Just wondering what others do. My engine is a Yanmar 3GMF with a Racor for the primary. The tank is clean and I use a fuel polisher to clean the fuel before it goes in. The vacuum gauge needle sits between 2-3 where it's been all year. There's about 110 hours on my current filters. It's not a big deal to change them and I usually do it after every season when I change the oil but is it really neccessary to do it that often? I think my manual suggests a change of the engine mounted filter every 500 hours.
How Often Do You Change Your Filters?
- Thread starter Joe Mullee
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I had been doing the engine filter about 2-300 hours and the primary at 500. However, I may up that since the diesel is now ultra low sulfur and I noticed some gunk in the primary last year when I changed it, the first time ever anything in it in 2400 hours. I suspect anything that was going to get to the primary already has, but it's cheap insurance. My book also says 500 hours on the secondary and you have to figure they know what they're talking about, but I feel more comfortable with half of that.
These filters are made of 'resinated' cellulose, a 'technical paper'. If wetted with water, and there is 'always' water in fuel oil even if you cant 'see it', the cellulose starts absorb the water upon which the cellulose can become 'digested' (can 'soften') in about 1 year.
'Softened' filter material is prone to breakage upon increasing pressure drop across the filter. If you are monitoring the filter(s) with gages a filter 'break-through' or 'unloading' is denoted by a (sudden or gradual) drop or in the gage vacuum or pressure reading.
'Softened' filter material is prone to breakage upon increasing pressure drop across the filter. If you are monitoring the filter(s) with gages a filter 'break-through' or 'unloading' is denoted by a (sudden or gradual) drop or in the gage vacuum or pressure reading.
I put about 125-150 hours on both my aux and genset each year. I change my Racor primaries every other year and the secondaries (on the engines) every four years. Rarely do I ever see any water in the bottom of the filter. In fact I can't remember the last time I ever did see any water droplets.
I've been tempted to install vacuum gauges in the hope they would allow me to determine when I really need to change the filters, but as yet I have not done so. I have no problem changing filters if needed, but at $30 each for the Racor filters, I'd really rather not be changing them just for fun.
I've been tempted to install vacuum gauges in the hope they would allow me to determine when I really need to change the filters, but as yet I have not done so. I have no problem changing filters if needed, but at $30 each for the Racor filters, I'd really rather not be changing them just for fun.
I changed the Racors several times this summer because we were stirring up the fuel more than it had been for several years. There was some sediment in the bowl during the first change, but less as the season progressed. I did them just before we were hauled and they were essentially clean. I added vacuum guages to both aux and gen and they didn't hardly show any movement during use. I bought mine from Hamiltons, good price for Racor 500's.
http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/search.htm
Saw the secondaries there and at the Ships Store and Rigging in RI for about the same.
All U Get
http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/search.htm
Saw the secondaries there and at the Ships Store and Rigging in RI for about the same.
All U Get
Oil filter every fall and spring when I change the oil; Although I keep telling myself "next year I will only change the filter in the fall", but for some reason I end up changing it in the spring too - Just seems like the right thing to do when you put that nice clean oil in there.
Primary fuel filter each spring (its a racor 500 so takes all of about 30 seconds and <$10). The secondary on the engine every other year (its a cav 296 and messy to change).
Generally I only put 150 or less hours on the engine a year.
Primary fuel filter each spring (its a racor 500 so takes all of about 30 seconds and <$10). The secondary on the engine every other year (its a cav 296 and messy to change).
Generally I only put 150 or less hours on the engine a year.
I put the racor in in spring of 2008- you might remember we had a discussion then over placement, Joe- I went with the port side by tranny spot- works fine. I replaced the filter for the first time this spring. I cut the old one apart to inspect it and the paper was like new. No evidence what so ever of softening. That would represent about 100 hours of running time.
I've got a Yanmar 2GM20F and typically only put on about 50-60 hours per season. My primary fuel filter is a Fram and I'm now chaning the cartridge about every two years or at the 100 hour mark. I change the secondary about every 3 years. I triple filter all the fuel with a water/crud separating filter and so have never seen any water or debris in the filters when changing them. I do change the oil filter each year at lay up.
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