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Old 06-07-2021, 12:19 AM   #1
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"Sludge" in Racor

Doing some detective work on my buddy's CHB 34. The primary Racor filter has some visible "sludge" in an internal part of the housing inside the bowl. The bottom of the bowl is apparently clean. This looks like trouble brewing to me and I wonder if this is indicative of a particular issue with the fuel. We don't know the age of the fuel in the tanks or what additives may or may not have been added along the way. We do know the boat was probably lightly used over the past 5-10 years and probably only ran in calm lake water. Since my buddy took ownership it's only seen one freighter wake bow on and got rolling from a wake pretty good once at anchor. So it hasn't been operating in conditions that would really stir up the tanks. Motor is a single Lehman 120.

Question, is this a common sight to a particular fuel issue?
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Old 06-07-2021, 12:29 AM   #2
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Is that a fuel line rated rubber hose?
Have you removed the sludge what does it appear to be?
I just changed racor filters and wondered why as everything was clean. I do not think that is normal.
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Old 06-07-2021, 12:43 AM   #3
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Looks like it's doing its job to me.
I have something similar though not as bad
Paper filters are spotless
3 monthly samples from the crud sump show no contaminant
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Old 06-07-2021, 12:44 AM   #4
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Not sure about the hose but it's getting replaced soon with a new dual Racor setup. Have not opened up the filter to inspect said "sludge". I am not sure why it's hanging/resting up on that particular part of the filter and not dropping to the bottom of the bowl.
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Old 06-07-2021, 12:47 AM   #5
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Simi, good to hear you have seen something similar but still have clean filters.
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Old 06-07-2021, 01:04 AM   #6
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I use Biobar JF additive to keep sludge at bay

Quote:
Hum-bugs live in the water phase of a fuel tank and feed off of the fuel developing dark, slimy gel-like mats.

As these colonies of bacteria and fungi grow (potentially at a rate of doubling every 20 minutes), they can quickly clog fuel filters, plug injectors and lead to excessive sludge accumulation.
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Old 06-07-2021, 07:38 AM   #7
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Could be from the tank, could be from the hose, either way it has to come out. I have found that Racors do not backflush very well. You will need to remove the canister and clean it out. It's not a bad job.

What is that screw and locking washer at the bottom. The Racor did not come from the factory with that.
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Old 06-07-2021, 08:07 AM   #8
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I am guessing the bolt used to hold the metal heat shield.

Hard to tell what the sludge is, it usually falls to the bottom. If sludge but engine runs well...filter system is working and catching what has formed in the tank over the years. On a Lehman 120, the fuel flow is so slow the sludge doesn't get as swirled as Racors like.

Completely normal for the filter, not so much for what could be in your tanks.

Bio or helps but not sure how much it helps with asphaltines versus biologics.
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Old 06-07-2021, 08:40 AM   #9
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I've had that in the past. Just shut off the fuel flow, loosened the top, drained the fuel out the bottom, dropped the bottom half by removing the screws midway, removed the filter from the top, disassembled and cleaned everything, reassembled, put a new filter in refilled, refilled, put the top back on and tightened down, and turned the valve back on. I didn't need to replace the middle gasket, just those that came with the filter.

Took less than an hour.

It didn't seem to be causing a problem in my case, either, but figured why wait for one?
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Old 06-07-2021, 09:45 AM   #10
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I had similar sludge when I got my boat, the original fuel was still in the tank after sitting for almost ten years. I pumped out the fuel into drums, and put new fuel in. The agitation of running in seas broke everything loose and it went into the fuel filter as sludge. It has never happened again, so my guess is it formed on the sides of the tank and was broken loose by agitation.

The good news is that the current sludge in the bowl isn't in the tanks anymore, the question is how much more sludge is there in the tanks? I would run the boat in seas to agitate it, and see what else breaks loose, with maybe a half a tank of fuel so there is room for it to slosh around. Take extra fuel filters just in case you restrict the flow too much.
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Old 06-07-2021, 09:49 AM   #11
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Our boat sat for a few years as well before we bought it. Think I emptied our Racor four times before things started running clear and the first two times had a lot of crap in there.
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Old 06-07-2021, 10:30 AM   #12
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The metal heat shield is held on by the drain bolt on the bottom. Never seen a screw like that in a Racor before. They come with a plugged hole for a WIF sensor but the plugs look nothing like this screw. I think I would get a new bowl and replace that bowl.
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Old 06-07-2021, 10:56 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RedRascal View Post
Not sure about the hose but it's getting replaced soon with a new dual Racor setup. Have not opened up the filter to inspect said "sludge". I am not sure why it's hanging/resting up on that particular part of the filter and not dropping to the bottom of the bowl.
Hi RedRascal. The "sludge" is likely asphaltenes, common in almost everyone's diesel fuel tanks, to some degree or another. That the asphaltene remains trapped in the rotor portion of the Racor could mean either poor maintenance of the Racor, high asphaltene content of the fuel, a filter oversized for fuel flow on a Lehman 120, or ???.

Easy fix is to simply rebuild the Racor. Can be done in place (and yes, it's a bit of a mess), or the filter assembly reefed out of the boat, and the rebuild done on the workbench. Racor sells all the parts needed, for a reasonable cost. And then periodic inspection and maintenance as required, of course.

And while the dual Racor unit is a nice upgrade, it is (IMHO) overkill (and expensive) for many of us. A vacuum gauge upgrade to the existing assembly, as part of the rebuild, would be my suggestion. And yes, making sure ALL fuel lines are USCG-approved is a REALLY good idea.

Regards,

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Old 06-07-2021, 12:19 PM   #14
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Don't buy Racors with too high a fuel flow rating. The turbine effect doesn't work with low flows in a high flow housing. The blades are there to spin the fuel that aid in separating water and debris from the fuel. At low flow rates, it's just a gravity filter and that's why the sludge settled on the blades.
The right fuel additive will dissolve sludge over time, kill organisms, and allow the filter to catch the in solution debris. A good additive will also help separate out water. Water, and the organisms in it cause sludge (along with buying dirty fuel).
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Old 06-07-2021, 01:02 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete Meisinger View Post
What is that screw and locking washer at the bottom. The Racor did not come from the factory with that.
pete
Yes, it comes with a drain, so water can be let out. Some, as this one, have an aluminum drain, some have black plastic.

The sludge is to let you know it is doing its job and it may be time to change the filter element and clean the bowl. Quite common, nothing alarming.
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Old 06-08-2021, 12:08 AM   #16
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Great info, thanks. My concern is getting out on a trip with my buddy in choppy seas and clogging the filter. It seems like a few of you have been in a similar situation of not knowing the condition of the tanks and making it without clogging a filter. We're going on an outing in a couple weeks so we'll see how goes. If it's calm I know well be fine but if it's choppy we may be doing an unplanned filter change. I believe he's swapping in the dual racor and hoses the first part of July so the days are numbered for the current setup. I will pass on the feedback of the filter GPH being matched to the engine for the racor to perform optimally.
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Old 06-08-2021, 12:22 AM   #17
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I doubt that any engine in a CHB will flow enough fuel to make the turbine effect work well. But Racors still seem to work just fine with low flow anyway. If he has a Detroit engine then it may flow enough, but Lehmans or Perkins don’t return much fuel so the flow is generally much less. I have Lehmans and my Racors work just fine.
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Old 06-08-2021, 06:38 AM   #18
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Now is a good time to do a racor filter change and fuel system air bleed. It's something every diesel trawler owner needs to do. The sooner the better since the filter condition is still unknown.
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Old 06-11-2021, 01:02 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RedRascal View Post
Doing some detective work on my buddy's CHB 34. The primary Racor filter has some visible "sludge" in an internal part of the housing inside the bowl. The bottom of the bowl is apparently clean. This looks like trouble brewing to me and I wonder if this is indicative of a particular issue with the fuel. We don't know the age of the fuel in the tanks or what additives may or may not have been added along the way. We do know the boat was probably lightly used over the past 5-10 years and probably only ran in calm lake water. Since my buddy took ownership it's only seen one freighter wake bow on and got rolling from a wake pretty good once at anchor. So it hasn't been operating in conditions that would really stir up the tanks. Motor is a single Lehman 120.

Question, is this a common sight to a particular fuel issue?
Diesel fuel has minute parts of heavy distillate ends (basically asphalt) in it. Over extended periods of time it can accumulate. I have seen it twice in my life. Once I had to remove the Racor housing and disassemble it on a bench to remove the filter cartridge.
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Old 06-11-2021, 02:27 PM   #20
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Change all the filters. You cannot see inside them. Remove and clean out the bowls too.
Also I suggest installing a fuel polishing system on board the boat.
10+ years ago, no one objected (in the condos) if the bladders were unrolled, used during dock side fuel polishers. These days, I'm not sure if walking and sneezing is permitted outside the boat. I suspect the current condos don't fully understand the need to run the main engines and generator every now and then. I have heard complaints that ran from diesel smell to "your boat is block my view of the water." I bought my 75ft slip in a particular place so I didn't block any condo views. Now I have both a 75ft slip and a 55 ft slip. I still dont block any views from the condos.
Someone needs to 'splain to the condo owners, this is a marina and marinas have boat and sometimes boats to smell when first started.
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