Fuel polishing system question

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Lostsailor13

Lostsailor13

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2020
Messages
439
Location
Usa
Vessel Name
Broadbill
Vessel Make
Willard 36
What do you fellows with fuel polishing systems run for 12v pumps,I've been looking and the 4-7 psi low pressure 30 gph pumps look like toys,the new system will be hooked up to a gulfcoast f1 filter then racor 500,gulfcoast filter has 3/8 fittings,my returns are 1/4 the gulf coast is rated 120 gallons per hour,at 90 psi I want a powerful pump to max gulfcoast,if the flow of the pump exceeded filter capacity but not psi just for turbo polishing would that be a bad thing,I'll just like some examples of pump sizes gulfcoast filter tried to sell me a 200 12v pump that is rated for 30 gallons per hour and they look tiny
 
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That's what I thought those 30gph pumps are a joke I read in that link Peter about "short cycling" with the returns,I intend to use primary fuel return with y valve to select engine or pump return instead of add separate return,and the bigger 3gpm 10amp pumps I saw have only 30% duty cycle or do I need hostile duty
 
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Lostsailor13 said:
That's what I thought those 30gph pumps are a joke I read in that link Peter about "short cycling" with the returns,I intend to use primary fuel return with y valve to select engine or pump return instead of add separate return,and the bigger 3gpm 10amp pumps I saw have only 30% duty cycle or do I need hostile duty
Click to expand...

These Groco fuel selector valves are handy for eliminating multiple single-line valves. With my memory, helps me from making a mistake.

https://www.groco.net/products/valves-seacocks/fuel-valves/ts-350-t-2
https://www.groco.net/products/valves-seacocks/fuel-valves/fv-6-port-series

Peter
 
The pump you referenced is only for intermittent use. I would think that you would want a pump that has a 100% duty cycle, the more gpm, the better!
 
I have the Reverso FPS80S03. 80gph. PreProgramed feature for 2 hours or manual. Clean install. Disposable 10 or 30 micro filters.

A candidate for your consideration.

I had it installed because somehow I got water in the fuel. (hurricane Irma, weak fill cap o'ring) Not enough to shut down the engine, enough to trigger the alarm.
Alarm=drain the on line Racor twice. No more problems but had the Reverso installed as cheap insurance.
The AT fuel supply are butt welded at the bottom of the tank.
 
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slowgoesit said:
The pump you referenced is only for intermittent use. I would think that you would want a pump that has a 100% duty cycle, the more gpm, the better!
Click to expand...

More gpm the better up to how big the size of threads on pump 3/4 and squeeze it down to 1/4 inch return,or no
 
Lostsailor13 said:
More gpm the better up to how big the size of threads on pump 3/4 and squeeze it down to 1/4 inch return,or no
Click to expand...

What good will a high-flow pump do if you are sticking with 1/4-inch exit tubing?
 
rgano said:
What good will a high-flow pump do if you are sticking with 1/4-inch exit tubing?
Click to expand...

That's what I stated in first post is my return is 1/4 in and really hope not to have to cut holes in salon deck to access returns they feed into top of tank
 
rgano said:
What good will a high-flow pump do if you are sticking with 1/4-inch exit tubing?
Click to expand...
Thank you for asking that. As I was reading this thread I was wondering the same along with how does volume relate to pressure and at what pressure does the filter become overwhelmed allowing particles to pass through that a lower pressure/volume pump would not affect.
 
What exactly are you hoping to achieve with this "fuel polishing" setup? If you have crud in your tank, you need a BIG pump to stir up the mung on the bottom of your tank(s) and some seriously large filters. That pump in the photo is the same one that my genset uses and they are not anywhere powerful enough to stir up the contaminants. Running it steadily is exactly what your engine does, it sucks fuel through a bunch of filters and lots goes back to the tank. Change the filters when it gets bad.

The only way to polish fuel is to pump out the fuel, open the tanks and scrub them out. The fuel gets filtered and put back in the clean tanks. You may never have to do this in your lifetime but phone a service that polishes fuel to see what they charge and save yourself a bunch of wasted effort.

1/4" hose is useless.
 
A lot depends on where the suction is located.
If it one inch above tank bottom then you can have 1 inch of water and crud.
 
OldDan1943 said:
A lot depends on where the suction is located.
If it one inch above tank bottom then you can have 1 inch of water and crud.
Click to expand...

Except when sloshing, which usually occurs when underway, therefore a good idea to utilize a separate return line so that the polishing system can operate while the main engine is operating too.
The ubiquitous inch on the bottom would never happen if manufacturers would design their tanks correctly, that being with a low point drain.
 
kapnd said:
Except when sloshing, which usually occurs when underway, therefore a good idea to utilize a separate return line so that the polishing system can operate while the main engine is operating too.
The ubiquitous inch on the bottom would never happen if manufacturers would design their tanks correctly, that being with a low point drain.
Click to expand...

Of course a return line to the designated fuel tank.
 
kapnd said:
Except when sloshing, which usually occurs when underway, therefore a good idea to utilize a separate return line so that the polishing system can operate while the main engine is operating too.
The ubiquitous inch on the bottom would never happen if manufacturers would design their tanks correctly, that being with a low point drain.
Click to expand...

I designed my four-tank, twin-engine polishing system with tees into the engine return lines at each tank. There was a manifold to direct the polished fuel to the desired tank and another to direct the engine return fuel. It worked simultaneously polishing fuel and returning fuel to the same tank. Engines were Lehman 120s, and polisher pump was a Walbro 12V fuel pump.
 
After all this Input,which I very much appreciate and thank you,I slept on it last night and came up with this,I only have 212 gallons of old fuel which haven't even given me a problem yet since Halloween put 100 gallons through her, I mounted a led light in back of racor 500 so I can see bowl easily,been operating boat with only one of the two engine compartment hatches in place and just centering the one so I can see everything,last time she was out was In about 6 to 8 footers and shook up the tanks good,so in conclusion the two tanks meet at t valve with 2 valves to select port starboard then I will put vacuum guage then gulfcoast then racor and let the gulfcoast filter do what it is designed for getting every thing out of the fuel down to 1 micron and just let time and new filters get every thing cleaned up,did I put vacuum guage in correct spot
 
You don't need high pressure feeding the filter, but a flow as high as your plumbing will support. High pressure tends to push debris thru a filter element that would have been caught at lower pressure and it can damage the element as it fills with debris.
If you setup your plumbing so you can run the fuel polishing while running your engines you'll get more polishing done. Unless you're a liveaboard you'll be spending time at the dock babysitting your system. I wouldn't run a fuel pump with nobody aboard.
 
Here is a fuel polishing system I installed several years ago. The idea came from a TF Thread years ago. The pump is a soda carbonation pump and I will have to look up the motor specs. It is 120V. I can transfer fuel, and or polish. There is a supply and return for each tank. when the fuel is below 1/2 in each tank, I can polish from one to the other or just circulate in one tank.

249.jpg
 
I found one of the pics from the thread I borrowed the idea from. I cant find the installed pic in my boat.

Fuel System .jpg
 
The Walbro pump recommended by Gulf Coast will work fine - I used it for over 20 years. I seem to recall Gulf Coast telling me that you do NOT want a high flow rate - you want the fuel moving fairly slowly through the filter medium, the slower it moves, the better the filtration. I think they said the max rate was 2 gallons per minute (120 gph). Polishing each tank for 24 hrs once a year kept my fuel clear and bright red.
 
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