[PUP] PMM fuel polishing

[Truelove39 at aol.com]

Hi Bob,
 
I wouldn't be quick to dispense with anything which insures a supply of  
clean fuel. It's well above most everything else on my priority list  for 
equipment. Until you have struggled to change a hot secondary filter  and then bleed 
the system with the boat in extremis and rolling in a seaway, you  won't 
appreciate it. It could save your life.
 
Here's a description of how Seahorse is set up. She came to us this way and  
we have not changed it. It is my understanding that this is how it's done on 
the  PNW fish boats and I have the utmost respect for how they do things there:
 
A Racor 800D-OF3 fuel "blender" which incorporates two of  the 1000 series 
10-micron filters (in parallel) with an Orberdorfer pump. It  transfers fuel at 
about 3 GPM. This system is entirely separate from that which  serves the main 
engine, and has its own 1/2" suction and return lines. The  suctions go to 
the very lowest point in the tanks, whereas the main engine  suctions are about 
4" off the bottoms. Believe me, when this unit operates,  those Racor 
"turbines" spin that fuel!
 
Before we take fuel, we transfer what remains in the port tank to  the stbd 
tank through the "blender," then fill the port tank. We always  take the 
suction for the main on the stbd tank (which has already been  filtered) and as that 
fuel is used, we make up from the port through the  "blender." The main has 
its own supply through either of the two Racor  900-series 30-micron filters, 
thence to a 5 micron Lugger (Deere) filter on the  engine. We have found that 
it pays to change the secondary filter after it has  passed about 500 gallons; 
the primaries can handle twice that amount. I  suppose you could say that this 
is a tertiary system, however, I would  be happier if the main engine 
secondary were available in 2-micron.
 
BTW, no offense, but I dislike the term "polishing" when applied to  
filtration. Another marketing buzz-word. Having come up through the  hawsepipe I have 
done plenty of polishing and it had nothing to do  with fuel. 

Regards,
 
John
"Seahorse"


> The largest part of the argument against a polishing system is  a perceived
minimal return on investment. The polishing system is expensive  and there is
(almost always) a way around needing it.

Instead of  arguing the pros and cons of polishing, why don't we brainstorm a
creative  way for our PMM to get both polishing and final filtering done
without  duplicating systems?


**************Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and 
favorite sites in one place.  Try it now. 
(http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010)