Fuel Polisher Install

[ianqv]

Dear All,

With all the rubbish fuel being issued by nearly every marina going, I thought it would be prudent to add add some extra filtration. So the system I fitted just circulates the filtered diesel in and out of the fuel tank. It does not feed the engine in any way, it purely filters / polishes the fuel.
I'm a big fan of the Delphi (CAV) filter. Not only are they good and reliable, they are cheap and available just about everywhere!

So most of the parts were purchased from good old Ebay! The fuel pick up and return pipes are from a Defender! The Double Delphi filter will filter down to 7 < 9 microns.



Next was the installation. On my S/O 37 there was only one realistic option, under the starboard berth.



Then it was choosing a suitable fuel out / fuel in location on the tank. I had previously fitted inspection hatches on the tank, so this made it easy work. The red bits of tape denotes where the pipes will be fitted



Pipes being dry fitted before being bolted in using nitrile proof gasket and some sealer. At this point I forgot to take another photo, but on the end of the metal pipe there is a flexible pipe thats goes to the lowest point (right into the corner) so that any water or sediment will hopefully be sucked up filtered out.



Pipes installed (sorry I only took a picture of one of them, but the other one looked just the same!)



To try and make the pump as quiet as possible, I mounted it using these rubber cotton reel dampers



Fuel pump mounted



Then some fuel taps were added so everything could be isolated for servicing





I then cut out two additinal inspection holes so I can easily check for leaks







Then it was on to some glorious wiring! A 30 amp relay was fitted along with a discreetly mounted on/off switch



The fuel pump is rated at approx 75 ltr per hour, anymore than that I'm not sure the water traps will be that efficient as the fuel could be passing through too quick.
The eagle eyed would have noticed that I have used glass water trap bowls. I appreciate this may not comply with some off-shore regs, but I prefer to see whats actually happening with my fuel (plus I don't intend to cross an Ocean any time soon).

Its been filtering away for a few hours quite happily now (with no leaks). You can hear the pump running in the background and at a later date I may research replacing the pump with a solid state pump, but for now I'm happy with it.

Happy Filtering!!

Regards

Ian

[rene460]

Hi Ian, a good idea and a nice neat installation.  It should serve you well.

rene460

[sitara]

Very impressive Ian, just one question, what did you seal the openings into the tank with?

I am sure Malcolm will add this to hints and tips,

Cheers

Rob

[MalcolmP]

Excellent project Ian. Very well documented as well as always. Yes very happy to add this to Hints and Tips.

Cheers Malcolm

[ianqv]

Mar 11, 2024 23:11:37 GMT sitara said:

Very impressive Ian, just one question, what did you seal the openings into the tank with?

I am sure Malcolm will add this to hints and tips,

Cheers

Rob

I used Sika 291i. I've never had a problem using this sealer in Diesel. In fact, a number of years back I was concerned if it would break down over time when exposed to diesel. So for test purposes I made a joint using 291i and then submerged it in diesel for TWO years. At the end of this timeframe the Sika was still ok and it had not degraded at all. So I've used this for external fuel tank fittings ever since.

Cheers

Ian

[sitara]

Thanks Ian, good to know, Rob

[michelekb]

Interesting post thank you.
We too are concerned about the quality of diesel and have decided to fit a "Diesel Dipper".
Our 50DS is currently in France and we're in the UK, so I have no idea how to go about connecting the uptake and outflow pipes from the system to the tank. We're going out to France shortly, and would like to take everything we need with us. I'm not sure if there is an inspection hatch.  Can anyone give some advice on how these connections can be made please?

[Charlie-Bravo]

Fitting the ‘dipper’ / fuel pick up tube will probably involve cutting a hole in the top of your fuel tank, which some find a bit scary , but providing it is a poly tank this is easy enough with a tank cutter, and battery drill,  the trickier bit is ensuring the bits of plastic swarf don’t drop into the tank.
I find grease works well, the swarf sticks to it, use plenty of it on the tank and cutter, drill a bit then clean the mess with paper towel, then continue drilling and add more grease, making the hole is quick, cleaning the mess takes longer.
I find taper cutters work well, as opposed to ‘hole saws’ ….. but each to their own.

Having produced a lovely hole you will need to seal the new flanged dip tube, as mentioned above Sika 291i works, butyl tape also works but clean the grease off with spirit first. (not the ships best brandy)

An alternative approach is to T into the existing pick up tube line, and return to tank line with isolation valves fitted, should the thought of drilling the tank is to be avoided, might be quicker and less ‘risk’ of things going wrong. The only possible downside is it may not be as good to use whilst the engine is running, but may still be ok.

I had thought of a polishing set up, but instead fitted a better large volume primary filter unit (like a Racor) with clear bowl, and figure if I get dirty fuel I’ll just go through the large stock of filters on the boat till it clears, …. not ideal, but have been lucky so far.

CB

[so40gtb]

This is reasonably similar to what I did 10 years ago on our SO40. I installed a pair of Racor R230 filters, with the "polishing" one 2 micron, to facilitate fuel polishing when docked in harbor, and 3-way valves to choose between them. I haven't had any fuel issues since. I should note that, being in a "northern" climate, biological growth in the fuel tank and ashore is minimal. An internal polishing scheme is much less expensive and time-consuming than having a service agent with a portable polisher come to your boat and do the deed.

I really like Ian's added access holes and will contemplate sawing those on my boat. Pulling berth boards is not fun.

[michelekb]

Mar 23, 2024 19:43:52 GMT Charlie-Bravo said:

Fitting the ‘dipper’ / fuel pick up tube will probably involve cutting a hole in the top of your fuel tank, which some find a bit scary , but providing it is a poly tank this is easy enough with a tank cutter, and battery drill,  the trickier bit is ensuring the bits of plastic swarf don’t drop into the tank.
I find grease works well, the swarf sticks to it, use plenty of it on the tank and cutter, drill a bit then clean the mess with paper towel, then continue drilling and add more grease, making the hole is quick, cleaning the mess takes longer.
I find taper cutters work well, as opposed to ‘hole saws’ ….. but each to their own.

Having produced a lovely hole you will need to seal the new flanged dip tube, as mentioned above Sika 291i works, butyl tape also works but clean the grease off with spirit first. (not the ships best brandy)

An alternative approach is to T into the existing pick up tube line, and return to tank line with isolation valves fitted, should the thought of drilling the tank is to be avoided, might be quicker and less ‘risk’ of things going wrong. The only possible downside is it may not be as good to use whilst the engine is running, but may still be ok.

I had thought of a polishing set up, but instead fitted a better large volume primary filter unit (like a Racor) with clear bowl, and figure if I get dirty fuel I’ll just go through the large stock of filters on the boat till it clears, …. not ideal, but have been lucky so far.

CB

[michelekb]

Thank you, I think we'll go for the hole drilling option, with plenty of grease as you suggest.  The ships brandy is reserved for the cook (me), but we'll find a suitable spirit for the degreasing before applying the Sika.