Racor drain plug

I have a Racor 75900MAX primary fuel filter system in the ER. It has performed great but it is a real pain to drain some fuel out of the bottom to check it. It has a metal screw-in plug that has to be completely removed to get any fuel to come at. Then it really FLOWS and you have to screw the plug back in to stem the tide. (Of course it is where you can't actually see it at the time, only do it by feel).

On past Racors I've had, there was always a plastic screw plug with a slot which allowed you to loosen the plug, get the fuel to flow through the slot to take a sample, and then tighten it again. No mess, no fuss.

So, anyone know if I can buy the same type of thing for these filters? I have a metal bowl shield, I think because of the filter placement location in the ER, so maybe that is also why it has a metal plug? Are there metal drain plugs that work the same as the plastic ones?

Finally, I am looking for suggestions on what to do with the fuel sample that I drain out. It is always clean and dry but...
How do you store the sample? What kind of container, where in the boat, how long do you keep it before disposing of it?

I had good luck with these 1/4 turn valves on my last Racors....

https://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=6451

I don't see any point in storing a fuel sample from a fuel filter. You should be able to dispose of it anywhere you dispose of used motor oil.

dhays said:

..., I am looking for suggestions on what to do with the fuel sample that I drain out. It is always clean and dry but...
How do you store the sample? What kind of container, where in the boat, how long do you keep it before disposing of it?

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We keep an old but in good condition, 6 gallon red jerry jug in the engine room. I use that. Our engine holds ~14 quarts of oil, the running gear 2.5 quarts and the generator ~3 quarts. That gives us enough storage for a complete liquid change plus all the liquids from the fuel/oil filters and misc lubricants. No gasoline or paint solvants though. When we get somewhere that has good waste oil dump, we empty it even if there is only a couple of quarts.

Dave, I installed 1/4" ball valves on the bowls of all of our Racors. It makes it very easy to drain any amount. I installed caps on the discharge side of the valve nipple for safety. Let me know if you want a picture.

WesK said:

I don't see any point in storing a fuel sample from a fuel filter. You should be able to dispose of it anywhere you dispose of used motor oil.

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Yup, I change oil once a year. At the marinas around here, very few have used oil containers. That means that I have to haul my used oil to the auto parts store where I buy my oil. I could do that with the fuel sample, but I would like to check the fuel more often than I want to make a trip to the auto parts store. If I could store the samples in a convenient and safe way, then I could dispose of it less frequently which would be more convenient.

dhays said:

.......... If I could store the samples in a convenient and safe way, then I could dispose of it less frequently which would be more convenient.

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A used oil jug (one gallon) would work. So would a one gallon fuel jug.

smitty477 said:

I had good luck with these 1/4 turn valves on my last Racors....

https://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=6451

Click to expand...

kpoling said:

Dave, I installed 1/4" ball valves on the bowls of all of our Racors. It makes it very easy to drain any amount. I installed caps on the discharge side of the valve nipple for safety. Let me know if you want a picture.

Click to expand...

Good ideas there. I will need to check to see what the thread size is on the bottom of the Racor bowls.

I would love to see a photo if it is convenient for you.

Dave
I don't have a pic but I added a petcock to the bottom of my Racor as well as a hose barb and short length of hose.
Makes draining the racor easy-peezey.
I've done a drain while underway with admiral at the helm I was able to go below, check for water and do a drain while maintaining a low speed... really helped when I got some water in my tank. Makes filter changes easy as well.
I got my petcock at NAPA - I think the plug is 1/8" NPT worth a check to confirm - I'm guessing the racor site might have the info??

dhays said:

On past Racors I've had, there was always a plastic screw plug with a slot which allowed you to loosen the plug, get the fuel to flow through the slot to take a sample, and then tighten it again. No mess, no fuss.

So, anyone know if I can buy the same type of thing for these filters? I have a metal bowl shield, I think because of the filter placement location in the ER, so maybe that is also why it has a metal plug? Are there metal drain plugs that work the same as the plastic ones?

Click to expand...

Search the Parker-Racor site for brass shut-off valve part number RK 19492. Same as what Smitty posted...

-Chris

Larry M said:

We keep an old but in good condition, 6 gallon red jerry jug in the engine room. I use that. Our engine holds ~14 quarts of oil, the running gear 2.5 quarts and the generator ~3 quarts. That gives us enough storage for a complete liquid change plus all the liquids from the fuel/oil filters and misc lubricants. No gasoline or paint solvants though. When we get somewhere that has good waste oil dump, we empty it even if there is only a couple of quarts.

Click to expand...

Excellent idea. Unfortunately, I don't really have the space for a 6 gallon jug. When I change the oil I have everything I need in a plastic tub with a lid, that includes 2 x 3 gal jugs for the waste oil. Maybe what I can do is get a very small plastic gas can and label is clearly.

Then for the sample itself, I was thinking of a small glass jar with a lid that will fit inside another plastic container with a lid. I hate having the boat smell like diesel so I am pretty careful about spills and sealing away smells.

Bacchus said:

Dave
I don't have a pic but I added a petcock to the bottom of my Racor as well as a hose barb and short length of hose.
Makes draining the racor easy-peezey.
I've done a drain while underway with admiral at the helm I was able to go below, check for water and do a drain while maintaining a low speed... really helped when I got some water in my tank. Makes filter changes easy as well.
I got my petcock at NAPA - I think the plug is 1/8" NPT worth a check to confirm - I'm guessing the racor site might have the info??

Click to expand...

ranger42c said:

Search the Parker-Racor site for brass shut-off valve part number RK 19492. Same as what Smitty posted...

-Chris

Click to expand...

Great minds and all that.

I will check the Racor site and see what I can find. You guys are AWESOME!

Edit: Using the information that you gave me, I was able to confirm that is the part I need. I ordered a couple of them for about $67.00. This will make checking those filters much easier which means I will do it more often. Thanks again.

My Racors have the retained type drain plug,being plastic, I carry a spare bowl.
As to disposal of drainage, I keep a 2L plastic bottle(recycled from its original purpose) in the ER. I drain into a paper cup, pour that into the bottle. I like checking the bottle to see what the filters caught, very little if any water these days. Empty the bottle when full, that can take weeks/months.

I keep a 2gallon fuel jug in the engine room for filling the racors when I change filters. If the fuel is drained out of the bottom of the filter and is clean/waterless, then I would put it back in the jug.

Hi Dave, Here are a couple of pictures of the setup I installed. I bought the fittings from Pacific Hose & Fittings, a hose shop near our moorage here in PDX.

How about using those petcock drains. Come in 1/4 or 1/8 NPT.

Some have ear handles, some don't.
Powermate 1/4 in. NPT Tank Drain Valve-072-0006RP - The Home Depot

With a permanently installed drain wiith a valve shutoff you are supposed to have a cap on the drain in case of a leak. The Racor shutoff valve comes with the cap.

Just bought the shut-off valve here for $32.50, free shipping...

dvd said:

Just bought the shut-off valve here for $32.50, free shipping...

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Yup, I got one from there as well after buying another for $34.00 elsewhere. I am still waiting for them to arrive. Should be shortly.

dhays said:

Good ideas there. I will need to check to see what the thread size is on the bottom of the Racor bowls.

Click to expand...

I put a couple of ball valves on a previous boat and remember the threads being a little strange. Someone called them "O" ring threads. I can't remember the size. I would not mind having a couple of more if someone figures this out.

seasalt007 said:

I put a couple of ball valves on a previous boat and remember the threads being a little strange. Someone called them "O" ring threads. I can't remember the size. I would not mind having a couple of more if someone figures this out.

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For the Racor filters, it is 1/4" NPT threads.

I just received the first of two Racor shut off valves. Part #RK 19492. I will put it on one of the filters tomorrow.

Question: The instructions say to use a thread sealant. What type of sealant should be used on diesel fittings? I have some Rectorseal Blue. Any problem using that?

For sealing threads on fuel oil-
This:

Use this on refrigerant, fuel oil, gas- great stuff, and it's easy to keep a tube of it handy in your tool bag or tool box. It works better if the surface is clean, particularly if you're dealing with fuel oil. A shot of brake cleaner works. It seals better than other dopes, even Rectorseal #2. Like Rectorseal, it's alcohol-based, so normal hand cleaner won't take it off your hands, for that you'll need a bit of denatured alcohol.

Permatex #2? That's what the guys at the marine supply store sold me for use on diesel fittings. The label on the product says OK for oil fittings, although it doesn't mention actual diesel fuel...

OK, I installed one of the drain kits today (I only have received one so far). I didn't do enough research ahead of time so was surprised to find an O ring on the bottom of the metal shield.

The 1/4" NPT plug is screwed into a larger plug that screws through the metal shield into the bottom of the filter bowl. There is an O ring to seal this to the bowl. I didn't have one so reused the existing one. It didn't look all that good but.... I need to find a replacement O ring before I install the kit on the other filter.

After I got the larger drain plug removed, I could see that there was a fair amount of crud in the bottom of the bowl. There was also an old T-handle O-ring that had fallen into the filter. The crud was hard to reach but I recalled someone mentioning to flush the filter with some fuel. Doing that flushed the crud out of the larger plug hole leaving the bowl nice and clean.

I will make sure I clean out the bowl of the other filter. Amazing how much crud accumulated over the 6 years of use.

BTW, in case anyone else runs into this... the old Racor 10 micron filters had a blue top. Apparently Racor has changed the design. Instead of the Blue Topped 2040TN they have a black capped filter with blue writing 2040N-10. The little grab handles on the new filter are a bit better I think than the 2040TM.

Here is a link to a parts diagram(at the bottom of the page)

Catalog: Diesel Fuel Purification: Turbine Series: 500MA and 500MAM:

I pour my samples back in the tank...

Steve said:

Here is a link to a parts diagram(at the bottom of the page)

Catalog: Diesel Fuel Purification: Turbine Series: 500MA and 500MAM:

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Thanks Steve. I found the part number for the gasket kit. RAC-RK11341.