Topping off Racors Low-Clearance

Hi All:

Question... what do you use to back fill the Racor filter housing when changing filters?

Not much clearance above the Racors on Satori...

Where do you tap in to get the fuel?

(Yes, I did try the search feature)

Get a Walbro primer pump or even use the squeeze bulb kit SBmarine sells.

Squeeze Bulb Priming Kit - Seaboard Marine

Just use a polyethylene drink cup to top up.

And how do you get the filter elements out? Maybe there is just enough room??

I close both the supply side and feed side valves on either side of the filter casing before changing filter. Then drain a bit of fuel from off bottom of casing. Remove filter. Then put in new filter. Then open those valves with the filter casing top on but not tightened down. Wait for fuel to rise in the casing then tighten the top. Works for me. YEMY. Not sure I really need to close feed side valves, but I do it.

Turkey baster might work in your case as well.

Greetings,
Mr. CLA. All good suggestions thus far but is there any chance you can relocate the filters? All well and good to use a drink cup or a turkey baster while at the dock but what about in a rough seaway to both change the elements AND top up?

Take a look at the link below and then figure out how to adapt it to your setup. Just an idea.


Squeeze Bulb Priming Kit - Seaboard Marine

Squeeze bottle will do it and easy to control

I do similar to dwhatty but have a selector on my racor manifold that you don't have and I can see your issue in the confined space. I did ( as Per C lectric comments) plumb in a squeeze bulb last summer (with multi-step filtration system). It works fine for purging all the downstream filters including the racors. I "tapped in" my squeeze bulb between my racors and the feed from my tank. I find that purging the racors with the lid on and the T-handle off until all air was purged allowed the inevitable diesel overflow to accumulate on the lid cavity with less spill to clean up. Obviously space is an issue. Sorry too wordy!

I would also suggest relocating the racor's. Mine are located low enough that after putting in the new filters I leave the T handle off and slowly open the supply side valve. Gravity works every time, when the racor is full of fuel I just have to shut off supply valve and put in T handle. Could not be easier.

The first thing is that your filters are for automotive or truck use. The metal cups mounted under the plastic bulbs are not installed. Plus you do not have the drains located on the bottom to make it easy and cleaner to drain both water and dirt from unit. Can you move the unit to a better location? Some insurance companies will give you grieve about using automotive filters on a vessel. Bad installation.

Ron T said:

The first thing is that your filters are for automotive or truck use. The metal cups mounted under the plastic bulbs are not installed. Plus you do not have the drains located on the bottom to make it easy and cleaner to drain both water and dirt from unit. Can you move the unit to a better location? Some insurance companies will give you grieve about using automotive filters on a vessel. Bad installation.

Click to expand...

The drains are there and there is no need for the metal shields.

Other than the clearance there is nothing different about that installation then the hundreds or more just like it.

CarlinLA said:

Hi All:

Question... what do you use to back fill the Racor filter housing when changing filters?

Not much clearance above the Racors on Satori...

Where do you tap in to get the fuel?

(Yes, I did try the search feature)

Click to expand...

As mentioned, do they fill from the weight of the fuel in the tank/s if you open the lid and open the incoming fuel valve?

If so, there's your answer.

Is that silver hose above the Racors just the hose for the engine room exhaust vent?


Why not relocate it to provide more clearance above the Racors?

If you go to the Racor web site you will see they sell a brass replacement drain for the bottom to replace the cheap plastic unit. They leak with age and use. That why they sell the better brass on/off unit. With out the metal bowls she will not pass insurance inspection. If a vessel manufacturer installed that cheap unit in that space, I would question the rest of the engineering on the vessel and further inspect for more blunders.

Fuel may not gravity or siphon flow of fuel level is low

Google "lab wash bottle"

Ski in NC said:

Just use a polyethylene drink cup to top up.
?

Click to expand...

Exactly what I do!!

On some boats, like my Hatteras, the tanks are below the filters.
Another good use for the priming pumps is when changing the secondary filter and/or bleeding the system. Very handy; I was thankful to the PO who had installed them.

I too would relocated the filters, but I note there's very little total clearance between the diamond-plate and the overhead. The aqualift next to the diamond plate shows that there's a few more inches to the bilge but I'll bet there isn't another bulkhead location that will work. If you can pop the flex duct and there's room to remove the filters, then probably best off to leave them.

But I doubt they will fill via gravity, so a pump will be in order. As noted, not just for pushing fuel into the filters but (with appropriate fuel plumbing) for transferring between tanks and for polishing.

And...I think these are probably the wrong filters anyway - they look like 1000 series, and I have to believe that the 500 series would be appropriate for the fuel flow for the engine(s) that would fit in this space.

Post #3 & 4, in conjunction with the priming pump.(that little switch by the pump is for local manual use)

Filters will not fill by gravity alone.

they should be good for 2 years.

Delta_JimS said:

Filters will not fill by gravity alones.

Click to expand...

They will if the fuel level is above the top of the filter...

Ron T said:

If you go to the Racor web site you will see they sell a brass replacement drain for the bottom to replace the cheap plastic unit. They leak with age and use. That why they sell the better brass on/off unit. With out the metal bowls she will not pass insurance inspection. If a vessel manufacturer installed that cheap unit in that space, I would question the rest of the engineering on the vessel and further inspect for more blunders.

Click to expand...

Well YMMV but the plastic drains aren't cheap and they last for decades from my experience. If they leak, the cause is most often from over tightening. And changing the seal fixes that.

The reason they sell the metal valve really has little or nothing to do with the plastic unit.

Hundreds of recreational boats pass survey and are insured with out the stupid metal bowls. If fact the vast majority of boats I've run and been on up to and over 140' didn't have the metal bowls, passed survey and were/are insured.

But again, YMMV.

Delta_JimS said:

Filters will not fill by gravity alone.

Click to expand...

Fortunately, diesel fuel (and gasoline), nor most filters, seem to know that.

Or they are purposely ignoring it.

CarlinLA said:

Hi All:

Question... what do you use to back fill the Racor filter housing when changing filters?

Click to expand...

Since installing the new Vetus engine & filter setup, I just turn on the key and the electric fuel pump primes a new set of filters and bleeds the lines in about 20 seconds.

I installed two three way valves, one ahead of the filter and one on the outlet side. The one ahead of the filter allows me to pump in fuel with a squeeze bulb. The one past the filter isolates the rest of the fuel system when changing filters. One outlet goes to the engine and the other one allows me to drain fuel into a container while pumping in fuel with the squeeze bulb until the filter is full.

'Hundreds of recreational boats pass survey and are insured with out the stupid metal bowls. If fact the vast majority of boats I've run and been on up to and over 140' didn't have the metal bowls, passed survey and were/are insured.'

THIS IS MORE OF A COMMENT ON THE KNOWLEDGE BASE Of SURVEYORS !

ABYC standards for inboard fuel filter installations for gasoline or diesel engines require that filters installed within the engine space must be able to pass a two and one-half minute heat test as defined by ANSI/UL 1105.

Lots of marine insurance companies use abyc standards.

Spin on fuel filters work well in tight places. If you were to consider relocating the Racors, spin ons in existing location may be an option.

If you go to www.sbmar web site Tony has a big section on spin on filters and his view on Racor type units. He has a great web site with tons of info. Worth your time to peruse it. When you are hired by an insurance company to go out and inspect a damage vessel, they always say, Find something wrong. Devalue, delay, decline. Many vessels live their whole lives without a problem with installations that ABYC would not pass, but when the insurance claim Goes in, you will loose.

FF said:

'Hundreds of recreational boats pass survey and are insured with out the stupid metal bowls. If fact the vast majority of boats I've run and been on up to and over 140' didn't have the metal bowls, passed survey and were/are insured.'

THIS IS MORE OF A COMMENT ON THE KNOWLEDGE BASE Of SURVEYORS !

Click to expand...

Exactly! They understand that if flames have had time to come up around the bowls of your fuel filters you should be long off the boat and waiting for the professionals to take care of the remains.