MA900 Racor - Should I Install Shutoff Valve?lve

[sammy999]

Going to change the filter on my Racor MA900 and found that I have the brass drain plug below the clear bowl. My question is should I buy and Install the twist shutoff valve to drain any visible water? Also, when changing the filter should I drain about a quarter inch of fuel as a matter of practice even though there is no evidence of water separation? Obviously I'm a novice at this. Thanks!!

 

[Comodave]

I like having the petcock drain valve on the bottom, makes it much easier to drain water if there is any. Keep in mind if you pur a petcock in it should have a cap on the output just in case the petcock gets opened by accident. I use the Racor brand, a bit more expensive but not that much. I also mount an LED light behind the bowl and you are able to see what is in the bowl easily.

 

[OldDan1943]

I recommend you have your system reworked a bit.
Duel Racor filters with a vacuum gauge and valving to switch filters.
Also, an alarm for 'water in fuel'.
While you are spending money, get a fuel polishing system. Reverso makes a nice 'clean' installation as is their oil change system.

 

[EngNate]

It seems the brass petcock valves always drip. I put 4 brand new Racor ones in and they all seeped, just like the old ones. I prefer the plastic ones because of that, they make a solid seal. Yes, drain a little before lifting the filter out, prevents sloshing over. You have to loosen the cap to let air in or it won't drain.

 

[STB]

Shortly after buying my boat, I upgraded my 900FA to the 900MA configuration (heat shields, etc), and installed the drain valves at the same time.

At the time, I was advised that, to meet USCG regs, the provided brass caps had to be installed when the valves weren't being used to drain from the filter. As a result, I don't know if the valves seep, as reported by EngNate, or not.

When I went to lookup the regulation I was quoted, 33 CFR 183.556(b), it seemed to apply by law only to gasoline engines.

But, much as seems to be the case for comodave, the wisdom of keeping the fuel in the fuel system, seems to apply to diesel, just the same, at least to me.

 

[Comodave]

I haven’t had any drip or seep on me.

 

[FF]

A small aircraft fuel drain petcock requires pushing it in to turn , and snaps back when secured.

Should be able to get them online.

Otherwise a small safety wire is needed to keep the valve handle in position.

House fuel tanks use fire petcocks where a fire will close the valve by melting a piece of the unit..

 

[jleonard]

I haven’t had any drip or seep on me.

Mine also never leaked.

 

[catalinajack]

An alternative to Racors. Takes five minutes to change a filter. Shut fuel supply valve, spin filter off, spin new filter on, open valve, open bleeder till air stops spitting (10 seconds), close bleeder, start engine. Open bottom drain once a month to check for water. Vacuum gauges for when to change filters.

 

[GoneDiving]

I also mount an LED light behind the bowl and you are able to see what is in the bowl easily.

That's why you are paid the big bucks. ?

Simple but great idea.

 

[Dougcole]

I recommend you have your system reworked a bit.
Duel Racor filters with a vacuum gauge and valving to switch filters.
Also, an alarm for 'water in fuel'.
While you are spending money, get a fuel polishing system. Reverso makes a nice 'clean' installation as is their oil change system.

Wow Dan, poor guy asked about a $40 petcock and you spent about $4k of his money. Lol.

 

[OldDan1943]

Wow Dan, poor guy asked about a $40 petcock and you spent about $4k of his money. Lol.

Not my money we are spending. I sound just like the govt. To be honest, I spent my own money on building such a system.
I still maintain a duel filter set up, vacuum gauge and water alarm on the main engine is a very good idea.

A worn out o'ring on a deck fill or a bad load of fuel, will encourage you go get a fuel polishing system.
Irma, managed to put some water into my fuel tanks. "Water in filter alarm", go drain the filter bowl into a bucket. Without that alarm.... we all know what can happen, dead in the water.

 

[jleonard]

An alternative to Racors. Takes five minutes to change a filter. Shut fuel supply valve, spin filter off, spin new filter on, open valve, open bleeder till air stops spitting (10 seconds), close bleeder, start engine. Open bottom drain once a month to check for water. Vacuum gauges for when to change filters.View attachment 118719

That's all the time it took me to change elements on my Racors. And I can look to see if there is water or yuck in the bowl.
Plus there was no need to bleed out air.

IF I had no filter unit I would have gone that way but since I already owned the Racors, I saw no advantage for me.

 

[Scottwb96]

Comodave - I like EVERYTHING in your post! Great ideas that I will be adding... Hmmm, guess that makes #973 on my list of 1,000 things to get done on the boat...

 

[OldDan1943]

DougCole, to answer Sammy999's question directly, yes, install the specially design petcock/valve.


What I suggest is an improvement or, if you wish, upgrade to a complete system.

 

[sammy999]

Thank you all that replied. I ordered the brass drain valve. Good idea to put a safety wire on it.

 

[sammy999]

Also, going to replace my deck fill O rings!

 

[Dougcole]

DougCole, to answer Sammy999's question directly, yes, install the specially design petcock/valve.


What I suggest is an improvement or, if you wish, upgrade to a complete system.

Yep.

 

[Fish53]

I installed Conbraco fuel ball valves on mine as well as my fuel manifold, they're fire rated, I have braided stainless hose with a cap on mine because there's little room under the filters and I make less mess. On the MA version Racor with the flame shield I wouldn't suggest plastic valves as it defeats the design of the filter.

 

[ronobrien]

I like the LED idea.

 

[Caballero II]

An alternative to Racors. Takes five minutes to change a filter. Shut fuel supply valve, spin filter off, spin new filter on, open valve, open bleeder till air stops spitting (10 seconds), close bleeder, start engine. Open bottom drain once a month to check for water. Vacuum gauges for when to change filters.View attachment 118719

What are these? I have Racors and have wondered about adding drainage valves. I like this idea. Please expand your thoughts.
'

 

[catalinajack]

What are these? I have Racors and have wondered about adding drainage valves. I like this idea. Please expand your thoughts.

'

What you see is a double filter head from sbmar.com, Tony Athens' Cummins-centric website. The first filter is a 20-micron mud/polishing filter followed by a 10-micron filter. Athens is an advocate of sequential filtering and is not enamored at all with Racor filtering systems.

 

[ofer]

What are these? I have Racors and have wondered about adding drainage valves. I like this idea. Please expand your thoughts.
'

are there Racors without drainage valves?

 

[ofer]

An alternative to Racors. Takes five minutes to change a filter. Shut fuel supply valve, spin filter off, spin new filter on, open valve, open bleeder till air stops spitting (10 seconds), close bleeder, start engine. Open bottom drain once a month to check for water. Vacuum gauges for when to change filters.View attachment 118719

I like a visual inspection Racors have. why do i need to do a monthly inspection for water by draining filters. your can have a water issue much faster then that or not.

 

[jleonard]

I like a visual inspection Racors have. why do i need to do a monthly inspection for water by draining filters. your can have a water issue much faster then that or not.

I like the visual also.
I only had water in a fuel system once. It was at spring launch when I had the old Mainship. The engine was running maybe 10 minutes max as I idled from the launch well to a slip. The bowl on the Racor 900 was almost full of water. Another few minutes of running and the engine parts would have been contaminated.
I drained the bowl of the water, then made up a rig to suck the water out of the one tank that was contaminated.
After that I got another tablespoon or so of water and that was it.
But if I didn't have a visual I never would have suspected water.

 

[Comodave]

I like the visual also.
I only had water in a fuel system once. It was at spring launch when I had the old Mainship. The engine was running maybe 10 minutes max as I idled from the launch well to a slip. The bowl on the Racor 900 was almost full of water. Another few minutes of running and the engine parts would have been contaminated.
I drained the bowl of the water, then made up a rig to suck the water out of the one tank that was contaminated.
After that I got another tablespoon or so of water and that was it.
But if I didn't have a visual I never would have suspected water.

That would be the time for a Water In Fuel (WIF) sensor. It will alarm before it gets full and give you time to drain it.