On 12 Nov 2006 10:10:05 -0800, "Skip Gundlach"
wrote:

So, I'm at the point of doing my fuel system, as the mechanic is coming
Saturday to do the servicing of the engine and align the tranny with
me.

At the St. Pete Strictly Sail last week, I saw a presentation on "fuel
polishing" which was really a pitch for Algae-X.

I think the only honest answer is that the jury is still out on
Algae-X. The discussion has been going on for years now. Some people
have claimed to get positive results but their claims have always been
of a subjective nature. There have never been certified results from
a reliable source that I am aware of. Without certified results I
find it hard to believe that either the navy or USCG would sign up.

That said, I can tell you from experience what does work. My tanks
and fuel were in really lousy condition 2 years ago when I started.
We now have parallel Racors and vacuum guages on each engine. The
Racors can be switched in and out with ball valves on the input and
output of each filter, allowing filter elements to be hot swapped
underway. I also installed a fuel polishing system that allows the
fuel to be continuously circulated through the Racors when I'm at the
dock. I use Biobor fuel conditioner in the recommended quantities,
carry a good supply of spare Racor filter elements, check the vacuum
guages every few hours when underway, and drain a fuel sample from the
bottom of the Racor bowl at every filter change. Since doing all of
that we've had zero problems.

Skip Gundlach wrote:
At the St. Pete Strictly Sail last week, I saw a presentation on "fuel
polishing" which was really a pitch for Algae-X.


Algae-X has nothing to do with fuel polishing.

Wayne.B wrote:
I think the only honest answer is that the jury is still out on
Algae-X.

That's one way to put it. Another way is to say that nobody
has ever been able to show that having your fuel run between
two magnets has any positive benefits at all.

.... Without certified results I
find it hard to believe that either the navy or USCG would sign up.


I think that unless there's a MIL-SPEC on it, then claims
that it's used by any Federal agency are kind of dim.

Let me put it this way... not too many years ago, I did
engineering work by contract on several Navy and MSC ships.
They did not have anything installed anywhere in any
engineering system that was not type approved by NAVSEA (the
gods of marine engineering). No Gulf Coast filters using
toilet paper, no spinning magnets, no little crystal pyramids.




That said, I can tell you from experience what does work. My tanks
and fuel were in really lousy condition 2 years ago when I started.
We now have parallel Racors and vacuum guages on each engine. The
Racors can be switched in and out with ball valves on the input and
output of each filter, allowing filter elements to be hot swapped
underway. I also installed a fuel polishing system that allows the
fuel to be continuously circulated through the Racors when I'm at the
dock. I use Biobor fuel conditioner in the recommended quantities,
carry a good supply of spare Racor filter elements, check the vacuum
guages every few hours when underway, and drain a fuel sample from the
bottom of the Racor bowl at every filter change. Since doing all of
that we've had zero problems.

Bingo!

But hey, if you spend an extra 50$ on some new-age feel-good
doohickey for your fuel system, you could probably save on
some of those 7$ filter elements

DSK

On Sun, 12 Nov 2006 16:10:22 -0500, DSK wrote:

But hey, if you spend an extra 50$ on some new-age feel-good
doohickey for your fuel system, you could probably save on
some of those 7$ filter elements

Clean filter elements and a built in fuel polishing system are cheap
insurance against an unsheduled shut down in my opinion. Skip has a
sailboat so at least he has redundant propulsion. Judging from the
stories I hear from people almost everyone, sail or power, has
experienced a shutdown at one time or another from dirty fuel. One of
my neighbors with a 40 something motor sailor told me that he and his
wife stopped going to the Bahamas because they lost power everytime
they crossed the gulf stream.

That's the problem with dirty fuel; it almost always hits you in
marginal conditions when you are least prepared to deal with it.

Just what is it with boat fuel? I've driven over 2 million
miles, over 30 years using 4 trucks and have never been shut
down by dirty filters.
I've had them freeze in Winter.

SBV


"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 12 Nov 2006 16:10:22 -0500, DSK
wrote:

But hey, if you spend an extra 50$ on some new-age
feel-good
doohickey for your fuel system, you could probably save
on
some of those 7$ filter elements

Clean filter elements and a built in fuel polishing system
are cheap
insurance against an unsheduled shut down in my opinion.
Skip has a
sailboat so at least he has redundant propulsion. Judging
from the
stories I hear from people almost everyone, sail or power,
has
experienced a shutdown at one time or another from dirty
fuel. One of
my neighbors with a 40 something motor sailor told me that
he and his
wife stopped going to the Bahamas because they lost power
everytime
they crossed the gulf stream.

That's the problem with dirty fuel; it almost always hits
you in
marginal conditions when you are least prepared to deal
with it.

On Mon, 13 Nov 2006 18:19:31 -0500, "Scotty"
wrote:

Just what is it with boat fuel? I've driven over 2 million
miles, over 30 years using 4 trucks and have never been shut
down by dirty filters.
I've had them freeze in Winter.

Good question. I think with boats the problem is large tanks sitting
idle for longer periods of time. Condensation forms, and the
interface between the water and fuel is where the little diesel bugs
seem to thrive. Boats that are frequently used don't seem to have
problems, same with trucks I suspect. Since virtually all diesel
engines recirculate unburned fuel, just running the engines regularly
filters the entire tank.