BAD FUEL can spoil your day

[jssailem]

Here we are in the middle of winter beginning to plan our next sailing season.

Maybe we are new to using a boat with an inboard engine. Some of us have years of mechanical experience so we know. Some are facing the idea of being alone in the water with a dead engine for the first time.

We all need to consider the systems we have on our boat.

For me an early cruising experience, my diesel engine just stopping while I was out on the water, changed my way of thinking about boating safety. When the wind dies, and the tidal currents start to pull you out to sea, there are few options available to save yourself.

• There is the anchor, as long as you are in shallow enough waters.
• You can get on your radio and declare a Mayday, this may solve the problem, but invite new issues.
• There is your auxiliary engine.

I want my auxiliary engine to start and run on demand.

To do that I need to make sure I care for and feed the engine what it needs to work properly.

Attached is a write up of my experiences searching for a good Fuel System.
Enjoy. Your comments are encouraged.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Sorry John, maybe I'm blind in one eye and can't see out of the other, but nowhere in that write up did I see any mention of a biocide. I always believe in going to the source of the problem FIRST.

I've used Biobor JF since day one in my fuel tank and I don't see any contamination in the fuel samples I pull through the sampling port using my Pela oil vacuum pump :

My filter vacuum gauge goes years without showing any drop in pressure :

The primary fuel filter surface is clean when I do get around to changing them.

The reason I started using Biobor JF in the new boat is that we had been using it on the job in standby electrical generators fuel tanks for years. This was part of what I called a hobby job I was with for many years. Some of the fuel was 20+ years old. I know little to nothing about fuel, so we deferred to the professionals Every year we'd have it analyzed and every year the reports came back with the fuel in good condition. Mind you, part of our job also was to ensure the tanks were in top condition.

We had maintained the fuel in this tank since it was new in 1995. No fuel was ever used except for the monthly test run.

Take care of your fuel in the first place and it will take care of you.

 

[jssailem]

Take care of your fuel in the first place and it will take care of you.

I agree.

I did passively comment about fuel additives "Chemicals" on page one, but no detail was included. My experience has been anecdotal. I am going to do more experiential work on this during 2023.

I have been using a concoction, mentioned in Practical Sailor, of BIOBOR JF and Star Brite Biodiesel biocide because they were found to be successful at addressing the variety of bacterial and fungal species they found in their fuel test samples.

Diesel Biocides Take On Contaminated Boat Fuel - Practical Sailor

Since 1974, Practical Sailor’s independent testing has taken the guesswork out of boat and gear buying.

www.practical-sailor.com

I note that PS has published a ebook titled “Marine Fuel Additives.”

The anecdotal experience has been that they helped to improve the fuel. I have been able to reduce the frequency needed for fuel filter changes.

 

[Dalliance]

Good write up. This is an interesting and appealing system. It might be overkill for my own rather light fuel usage, which is only 10-14 gallons per year in a single 12 gallon tank, but I look forward to your reports on it’s performance.

I had a similar fuel system learning curve. When I bought my boat, the original primary filter/water separator was this huge old bronze Perko unit located aft of the engine. You had to lay on top of the engine to reach it and it clearly hadn’t be touched for years. That, in addition to all new hoses, was the first change I made. Replaced it with a simple Racor forward of the engine with an in-line shut off valve right at the filter to minimize fuel bleeding. How regularly a filter gets changed is sometimes directly proportional to the ease of both access and procendure.

As you said, keeping water out of the fuel is critical. Fuel fill cap O-rings are the first line of defense, and I would add that, in climates with extreme daily and seasonal temperature swings and long winter storage periods (I’m in Chicago.), preventing condensation inside the tank is equally important. You don’t want humid air in the tank when the temperature drops 40° in 12 hours. To combat this, I’ve added an H2Out desiccant fuel vent dryer to my vent line and I always top off the tank for winter storage.

Additionally, to deal with whatever water and associated nasties might still find their way into my tank, I add healthy doses of both StaBil and Biobor JF fuel treatment to my full tank every fall.

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

snip

• You can get on your radio and declare a Mayday, this may solve the problem, but invite new issues.
  snip

It’s not good form to declare a mayday just because the engine quits. Not unless you can‘t anchor AND the boat or crew is in imminent danger.
A call to Sea-Tow or BoatUS for fuel and/or tow is generally more appropriate. If drifting free, or anchored in a busy channel, then it would also be wise to declare a PanPan to alert all vessels in the area, and the CG.
Edit: Last time my engine quit I sailed to a harbor where services are available and anchored before calling for local help.

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Relevant thread drift - How about ethanol, phase separation, and outboards. People have been blown out to sea in a dinghy due to bad fuel.

 

[jssailem]

I focused on Diesel in this document. Mainly because I have lived through the experiences, and a few more. The issues of gasoline, broken dinghy, and outboards are all relevant issues to those so involved.

 

[Terry Cox]

Our 1991 boat came with dual fuel filters for both engines (main and generator); Racor cartridge ten micron primary, ten micron canister secondary for the main and a two micron cartridge for the generator. Over the years I replaced the two micron with a six micron canister and periodically replace the Racor primary filters. I also add a biocide with each fuel fill up. Thankfully, we have never had a fuel quality issue that interfered with engine performance. There was a time when the two micron cartridge filter became clogged, causing the generator to stop. Replaced it with a six micron, thinking that the two micron was overkill.

After taking possession in 2002 with 600+ hours on the main and 200+ on the generator, the Racor filters were black, but since have been mostly clean with each replacement, which is every two to three years. I also check the Racors periodically for water separation and usually only a very small amount. So far so good.