.

2.5 minutes is all it takes to get everyone off...

Thanks, all.



Now I know why, but then why not on fuel filters on the engine?

Xsbank said:

2.5 minutes is all it takes to get everyone off...

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After the discovery phase, the denial phase, the panic phase , and the decision phase there usually isn't much boat left to get off of.

2.5 minutes is all it takes to get everyone off...

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And with the cheapo non Fire Retarding resin used on most boats , Abandon Ship is the only option to fire!

psneeld said:

There aren't many in the boating business with a breadth or expertise's....and it shows...

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The surveyor accrediting business is a parasite that bleeds owners while generally serving no one other than their membership, insurance companies, and banks.

Let them stick to checking serial numbers and inventorying fittings. In more and more cases they are totally incompetent and lacking what most industry professionals would define as a fundamental grounding in the art and science of marine maintenance and practice.

Looking at pictures of filters and systems I wonder if the yards of fuel hoses aren't just as vulnerable to the fire hazzard, and how would they fare in the 2.5 minute test?
Maybe I shouldn't wonder too much the gubmint could have us replacing them all with SS tubing?!

Steve said:

Looking at pictures of filters and systems I wonder if the yards of fuel hoses aren't just as vulnerable to the fire hazzard, and how would they fare in the 2.5 minute test?
Maybe I shouldn't wonder too much the gubmint could have us replacing them all with SS tubing?!

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FEDERAL LAW
183.540 - Hoses: Standards and markings
(a) "USCG Type A1" hose means hose that meets the performance requirements of:
(b) "USCG Type A2" hose means hose that meets the performance requirements of SAE Standard J1527 DEC85, Class 2 and the fire test in Sec 183.590;
(c) "USCG Type B1" hose means hose that meets the performance requirements of SAE Standard J1527 DEC85, Class 1.
(d) "USCG Type B2" hose means hose that meets the performance requirements of SAE Standard J1527 DEC85 Class 2.
NOTE: SAE Class 1 hose has a permeation rating of 100 grams or less fuel loss per square meter of interior surface in 24 hours.
SAE Class 2 hose has a permeation rating of 300 grams or less fuel loss per square meter of interior surface in 24 hours.

There is a length limit of around 30 inches and I have seen CG inspectors catch that on an installation. Be careful what you hope for or wonder about ... there are surveyors reading this and who knows what havoc they might wreak with a little more knowledge.

Hi Steve,

I was looking through one of my manuals and found a description of the Racor which listed the metal bowl as a "Fire Deflector" required by safety regulations in marine use. Unfortunately on my Racors the bowl also prevents you from seeing the bottom of the clear plastic reservoir thereby making it difficult to assess the condition of your fuel. Engine failures due to bad fuel can also be a serious safety hazard.

Pete37

Pete37 said:

Hi Steve,
Unfortunately on my Racors the bowl also prevents you from seeing the bottom of the clear plastic reservoir thereby making it difficult to assess the condition of your fuel.

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How do those with spin ons see their fuel at all? I consider the "see the fuel" claims/advantage of Racors more decent advertising than a requirement.

When looking into the fuel bowl to see if there are contaminants, place a flashlight on the back side of the bowl so that you can see through rather than the light reflecting off the side you are looking into.

All I know is, if a fire breaks out on my boat, I am pulling the "T" handle and getting the hell outta there, regardless if I have a silly bowl or not under my filters!

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

All I know is, if a fire breaks out on my boat, I am pulling the "T" handle and getting the hell outta there, regardless if I have a silly bowl or not under my filters!

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best comment I have heard so far!

HOLLYWOOD

You could throw up the bowl if forced to visit the ER in a seaway.

I am bumping this thread. I just went through a survey for my insurance company. Shockingly the boat was tested with a moisture meter and electrically tested for voltage leaks, in other words this was the most thorough survey I have ever experienced.

Even though the boat is 1987 I am being held to some more modern standards by the surveyor. The two items that were called into question by the surveyor were heat shields on the Racors and GFI outlets.

Let’s not argue over weather this should or shouldn’t be required on a 1987 vessel. I want to meet the requirements to stay in the Insurance companies lowest premium tier.

With the heat shields, the surveyor said don’t go out and spend $100 for a raycor shield, just get some stainless steel bowls and hang them under the raycor.

Has anyone done this? Looking for a good DIY example.

I have never liked those installed bowls for a number of reasons, but that surveyor seems to be onto something. By drilling at least three equidistant small holes in the lip of a ss bowl, you could suspend it with ss wire in such a way that it would not be a hindrance when servicing/insoacting the filter's plastic bowl.

tiltrider1 said:

Has anyone done this? Looking for a good DIY example.

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I found these little SS buckets on Amazon for $4 each. The have both bales and hangers on one side, apparently to hook on to the inside of a cage (for feed/watering of dogs?) Work perfect and I later made catch points for the hooks so the buckets would completely cover the plastic bulb instead of partially (or hardly at all with the official Racor bowls).

The Racor bowls themselves aren't all that is required to meet the ABYC standards when installing the Racor setup. Because the drain valve hangs out the bottom of the bowl, you also need to upgrade the original plastic spigots that go through the bottom$ of the bowl$ with $pecial Racor bra$$ $pigot$. Or you can use $4 doggie buckets.

As a bonus, the doggie bucket catches any drips from the original Racor spigot. But wait, there's more. The doggie bowl is easily moved aside to see whether there is water/sludge in the bottom of the bowl. That's not all!! The doggie bucket can hold several cups of water/sludge should you need to open the spigot (or when changing filters).

Order now and get $450 in your pocket and a better system!!

I never wound up doing it, but I found a perfect sized stainless label at a restaurant supply store for like $15 bucks or so. Looked like OEM except stainless not aluminum.

I think you are supposed to have the metal drain plug too. If you do, one hole in a label bowl or regular bowl and screw it on.

Doggie Buckets? Haha, sometimes the trick to finding things is knowing what the right search word is. I searched doggie buckets and the perfect solution popped up.

Great DIY Marco, love it. Superior to raycor in every way. Glad you didn’t patent it or I would be paying $150 for the idea.

yachtbrokerguy said:

When looking into the fuel bowl to see if there are contaminants, place a flashlight on the back side of the bowl so that you can see through rather than the light reflecting off the side you are looking into.

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I mounted LED lights behind the bowls on our last boat and wired them into the engine room lighting. Made it simple t see if there was anything in the bowls.

My Racors are all but inaccessible in this 30-foot boat. Those well lighted or flashligghted bowls look nice, but would not translate here. No metal bowls or pails (best idea, I think) for me.