RipTide Posted May 22, 2016 Report Share Posted May 22, 2016 Thought I'ld share this with the folks here on MBG as well. Not really cost effective for smaller(ish) boats, (ie, boats with single tanks). Ended up with a bad fuel issue a short time back which I won't go into here. No offense to the individuals whom are in the business but personally can't see paying out the expensive cost for a one time shot of having my fuel removed, ($2.75 per gallon), polished and the tanks cleaned (additional cost) when I can invest the same amount into building the system which will get multiple uses over the years to come. The pump is a Fill-Rite RD1212 which pumps 12 gallons a minute. The filter system is a Golden Rod clear bowl water separator with a Fill-Rite 4030PM0 30mil micron particle filter following. The 30 micron filter head has a 1" port and required a reducer fitting to 3/4". All piping, elbows and fittings are stainless steel fittings and were sealed with Permatex 80019 Aviation Form-A-Gasket #3. Fittings on the hoses are 316 stainless steel Pro Flow Camlock fittings. A locking 316 SS full port ball shut off valve was installed before the water separator filter. The pick up (suction) pipe is 3/4" ID PVC piping with a male Camlock nipple on one end and a 45* PVC angle fitting screwed to the end with a 316 SS screw. The discharge side is 1/2" PVC with a male Camlock nipple on one end and a 45* PVC angle fitting attached in the same manner. Also have a 3/4" ID discharge pipe as well. I lightly cut a de-bossed channel around and into the ends of the PVC piping and couplings to allow the epoxy resin to interlock the fittings to the piping. The pick up and discharge hoses are 20' each. Discharge hose has a swivel connector attached to the end for ease of use. System also has a fuel handle as well with a male Camlock fitting attached for quick release or change out. Entire system is grounded out as well. The sub frame which everything is attached to, is a custom built aluminum frame which I fabricated and then primed with zinc chromate primer and top coated it with satin black engine enamel. The dolly was purchased from Harbor Freight. Total cost was in the neighbor hood of $1K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linesider 159 Posted May 22, 2016 Report Share Posted May 22, 2016 So it is a high volume fuel water separator correct? Only issue i could see is if you have bad fuel (low octane). Looks like a sweet setup! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipTide Posted May 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2016 Thanks LS, It will polish the fuel. Collect and remove any crap such as debris, residues, tarnish, etc. from fuel and tank. By reducing the discharge side to 1/2" it will increase the pressure allowing it to wash the interior walls of the tank and dissolve any residues/tarnish build up in the tank plus agitate/move any debris which needs removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCFD rtrd. Posted May 22, 2016 Report Share Posted May 22, 2016 Quote Got to hand it to you, that's one ingenious machine. When you refer to "wash", what is used to wash the interior walls? Is it the gasoline? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipTide Posted May 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2016 Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipTide Posted May 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 Well, I put the fuel polishing pump system to the test on Tuesday for the first time and it worked great with the 2 exceptions. 1) NEVER use Permatex Aviation no, 3 thread sealer for fuel connections, (don't care what the advertising says). According to the instructions your suppose to let it set for a "few" minutes allowing it to become tacky. After disassembly I re-buttered one of the male nipples and 5 hours later it was still almost just as running as the minute I buttered the nipple. Go figure. I torqued all fittings down Tight when assembling and within a few minutes of operation all the joints started leaking. Grrrr So, I disassembled the entire configuration yesterday and am in the process of reassembling the unit with "Gasoila" thread sealant. Ordered a few unions to incorporate within the assembly to assure proper torque (tighten as much as I can get them) and alignment of all elbows and nipples with filter housings. And, 2) Had to switch out the intake and discharge pipes from Normal PVC piping to a CPVC piping which has a smaller exterior diameter allowing for both the intake and discharge pipes to be inserted together into the fuel sender port. The CPVC intake and discharge pipes will not be under pressure and will have to be monitored and replaced when they become brittle or show signs of deterioration. The other thing that occurred was that the So Called fuel resistant engine enamel paint isn't worth the can they sell it in either. Gas leakage ate it up. The Fill-Rite pump worked flawlessly even after I disconnected it from the leaking filter system. Thank God the pump and electrical system within it is explosion proof. Will keep you all updated on final configuration of setup and operation. Stay tuned.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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