menzies
Guru
Proper gauges have a max reading hold indicator so that you can read it later with engines off
Mine's do not have the drag needles. Looks like around $100 each so might be worth swapping out.
Proper gauges have a max reading hold indicator so that you can read it later with engines off
How does a clogged filter ultimately shut things down? Wouldn't there be evidence of fuel starvation that would give warning? Fluxuating RPMs? Won't there be opportunities to throttle back and have a look without shutting down?
Obviously passage making has its own set of rules, but for most of us I think it's a non-issue if you've got a known good starting point.
These are ours. 75/1000 rated at 360gph.
PO's mechanic was great at labeling every change, me/mine not so much!
The placement of important instruments in a dark bilge or cramped engine space makes little sense. Sure, some owners crawl down there with ear protectors on and check such things on a regular basis, but it's simple human nature that such an unpleasant and difficult thing is going to be skipped. There's a reason that so much energy is expended talking about and installing cameras in the engine spaces...because it's awful to go down there while underway!
Of course, it's easy to open everything up and run the engines at the dock every now and then, poking around down there, checking the gauges, belts, hoses, etc. That might be enough, with no need to monitor them while underway. On the other hand, my experience tells me that rough weather can really stir up bad loads of fuel, quickly loading the filter and reducing engine performance when you need it most.
It's really simple to put a tee fitting down there and run ordinary flexible fuel hose up to the helm for a remote vacuum gauge. It's part of my regular instrument scan when at the wheel, and I am reassured by having this extra piece of information readily at hand.
I use dual R60S 2Micron Racors sans gage but easily accessed for inspection.
I think if I had concerns, I'd put a camera on the gages or new gages with tell tails.
Mine's do not have the drag needles. Looks like around $100 each so might be worth swapping out.
I know this filter. Doesn't it have a clear bowl that threads onto the bottom? If so, is it ABYC compliant as to flame resistance? I ask because Steve D'Antonio just pointed out to me that my Fleetguard/Davco filter housing with clear bowl is not ABYC approved. Do you even care? In my opinion, which means nothing to the ABYC, the standard (2.5 minutes of direct flame) is silly. Any engine room fire intense enough to melt my Davco housing would long before have become so fully involved that the boat would have been doomed anyway. Oh, and let's see, the clear bowl melts and supplies eight ounces of diesel fuel to an already intensely burning fire. Really? I would have long since abandoned ship.
The bottom line is that no matter what filter you use and how clean your tanks are, or if you have single or twins, the last fuel fill-up might be the one that leaves you "dead on the water".
I personally had mechanical gauge installed on the exit of my Racor filter where it connects to the engine lift pump. The downside of this mechanical gauge is that you have to go check it, on regular bases, or even if it has max vacuum achieved indication needle, you can still be surprised by faulty batch of fuel.
I replaced that system with VSM - Vessel Systems' Monitor that monitors many other parameters of different subsystems on my vessel and NMEA 2000 vacuum gauge that constantly monitors the status of my dual RACORs, actually the one of them that is being active at the moment. I have it setup to get warning and -4 PSI and alarm ant -5 PSI. I have tested that my engine will runs with vacuum on the gauge in excess of -8 PSI, so I know I have some time in case I can not attend to the filter switch right away (and please don't grill me because I'm referring to vacuum in negative PSI, I know it is not technically correct, but it makes the example easier to understand).
As soon I get warning on my Vessel Systems Monitor, I will switch to the standby filter, and I will plan my filter replacement for when the weather/sea conditions permits, or do it right away if I believe that the stand-by filter will get contaminated fast due to bad batch of fuel. This solution had worked great for me logging 10,000+ miles across the pacific and fuelling-up at all kinds of not that reliable feeling stations....
Here is what I use:
http://www.acrossoceansystems .com
I think this is my "peace of mind" that is well worth it!
I know this filter. Doesn't it have a clear bowl that threads onto the bottom? If so, is it ABYC compliant as to flame resistance? I ask because Steve D'Antonio just pointed out to me that my Fleetguard/Davco filter housing with clear bowl is not ABYC approved. Do you even care? In my opinion, which means nothing to the ABYC, the standard (2.5 minutes of direct flame) is silly. Any engine room fire intense enough to melt my Davco housing would long before have become so fully involved that the boat would have been doomed anyway. Oh, and let's see, the clear bowl melts and supplies eight ounces of diesel fuel to an already intensely burning fire. Really? I would have long since abandoned ship.
I know this is the case for gas spin ons, but I think it's the case for diesel ones as well. Racor makes 2 different bowls. 1 clear, 1 metal with a drain plug. The clear one is for non-enclosed spaces, the metal one is for use in engine rooms, etc. as it meets the fire resistance spec.
IMHO, the flame shields on a Racor are more trouble than they are worth. The Coast Guard will require them on commercial vessels.
With a single engine, and several occasions where we are way out of sight of land for hours (days on one occasion) at a time, I'm PARANOID about my Racor filter gauge. To the extent that I have installed an electronic sensor into the base of the analog gauge so that I can get a reading of it from the flybridge at a glance, any time.
Can you provide information on the sensor, ordering information and how it links to your fly bridge, i-phone app or repeater.
All talking about vacuum, when do you change your filter if you change it If you change when there is to much vacuum