SIMPLE FUEL SOLUTIONS

The Rest of the Story

I finally got off business trips long enough to devote the time to installing the "ACME FUEL POLISHING SYSTEM". There are a few modifications to the fuel pick-up system and the valves from my original description, the latter can be seen on the installation photo.

The fuel pick-up I modified by cutting off the copper pick up tube and adding a short piece of flexible fuel line. This when slipped over the flared end was secured with a strong wire tie, although I was not able to pull the fuel line off after it was over the flare and pushed on about two inches, I did it as a fail safe. The flexible fuel line was trimmed to length just slightly short of the bottom of the tank. The main reason I made this change was to insure the copper pick up tube did not contact the tank and on the port side it made it easier to slip the pick up in the tank as there was no access panel over the port tank. It proved out well to do.

I changed the location of where the system would be installed, which necessitated the valve change. Originally I had planned to mount the system on the starboard side next to the fuel tank running fore and aft, that’s why the valves terminated with turning ell’s so that all would face in the same direction. Now as you can see it is installed behind the engine in front of the generator. So starboard is starboard and port is port exactly the way you would look at the fuel valves.

The control box is a gray plastic all weather outlet box and cover plate from Home Depot. I sprayed it a neutral color. I cut a mounting hole for the vacuum gauge and simply installed the Spring Wound Intermatic Switch in the standard holes, then cut the cover plate to accommodate the timer face plate. Feeding a vacuum line and wires through the bottom of the box was a trip, aided by some soap and a lot of cussing.

I fired it up, it didn’t leak. Initial vacuum was 6" so if you follow the Racor Formula 40" – (2 times the initial vacuum) it would say to change the filter at 28" but I think it would be too clogged to be doing much good for the run time involved. Scott 1000 bathroom tissue at $.85 a roll is cheep. My Vacuum reading after 18 hours on the port tank was 9.5 The red zone starts at 10" so I think 10" – 12" would be about right for a change.

I opened the filter for the first time after the 18 hours, mostly out of curiosity. It had collected considerable slime as expected, but had a long way to go before being fully clogged. The outer rings of the toilet paper were worse than the center.

I learned one little trick in opening the filter, as when the top was released, the fuel had accumulated like a too full cup of coffee and ran down the sides into the bilge due to some slight wave action. I had to quickly clean up that little mess. But, what I discovered was to turn the pick up valve off, leave the return valve open and turn the pump on while you release the top of the filter. It quickly emptied the filter back into the tank, then you can turn the pump off and proceed to remove the old filter.

One other lesson, was the Scott 1000 toilet paper recommended by the manufacturer, is a little too tight so you have to unroll several sheets to get it to fit back into the filter housing. I’d say about 50 sheets.

Anyhow, the whole thing is working and I am now waiting for the original slime problem to come under control and them move to a maintenance mode of about 24 hours per tank per week. Less when by experiment it all clears up.