SO409 Water Seperator

[j24sailor]

I have a 2011 SO409 with a Yanmar 3JH5 39 HP engine. After searching far and wide I finally found what I think is the water separator underneath the starboard berth. The area it is in is all closed off and inaccessible without unscrewing panels and even then it is going to be tight to drain it. The manual suggests doing it every 50 hours. Am I missing something or why did Jeanneau place it there instead of in the engine compartment?

[Mistroma]

I hope that you'll get a reply from someone with a 409. It's difficult to mistake a water sep. unit (pipes in & out + metal or glass bowl).

Jeanneau won't run piping further than they need to so the sep. unit will sit between the engine and the fuel tank. So you can ignore any areas well off this line (i.e. forward of the engine, opposite side of hull from tank etc.).

Follow the fuel feed pipe from the tank and you'll get to the water sep. and then the engine. Or, start at the fuel filter and work back to find the water sep.

I assume that's what you did to track down the unit and didn't just open lockers a random.

I must admit that I'd be surprised to find a water sep. inside a sealed compartment with poor access via a lid. However, Jeannneau don't always follow logic.

The 42DS water sep. is in the aft cabin in a central locker under the berth. It sits to right of the centre line and is bolted to the bulkhead that forms part of the outside panel on the engine start battery box. A twin aft cabin would leave it in the aft starboard cabin. Access would be a bit restricted by a central bulkhead. Makes sense that it might be in the same location on a 409 but don't know why Jeanneau would screw the access panel down.

[MalcolmP]

It maybe about fire risk - I don't think Jeanneau now fit the CAV delphi separators with a glass bowl but up to recently the drain plug was plastic even on the metal bowl versions - newer units I believe have metal plugs because of this.

[j24sailor]

Thanks, I was searching for it specifically and followed the line back and am 99% sure this is it and it looks the same as in a picture I found on the net. I happened to talk to the dealer yesterday and he wasn't too surprised (but couldn't confirm its position either), his suggestion was to insert another one in the line in the engine compartment. I think you are probably right Mistroma and Jeanneau just isn't using logic, but I would love to know for sure. MalcolmP I think you are right and it doesn't have a glass bowel, but is a closed unit. I haven't been able to access it and so not sure what the plug on the bottom looks like. Thank again for all the thoughts.

[Mistroma]

My 2009 SO 42DS has an all metal bowl and the drain plug is also metal so expect that yours will be the same.

I'm afraid that I couldn't find a picture of the unit.

If your tank is under the aft starboard berth with the shut-off valve on top, then that pipe leads directly to the water sep. unit. I think that Jeanneau say that the valve should be turned off before draining the bowl. However, I always do it when the tank is full and just leave the valve open. I slide a large square plastic container under the bowl and just open the drain with a ring spanner. The bowl is mounted approx. 1 cm off the bukkhead and this allows the container to slide well up above the drain point.

The head of fuel in the tank forces liquid out through the drain and keeps the pipes full of fuel. I've never had to bleed the system. However, it sounds as if your access will be tight. I just sit opposite the unit with plenty of room as I only have one aft cabin.

There might be a drain point at the base of the front port side of the tank. Unfortunately, it is useless on my boat as it sits on the hull. So not possible to get anything underneath. I remove the level sensor 1-2 times each year and pump out a little from bottom of the tank. However, that could lead to other problems in sealing the tank again.

[j24sailor]

So I have confirmed that the primary water filter is in an enclosed space under the starboard stern birth and is a horrible filter as you can't drain it or check it. We have subsequently removed it and put in a Racor primary fuel filter in the engine room which we can actually check. Still love my Jeanneau but think this is a serious design flaw especially for newbies that don't know any better. Anyone with a 409 should consider doing the same.

[MalcolmP]

Jun 4, 2014 5:45:29 GMT j24sailor said:

So I have confirmed that the primary water filter is in an enclosed space under the starboard stern birth and is a horrible filter as you can't drain it or check it. We have subsequently removed it and put in a Racor primary fuel filter in the engine room which we can actually check. Still love my Jeanneau but think this is a serious design flaw especially for newbies that don't know any better. Anyone with a 409 should consider doing the same.

If you might send a photo in of the new install that would be helpful for others wanting to do the same - did it need a lot of additional pipework?

[so36idavid]

FYI the ABYC requires that fuel filters mounted in the engine compartment must be fire resistant (ANSI/UL 1105). Bottom line is that if you put a fuel filter in the engine compartment it should have a glass or metal bowl, not a plastic one.

[so40gtb]

The metal bowl is also a US Coast Guard requirement ... imposed a few years ago. I'm not sure what the objective is, since the hoses would ignite with sufficient heat and they aren't required to be metallic.