Racor FPM-050 fuel polishing

splax · Feb 18, 2014

This looks pretty neat. At $400+ it is expensive peace of mind. I wonder how difficult it would be for the fuel return installation. I wonder how effective it is on contaminated fuel. I wonder where the contaminants go. For a sailboat using little fuel, the expense of fuel additives is small and filtration is definitely low flow. So maybe a long consideration may be in order.

Maine Sail · Feb 18, 2014

Tantor said:
Browsing for polishing system I found this new by Racor FPM-050 module. I can't find any review for it. If it works as is advertise this could be very nice and small system to polish your fuel all the time .....anybody familiar with this? (defender had the best price!)
John

Not a big fan of that system. You can do a much more effective high turnover system with a Racor 500 or 900 and a high quality Walbro Pump for about the same price as just that trickle pump...

splax · Feb 18, 2014

Maine Sail,
Please address the points of low fuel usage and the efficacy of such a system vs. the expense. Also the system you advocate directly contradicts the claimed benefit of low flow filtration. Is it just hype?

Maine Sail · Feb 18, 2014

splax said:
Maine Sail,
Please address the points of low fuel usage and the efficacy of such a system vs. the expense. Also the system you advocate directly contradicts the claimed benefit of low flow filtration. Is it just hype?

They are using low flow and low current to try and sell a pump that needs to be run continuously to do much of anything.

Compare that to a system that can turn over tank contents one or two times per hour when the engine is running and the "low current" aspect means little.

A well designed system would have a dedicated pick up and submersed return for the polishing system.

Our fuel is absolutely spotless as is our tank. Zero wall growth and the fuel is crystal clear with no cloudiness. Our high turnover system runs when ever the engine does and does about 2X turnover per hour.. The pick up for the polishing system is within 1/8" of the bottom of the lowest spot in the tank..

All in we are into it for about $325 with a Racor 900, vacuum gauge and Walbro fuel pump. The Racor's have gone up in price since we did our system but you don't need a 900MA filter, just a nice to have item...

I will not own a boat again without a dedicated on-board polishing system. They can be done very inexpensively... Heck even a little Facet pump from NAPA and a home heating oil filter like the Garber would do a heck of a lot...

jsalley · Feb 18, 2014

Be aware that Parker/Racor has discontinued the FPM-050 and does not provide support, even if it's under warranty. Ask me how I found out. There are no serviceable parts in the unit, so if it fails it has to be removed or replaced. Supplies are becoming scarce for new units....

Maine Sail · Feb 18, 2014

jsalley said:
Be aware that Parker/Racor has discontinued the FPM-050 and does not provide support, even if it's under warranty. Ask me how I found out. There are no serviceable parts in the unit, so if it fails it has to be removed or replaced. Supplies are becoming scarce for new units....

I had heard through the grapevine they are going yo be introducing a much higher flow pump...

splax · Feb 19, 2014

Well, I checked out the Facet pump and @ $54 for 32 gal/hr it's not a bad deal. A filter and proper wiring should give me a fuel polishing system for less than $100. Now that is more in the range of "peace-of-mind money".

zds · Feb 19, 2014

Polish my fuel? I polish my shoes. I polish my speeches. But this whole "fuel polishing" business really strikes me as a scam.

Sure tanks can get infected with algae, flooded with water, dirtied by volcanic ash, or overrun by diesel-hungry aliens, but that's an anomaly. I suspect that the average weekend cruiser's tank is normally half-full of last season's diesel, and it's never a problem.

Now Maine Sail makes a good point:

I will not own a boat again without a dedicated on-board polishing system. They can be done very inexpensively... Heck even a little Facet pump from NAPA and a home heating oil filter like the Garber would do a heck of a lot...

If you can do it cheap and easy, why not. But Maine Sail is handier than most. Waaaaaaaaaaay handier than most.

From a casual observation it seems like the average sailor is best served by a good water separating filter unit, fresh oil at least three times a season, and a healthy supply of ice. Bikini tops optional.

splax · Feb 19, 2014

fuel polishing

I am convinced and will install the Gar-Ber filter 11BV-RK (with mounting bracket and filter change indication gauge) and the Facet pump and should get away for about $100. I will run the system for several hours before starting the engine this year and hopefully will have seen some movement on the change indicator gauge display to know it has done something.

Maine Sail · Feb 20, 2014

splax said:
I am convinced and will install the Gar-Ber filter 11BV-RK (with mounting bracket and filter change indication gauge) and the Facet pump and should get away for about $100. I will run the system for several hours before starting the engine this year and hopefully will have seen some movement on the change indicator gauge display to know it has done something.

It will clean the fuel that is in your tank. What it won't / can't do is clean the tank itself. However if you started with a clean tank it would do a good job of keeping it clean.. I would advise the 2000 series filters from Gar-Ber as these are really not water separating filters but the 2000 element can help trap some....

Ken Honeycutt · Feb 20, 2014

I installed a fuel polishing system with a Racor 500MA and a Walbro pump. Also added a Algae X inline (probably a waste of money but who knows). Run it whenever I'm docked for a few hours (just as an FYI, the Walbro does make some noise). Prior to installing I always had some water and a few particles of dirt in the bowl of the secondary filter at the end of the season. Now the secondary filter is completely clean - probably will never have to replace. I'm a believer in fuel polishing systems after my prior boat's engine stopped in the middle of trying to catch a mooring in a crowded marina. Not fun trying to stop from bouncing off other boats. I had nightmares after that of engine failure while a couple hundred feet off a rocky lee shore (lots of those on Lake Michigan when entering a marina). To me it would be worth spending a few extra dollars for a good system. You may not even know your fuel is contaminated until something really serious happens as I found out.

splax · Feb 21, 2014

Maine Sail,
You're right, I should have gone with the 11V-R2000 so water would be removed. http://www.generalfilters.com/produ...Gar-Ber-FuelWater-Separator-Filter_PT100.html
I will see if the element will work with the assembly already ordered. That Facet Posi-Flow pump supposedly draws an average of 1.6 A. Do you think that is reasonable?

Maine Sail · Feb 21, 2014

splax said:
Maine Sail,
You're right, I should have gone with the 11V-R200 so water would be removed. http://www.generalfilters.com/produ...Gar-Ber-FuelWater-Separator-Filter_PT100.html
I will see if the element will work with the assembly already ordered. That Facet Posi-Flow pump supposedly draws an average of 1.6 A. Do you think that is reasonable?

I just run my polishing system while underway with the motor running. This helps "stir" the tank. You could also run it while on shore power...

The 2000 series filters should fit any Gar-Ber head... I use a Gar-Ber on my home oil tank & boiler. Have been using them for over 25 years....

splax · Feb 21, 2014

Thanks.

splax · Jun 15, 2014

Well, this is what the fuel polishing on the cheap looks like on my boat. I think I might have damaged the filter head assembly when messing with it since I have a small leak at the head which fills the rim of the filter every night when it runs. I have the fuel polishing powered from the solar power charger so when the battery isn't being charged the "Facet" fuel pump runs. I "T'ed" the filter off the engine supply line and the pump discharge into the return line.

Maine Sail · Jun 15, 2014

splax said:
Well, this is what the fuel polishing on the cheap looks like on my boat. I think I might have damaged the filter head assembly when messing with it since I have a small leak at the head which fills the rim of the filter every night when it runs. I have powered off the solar power charger so when the battery isn't being charged the "Facet" fuel pump runs. I "T'ed" the filter off the engine supply line and the pump discharge into the return line.

The Garber has two o-rings.
Large and small. Make sure the large is not twisted and you Aldo have the small o-ring..

njlarry · Jun 17, 2014

Thanks for all the great info and pics.
As the injector pump sends a return line
to the tank, doesn't the standard system
"self-polish"? As fuel is used a higher
percentage gets filtered. At first glance
looks like all a dedicated system really does
is pre-filter to increase times between filter
changes??

splax · Jun 17, 2014

That is effectively true, Larry, but the volume of fuel being filtered by the dedicated system prevents problems from overwhelming the engine filters. That little pump basically has my whole tank volume filtered twice an hour. The capacity to remove contaminants before they are problematic or cause an issue for an injector besides helping my engine run better sold me on the benefit being greater than the cost.

njlarry · Jun 18, 2014

Thank you.
Looks like another item to add to my to do list.

Racor FPM-050 fuel polishing

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