Toilet paper for a fuel filter?

[Vandeusen]

So I am working on replacing and cleaning all the fuel filters fuel separators etc there is a fuel filter canister from Gold Coast and it is a Jr part number which I absolutely can't find at all I went ahead and took the filter out and I'm kind of confused / shocked because it looked like it's a roll of toilet paper that's all nasty and dirty and corroded from the bad fuel for however long it sat there

Has anyone heard of such a thing?

 

[SteveK]

Yes heard of it, never seen one. Was it single or two ply?

 

[Dwk]

Gulf Coast fuel filters can use rolls of paper towels. Are you certain it is a GOLD COAST filter?

 

[OldDan1943]

I am told, some folks use them. I am not one of them. As I understand, it is only for paper towel. I have no idea which brand, 1 or 2 ply, with prints or without prints.
Toilet paper will dissolves even if it for home use.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/gulf-coast-filter-paper-towel-elements.201814/

https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php?threads/paper-towel-oil-filter.18118/

 

[Vandeusen]

Yes it looks almost new.. was just shocked to see it in there.,

 

[utclmjmper]

Those filter systems have been in use for over 60 years that I know of..>>>Dan

 

[Comodave]

Gulf Coast also made a small filter that took a roll of toilet paper instead of paper towel. Look on their website.

 

[OldDan1943]

Those filter systems have been in use for over 60 years that I know of..>>>Dan

I do remember reading about them at least 15 yrs ago but, personally I did not have great faith in them. I could be wrong.... If I am then I am sorry.

 

[Vandeusen]

Yes mine is actually perfect toilet paper size since I couldn't figure out how to get it filter I just said screw it and went ahead and put a roll of toilet paper in there replaced all the other filters with filters and pressurized the system and the fuel flowed through the system with no problem. When I take her out Wednesday for a day out I'll stay close to the marina LOL but I'll know then..

 

[rgano]

I bought a Gulf Coast JR filter I used in my fuel polishing system in my trawler, and it was designed to use toilet paper as a filter medium. There are a couple of different orifice sizes for the output depending on wheter it is to be used for diesel or lube oil. The cheap, coarse paper is the best medium.

 

[KnotYet]

On my last boat I bought a Gold Coast Jr. to polish the fuel from one tank that
was pretty fouled. They recommended Scott toilet paper so that's what I used.
The fuel came out very clean and burned with no problems.
Simple and inexpensive; I would recommend it for routine fuel polishing.

 

[rgano]

On my last boat I bought a Gold Coast Jr. to polish the fuel from one tank that
was pretty fouled. They recommended Scott toilet paper so that's what I used.
The fuel came out very clean and burned with no problems.
Simple and inexpensive; I would recommend it for routine fuel polishing.

The old Captain Wil fuel polishing notes stated that tests of the toilet paper roll filter showed filtration to .047 microns which is somewhere in the middle of the particle size of exhaust soot or "carbon black."

 

[OldDan1943]

Did you use marine toilet paper?

 

[Vandeusen]

I didn't use marine I used Scotts

 

[MOJO]

Gulf Coast filters, both the JR that uses a toilet paper roll and the original model that used a roll of Bounty paper towels are excellent filter devices. I used the paper towel version for over 20 years, with maybe an annual (preventative) change in the paper towel roll. We carried 1,500 gallons and filled up maybe every other year. I had a system where I could recirculate each tank through the filter and return to the same (or a different tank for transfer). Once a year I'd recirculate each of the 4 tanks for 24 hour. Fuel was always clean and pink. Can't say enough good thinks for the Gulf Coast Filter. If you have the height, go with the original paper towel one (you need at least 2' above the top of the filter, higher is better when changing the roll of paper towels). If you don't have the height, the GC JR will work fine, you may just have to change the roll of toilet paper a little more frequently depending on how dirty your fuel is, but changing is easy with either one.

 

[Circumnavigator]

For a gasoline engine, maybe.


For a diesel engine costing tens of thousands of dollars, with very fine nozzles, I can't imagine using anything but a filter specifically designed to filter diesel fuel. Toilet paper is designed to dissolve in water -- if you have water in your fuel, who knows what will end up in your injectors?


Jim

 

[Vandeusen]

Put the toilet paper roll in took it on a 53 mile journey and it ran just fine

 

[jleonard]

I guess it would remove all the $hit from the fuel.
Hey no one else said it.

 

[Vandeusen]

��

 

[Vandeusen]

Lol

 

[Max1]

If I were to use paper filters, I would use paper towel rolls cut to size, but I would never use toilet paper rolls. Have you ever tried wiping anything with toilet paper? There is way too much dust and particles left behind. Thinking that could be in my fuel system makes me cringe.

 

[OldDan1943]

Gulf Coast filters, both the JR that uses a toilet paper roll and the original model that used a roll of Bounty paper towels are excellent filter devices. I used the paper towel version for over 20 years, with maybe an annual (preventative) change in the paper towel roll. We carried 1,500 gallons and filled up maybe every other year. I had a system where I could recirculate each tank through the filter and return to the same (or a different tank for transfer). Once a year I'd recirculate each of the 4 tanks for 24 hour. Fuel was always clean and pink. Can't say enough good thinks for the Gulf Coast Filter. If you have the height, go with the original paper towel one (you need at least 2' above the top of the filter, higher is better when changing the roll of paper towels). If you don't have the height, the GC JR will work fine, you may just have to change the roll of toilet paper a little more frequently depending on how dirty your fuel is, but changing is easy with either one.

I dont think you want to use marine toilet paper. It dissolves too easily.

 

[BobMc]

Captn Wil Andrews

The old Captain Wil fuel polishing notes stated that tests of the toilet paper roll filter showed filtration to .047 microns which is somewhere in the middle of the particle size of exhaust soot or "carbon black."

Most on this list have probably never heard of Captn Will Andrews. He was very active on the Trawlers & Trawlering list for a number of years back in the early 2000s. Ran a whole series of test on the paper towel and toilet paper roll filters, as well as the best anchors for Chesapeake Bay mud! Long story short, based on his research, the entire North Carolina ferry system converted to the paper towel/toilet paper filtration system
for their diesel oil and fuel polishing and never had a problem.

 

[BruceK]

I removed the toilet paper from the "bathroom" at home and provided a Racor filter instead. I`m getting complaints, sore bottoms, things like that. In the laundry, undergarments seem unusually soiled. What do TFers suggest?

 

[Simi 60]

Why would you do it?
Proper filters are cheap and readily available whereas in Oz at the moment, TP shelves are empty with panic buying and staff shortages (re stockers)

 

[Comodave]

I removed the toilet paper from the "bathroom" at home and provided a Racor filter instead. I`m getting complaints, sore bottoms, things like that. In the laundry, undergarments seem unusually soiled. What do TFers suggest?

But did you give everyone the proper instructions on using the Racors?

 

[BruceK]

But did you give everyone the proper instructions on using the Racors?

Oddly, the Racor didn`t come with instructions for bottom cleaning in the 'bathroom". So no ,I didn`t.
Worse still, the toilet paper we buy at the stores(when in stock) for the engine oil filters has no instructions for fuel filtering. Outrageous! But then, it doesn`t even provide instructions for cleaning bottoms!

 

[FF]

Almost any method of secondary bypass filtering will remove the "fines" from fuel or oil better than the stock filter. It is great on engines that operate for hours on end.

Weather this will extend engine life is still a question.

The centrifugal systems seem to do the best job of grabbing the tiny particles , but some are messy to clean compared with just tossing a roll of TP or paper towels.

 

[ranger58sb]

Most on this list have probably never heard of Captn Will Andrews. He was very active on the Trawlers & Trawlering list for a number of years back in the early 2000s. Ran a whole series of test on the paper towel and toilet paper roll filters, as well as the best anchors for Chesapeake Bay mud!

I remember Cap'n Wil's anchor tests, and we switched to SuperMAX because of that.

Not sure I can fit the right size SuperMAX to this new-to-us boat yet; still pondering options.

Don't mean to derail this thread, though, so no further anchor talk required right here.

-Chris

 

[sunchaser]

Why would you do it?
Proper filters are cheap and readily available whereas in Oz at the moment, TP shelves are empty with panic buying and staff shortages (re stockers)

Yeah, this past year I spent more on TP than fuel filters. But unlike Bruce, I've not tried any reverse engineering. Butt, at my age thrills are important.