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. The rep claimed that
Cummins diesels now puts them on all their engines after convincing
proof following too many clogged-filter episodes, and that the CG uses
them on all their ships (which the website doesn't validate, though
there is a testimonial from a Coastie and a Cummins guy).

Visiting the website provides some interesting testimonials, including
a nice pictorial by a dual tank, dual engine, tester. Testimonials
include several large users. Sunsail was among them, and I have a
question in to my Sunsail contact in Tortola - if it's real, despite
there being no reference to it on their website, I think I'd buy it.
However...

Of concern, nearly all the successful users also cited adding some fuel
treatment to the system - thus, I don't know if that's at root of the
success, or, if the assertions of the magnetic system breaking up the
clumped stuff (claimed to be asphalts, paraffins, and other long-chain
un-distillates), which then burns (vs collecting on the filters, being
discarded, losing energy from those otherwise broken-up and now
combustible stuff in the process). Many of them also cited several
tankfuls before reaching equilibrium, which might merely be new fuel.
However, one of the typical citations is reduced injector
loss/increased time between change/service, and in some cases, zero
filter change (one of the points made in the presentation's ostensibly
technical presentation was that what clogs filters is asphalts, etc.
and that microorganisms, if not precipitated from dead critters, passes
through filters and is burned) following initial "polishing").

Googling Algae-X and other key words led to a government site which had
done much magnetic (and other mileage-enhancing) gadget testing
(albeit, since it was auto oriented, prolly for gas engines), and found
no benefit to them. That it was relevant to mileage claims (vs
contaminant elimination) further leads me to at least partly discount
that.

There's also a Navy site which addresses additives, but not
"conditioners" such as Algae-X.

Of course, much hyperbole exists, with the emphasis on "hype," in the
anecdotal repertoire of the internet. Lots of heat and little light.
Not the first user report (that I found, at any rate) other than on the
company website. Plenty of non-users slamming it.

So, to the point. Who here has installed Algae-X and with what result?
If positive, neutral or negative, how was that view reached?
Empirical? Gut feel? Some data? Rigorous documentation?

So, again, if you've (or, your best buddy, on whose boat you're a
regular and intimately familiar with the outcome) installed this, I'd
like to hear about it.

At the risk of sounding pedantic (well, I _do_, so, "at the risk of
offending those who object"), please, no hype, or slams unless you've
used it to failure. Also, please don't reply unless you're one of the
folks in the preceding paragraph or asking clarifying questions.
Nobody will learn anything from that and it will be one of those 90+
message threads which has only 5 on point. I'm currently very short on
time and can't afford to wade through the mudslinging...

Thanks.

Other interested parties may wish to examine
http://www.algae-x.net/test_reports.htm, their test reports, and
http://www.algae-x.net/customers_marine_endorsement.htm, including the
pictorial mentioned above, titled "snake oil chronicles." I'm not sure
I like his testing modus, but it's pretty good for non-lab work. A
discussion of why this is supposed to work can be found at
http://www.algae-x.net/pdf/Tech_P_Effects_Mag_Field.pdf There's also
a report by a lab, taking a known contaminated fuel batch, showing the
kind of results claimed by the company, but at this writing I'm not
easily able to put my hands on it...

L8R

Skip, also fighting a fuel leak which will most likely involve cutting
the sole - and then, some horrible-to-contemplate resolution in the FRP
tank

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
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