I just posted this to the Morgan Yacht Owners group:

Hi, and thanks for the anectdotal evidence (left below).

In the end, too many times the positive results reported (or found with
research) with A-X were done as part of a filtered recirculation
program as
well (and none I saw, without). Were the recirculation stories present
without the filters, I'd give higher credence to its efficacy.

So, absent any actual lab-grade proofs, and the inability to confirm
the
corporate testimonials (including my Sunsail contact sending me the
actual
marked-up press release from a couple of years ago, but confirming that
his
operation - the home base in Tortola - doesn't do retrofits nor do new
ones
come so equipped), I've gone just with the filtered polishing system.

That said, I'm just about to bleed the system to crank her up today. I
filled my dual Racors with fuel taken from the 10micron filter casing
on the
polishing system (20 and 10, in series, so it had all been run through
both
countless times, and immediately before through the 20micron filter).
That
fuel was extremely dark, though I'm very confident that it had little
or no
particulate in it. As well, the vacuum gauge on the polishing system
kicked
immediately (once the canisters were filled by the suction) to the same
place it's been in all the time it's been running (including after my
draining the cartridge to get the fuel for the Racors), so I presume
the
filters are nowhere near saturation. Yet, the fuel looked darker than
I've
ever seen diesel.

Will it run? We'll soon see. I have what will probably be a lifetime
supply
of 10micron Racor filters and am similarly endowed with fuel filter
canisters for the engine itself (though those have no micron rating, I
presume it to be severe), rated at twice the engine hours interval by
the
Perkins manual, so if the polishing wasn't enough to clean the fuel,
these
should be. If, after our seatrials, the Racors have no evidence of
fouling
(as I expect, due to the polishing), I'll exchange the 10s for 2s.
Filtration experts have opined that with a fuel polishing system going
heavy-duty time, as we have been and will during our seatrials and
ongoing
everyday use, eventually it will be unnecessary to have any pre-engine
filtration - but I'll still keep the Racors, as long as I've bothered
to
install them.

Off to bleed the bloody Perkins, and then see if I can exchange money
for
noise (burn diesel fuel in an IC environment). Sea trials will follow,
for
those interested and following our journey.

Reply to my original below for those interested...

L8R

Skip

PS it runs just fine

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery!
Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
----- Original Message -----
From:

I just downloaded a month's worth of e-mails, and saw your request for
first-hand experience with an Algae-X. We bought our Morgan 45 fall of
2005,
and almost immediately took off for winter in the Bahamas. Whenever we
ran
the engine in rough water, our filters would clog VERY quickly -- even
within a couple of hours. In one of my stops to purchase additional
Racor
filters, the diesel engine shop in Ft. Pierce, FL advised installing an
Algae-X, along with the fuel conditioner additive. As you mention, only
anecdotal stories. I figured I only had the purchase price to lose, and
bought one. This summer, I installed it in front of the Racor, and
added
plumbing in the fuel line to, in effect, have an on-board polishing
system.
Throw a couple of valves and fuel is circulated through the Racor by an
electric pump, bypassing the secondary filter and back to the tank. I
ran
this for two-three weeks at our marina. (This circuit can also direct
the
fuel through the secondary filter to the engine, so I can fill both
filters
after changing them by running the electric pump for a couple of
minutes.) I
changed the filters twice before leaving this fall for the Bahamas. At
the
first change, the Racor cartidge had flakes of stuff that looked like
lacquer; at the second change, just black, no flakes.

Our trip from Wilmington, NC to Marsh Harbour three weeks ago was more
of a
delivery than a pleasure cruise, so the engine was running most of the
trip.
If we could sail in our desired direction at 5 plus knots, we sailed,
otherwise motorsailed. I didn't look at the hour meter, but estimate we
ran
the engine 120 hours. At the end of our 880 nm trip, the vacuum guage
on the
Racor was reading exactly what it had read before we started.

Now for the disclaimers. 1. Maybe the Algae-X had an effect; maybe the
fuel
conditioner had an effect; maybe circulating fuel for three weeks would
have
had the same effect without either Algae-X of fuel conditioner. 2. Our
trip
was made in a big high-pressure system, so we had only 5-6 hours of
seas of
6 feet or so, otherwise 1-2 foot swells. So, we didn't have rough
weather.
But, we NEVER got 100+ hours on a filter cartridge last year. Being on
a
tight schedule for this trip, I didn't change oil and filters upon our
arrival. My wife and I shall be flying back to the Bahamas on 12/16,
and
will change oil and filters soon after. It'll be interesting to see the
condition of the Racor.

Bottom line? I don't think the Algae-X will hurt you, and maybe there
is
something to the hype.

On 2 Dec 2006 20:40:11 -0800, "Skip Gundlach"
wrote:

Filtration experts have opined that with a fuel polishing system going
heavy-duty time, as we have been and will during our seatrials and
ongoing
everyday use, eventually it will be unnecessary to have any pre-engine
filtration - but I'll still keep the Racors, as long as I've bothered
to
install them.

Absolutely. The Racors are your first line of defense. They make it
easy to spot trouble before it gets serious and are easy to change.

Good luck with the sea trials.

.......... eventually it will be unnecessary to have any pre-engine
........

I dont think thats the case at all from filter 'experts'. You will
always need a 'choke' or 'last chance' filter to ensure protection.

A recirculation system reduces the particles 'offline' and therefore
virtually eliminate the 'particle challenge' to the racors. ......
meaning that the racors wont see particles; but, nowhere from any
filter expert will you find any statement of elimination. With a
recirculation system you may consider to decrease the 'size' of the
Racor and lessen the need for a parallel Racor installation (just a
hard piped bypass) ... but still must allow for the volumetric flow
(delta p) through the racor.

You've never gotten 100 hours on a RACOR diesel fuel filter before that
trip? What have you been using for fuel? Bunker C? You need a new fuel
source not an Algae-X.

Cap'n Ric

"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message
ups.com...
I just posted this to the Morgan Yacht Owners group:

Hi, and thanks for the anectdotal evidence (left below).

In the end, too many times the positive results reported (or found with
research) with A-X were done as part of a filtered recirculation
program as
well (and none I saw, without). Were the recirculation stories present
without the filters, I'd give higher credence to its efficacy.

So, absent any actual lab-grade proofs, and the inability to confirm
the
corporate testimonials (including my Sunsail contact sending me the
actual
marked-up press release from a couple of years ago, but confirming that
his
operation - the home base in Tortola - doesn't do retrofits nor do new
ones
come so equipped), I've gone just with the filtered polishing system.

That said, I'm just about to bleed the system to crank her up today. I
filled my dual Racors with fuel taken from the 10micron filter casing
on the
polishing system (20 and 10, in series, so it had all been run through
both
countless times, and immediately before through the 20micron filter).
That
fuel was extremely dark, though I'm very confident that it had little
or no
particulate in it. As well, the vacuum gauge on the polishing system
kicked
immediately (once the canisters were filled by the suction) to the same
place it's been in all the time it's been running (including after my
draining the cartridge to get the fuel for the Racors), so I presume
the
filters are nowhere near saturation. Yet, the fuel looked darker than
I've
ever seen diesel.

Will it run? We'll soon see. I have what will probably be a lifetime
supply
of 10micron Racor filters and am similarly endowed with fuel filter
canisters for the engine itself (though those have no micron rating, I
presume it to be severe), rated at twice the engine hours interval by
the
Perkins manual, so if the polishing wasn't enough to clean the fuel,
these
should be. If, after our seatrials, the Racors have no evidence of
fouling
(as I expect, due to the polishing), I'll exchange the 10s for 2s.
Filtration experts have opined that with a fuel polishing system going
heavy-duty time, as we have been and will during our seatrials and
ongoing
everyday use, eventually it will be unnecessary to have any pre-engine
filtration - but I'll still keep the Racors, as long as I've bothered
to
install them.

Off to bleed the bloody Perkins, and then see if I can exchange money
for
noise (burn diesel fuel in an IC environment). Sea trials will follow,
for
those interested and following our journey.

Reply to my original below for those interested...

L8R

Skip

PS it runs just fine

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery!
Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
----- Original Message -----
From:

I just downloaded a month's worth of e-mails, and saw your request for
first-hand experience with an Algae-X. We bought our Morgan 45 fall of
2005,
and almost immediately took off for winter in the Bahamas. Whenever we
ran
the engine in rough water, our filters would clog VERY quickly -- even
within a couple of hours. In one of my stops to purchase additional
Racor
filters, the diesel engine shop in Ft. Pierce, FL advised installing an
Algae-X, along with the fuel conditioner additive. As you mention, only
anecdotal stories. I figured I only had the purchase price to lose, and
bought one. This summer, I installed it in front of the Racor, and
added
plumbing in the fuel line to, in effect, have an on-board polishing
system.
Throw a couple of valves and fuel is circulated through the Racor by an
electric pump, bypassing the secondary filter and back to the tank. I
ran
this for two-three weeks at our marina. (This circuit can also direct
the
fuel through the secondary filter to the engine, so I can fill both
filters
after changing them by running the electric pump for a couple of
minutes.) I
changed the filters twice before leaving this fall for the Bahamas. At
the
first change, the Racor cartidge had flakes of stuff that looked like
lacquer; at the second change, just black, no flakes.

Our trip from Wilmington, NC to Marsh Harbour three weeks ago was more
of a
delivery than a pleasure cruise, so the engine was running most of the
trip.
If we could sail in our desired direction at 5 plus knots, we sailed,
otherwise motorsailed. I didn't look at the hour meter, but estimate we
ran
the engine 120 hours. At the end of our 880 nm trip, the vacuum guage
on the
Racor was reading exactly what it had read before we started.

Now for the disclaimers. 1. Maybe the Algae-X had an effect; maybe the
fuel
conditioner had an effect; maybe circulating fuel for three weeks would
have
had the same effect without either Algae-X of fuel conditioner. 2. Our
trip
was made in a big high-pressure system, so we had only 5-6 hours of
seas of
6 feet or so, otherwise 1-2 foot swells. So, we didn't have rough
weather.
But, we NEVER got 100+ hours on a filter cartridge last year. Being on
a
tight schedule for this trip, I didn't change oil and filters upon our
arrival. My wife and I shall be flying back to the Bahamas on 12/16,
and
will change oil and filters soon after. It'll be interesting to see the
condition of the Racor.

Bottom line? I don't think the Algae-X will hurt you, and maybe there
is
something to the hype.

Cap'n Ric wrote:
You've never gotten 100 hours on a RACOR diesel fuel filter before that
trip? What have you been using for fuel? Bunker C? You need a new fuel
source not an Algae-X.

Cap'n Ric

(ed. note: top posted directly over mine, indicating response to me,
leaving the entirety of a long post intact below)

Just wondering...

Do you ever read for context, or just scan to find something to carp
about?

The 100 hour comment was from another poster to which I replied that I
would not be using the Algae-X, concluding the commentary period I
sought in coming to that decision.

If you'd have actually read it (well, technically, bothered to
comprehend it; you had to have read _part_ of it at least, without
noticing my overlong sig many lines before the other correspondent's
comments), you'd see I have a fuel polishing system - one which, if
other anecdotal evidence is accurate, will result in virtually never
changing the Racors, and on which, regardless of any other anecdotal
evidence in support of them, caused me to decide *against* the Algae-X.
In any event, I have dual Racors on a switchout setup, which, should
one ever foul, will mean that I can throw the switch and keep on going.
Because I have a vac gauge, I'll make that changeover before the engine
stops.

And, *should* I have to bleed the system due to starvation because I
somehow missed it, it will take me all of about a minute with my
in-line pump and remote hand held starting switch, a 5/16 socket and
5/8 open-end. I know because I did it during my tests (put my Racors
to the wrong position, yielding no fuel)

Engine tests are pretty complete; we're stocking the ER shelves. The
tranny is firmly bolted to the shaft coupler because the tiny
differences in alignment will be moot with the rubber mounts flexing
under load or even just sitting there at idle in neutral; we'll start
motor trials as soon as stuff is buckled down...

Exciting times here as we get ready to sea trial...

L8R

Skip

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery!
Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain