I'll check it out, thanks!

Doug

"Charlie J" wrote in message
...
Doug-
RCI Fuel Purifiers have capacities from 1.5 to 400 gpm...they have no
moving
parts and no element to change. The purification is done with baffle and
coalescer plates. These purifiers remove particulate down to less than 10
microns and 99.9% of water. Their website is:
http://www.rcipurifier.com/

In all honesty, I am associated with this company (and with Gulf Coast
Filters) and I manufacture onboard fuel polishers.


--
Charlie Johnson
JTB Marine Service
St. Petersburg, FL
727.560.9065



"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
I am designing a fuel polishing and transfer system. My thought
is to use valves to route fuel from any tank to any tank. No
problem with that part. I want to be able to just transfer fuel
or switch in a filter to polish the fuel while transferring. Since
I can select the same tank for source and destination, I can
polish fuel in place as well. The problem comes with the selection
of a pump. I was looking at a Groco or Jabsco pump which seems
good for transfer purposes, but way exceeds the flowrate of the
filter when polishing. A Walbro fuel pump (which I have as a priming
pump now) seems like a good fit for polishing (33 GPH) but will be slow
when just transferring fuel. What happens when a 5.5 GPM pump
(Jabsco) is pushing fuel through a filter rated at 60 GPH (RACOR 500)?

Thanks!
Doug
s/v Callista

I'll check it out, thanks!

Doug

"Charlie J" wrote in message
...
Doug-
RCI Fuel Purifiers have capacities from 1.5 to 400 gpm...they have no
moving
parts and no element to change. The purification is done with baffle and
coalescer plates. These purifiers remove particulate down to less than 10
microns and 99.9% of water. Their website is:
http://www.rcipurifier.com/

In all honesty, I am associated with this company (and with Gulf Coast
Filters) and I manufacture onboard fuel polishers.


--
Charlie Johnson
JTB Marine Service
St. Petersburg, FL
727.560.9065



"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
I am designing a fuel polishing and transfer system. My thought
is to use valves to route fuel from any tank to any tank. No
problem with that part. I want to be able to just transfer fuel
or switch in a filter to polish the fuel while transferring. Since
I can select the same tank for source and destination, I can
polish fuel in place as well. The problem comes with the selection
of a pump. I was looking at a Groco or Jabsco pump which seems
good for transfer purposes, but way exceeds the flowrate of the
filter when polishing. A Walbro fuel pump (which I have as a priming
pump now) seems like a good fit for polishing (33 GPH) but will be slow
when just transferring fuel. What happens when a 5.5 GPM pump
(Jabsco) is pushing fuel through a filter rated at 60 GPH (RACOR 500)?

Thanks!
Doug
s/v Callista

On Tue, 25 Nov 2003 17:49:20 -0500, "Doug Dotson"
wrote:

I am designing a fuel polishing and transfer system. My thought
is to use valves to route fuel from any tank to any tank. No
problem with that part. I want to be able to just transfer fuel
or switch in a filter to polish the fuel while transferring. Since
I can select the same tank for source and destination, I can
polish fuel in place as well. The problem comes with the selection
of a pump. I was looking at a Groco or Jabsco pump which seems
good for transfer purposes, but way exceeds the flowrate of the
filter when polishing. A Walbro fuel pump (which I have as a priming
pump now) seems like a good fit for polishing (33 GPH) but will be slow
when just transferring fuel. What happens when a 5.5 GPM pump
(Jabsco) is pushing fuel through a filter rated at 60 GPH (RACOR 500)?

Thanks!
Doug
s/v Callista

Doug,

I just finished building a fuel polishing system for my boat, using a
Walbro pump. I had an old Fram filter (using a Wix element) and
purchased a new Racor. With the system I can change filters while the
engine is running. I can also monitor the filters with a vacuum gage
so I know in advance when a filter is getting clogged. I wanted a
pump that would pull fuel through the system faster than the Walbro so
that I could do more filtering in a set period of time. But beginning
with advice from contributors to this newsgroup and then researching
on my own, I found that the filters would not filter properly if the
fuel were pulled through faster.

So, unless you are willing to purchase very large (and expensive)
filters or several filters in parallel (also expensive), you will need
a pump like the Walbro for fuel polishing and a separate pump for fuel
transfer, if you want to transfer quickly. Also note that the Walbro
is specified for continuous operation while some other fuel tolerant
pumps are not. You need continuous operation for polishing.

To solve the question of only polishing clean fuel while the crud
remained on the bottom of the tank, I have a sealable opening in the
top of the tank and enough room to put in a long stick to stir the
fuel. My 100 gallon tank does not seem to have baffles that would
render this method less effective.

I would have installed a Gulf Coast filter (paper towels) instead of
the old Fram, but I could not afford one. They are damned expensive.
I have no personal knowledge nor objective research results that back
up their claims of superior filtering. I just accepted the hype.

BTW I saw a Walbro pump for sale on E-Bay two days after I purchased
mine, and for half the price I paid. The seller seemed to have
several available.

Lee Huddleston
s/v Truelove

"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
I am designing a fuel polishing and transfer system. My thought

[snip]

polish fuel in place as well. The problem comes with the selection
of a pump. I was looking at a Groco or Jabsco pump which seems
good for transfer purposes, but way exceeds the flowrate of the
filter when polishing. A Walbro fuel pump (which I have as a priming
pump now) seems like a good fit for polishing (33 GPH) but will be slow
when just transferring fuel. What happens when a 5.5 GPM pump
(Jabsco) is pushing fuel through a filter rated at 60 GPH (RACOR 500)?

Probably nothing much will happen to the filter - as you increase the flow
through the filter, the resistance increases. The increased resistance
reduces the output of the pump (5.5 GPM is probably with no resistance). At
some point you'll reach an equilibrium condition where the increased
resistance of the filter meets the fuel pump's output curve.

You could talk to Racor (now owned by Parker I think) about exceeding the
rated flow rates and see if they have a contrary opinion. Perhaps the
filtering action is impeeded by the higher flow rate. You could also
install a gate valve in the system to throttle the pump output. You could
check the pump output by pumping into a temporary container and measuring
the output.

Whatever brand of pump you get, make sure it is rated for pumping fuel.

--
Evan Gatehouse

you'll have to rewrite my email address to get to me
ceilydh AT 3web dot net
(fools the spammers)

Doug-
RCI Fuel Purifiers have capacities from 1.5 to 400 gpm...they have no moving
parts and no element to change. The purification is done with baffle and
coalescer plates. These purifiers remove particulate down to less than 10
microns and 99.9% of water. Their website is: http://www.rcipurifier.com/

In all honesty, I am associated with this company (and with Gulf Coast
Filters) and I manufacture onboard fuel polishers.


--
Charlie Johnson
JTB Marine Service
St. Petersburg, FL
727.560.9065



"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
I am designing a fuel polishing and transfer system. My thought
is to use valves to route fuel from any tank to any tank. No
problem with that part. I want to be able to just transfer fuel
or switch in a filter to polish the fuel while transferring. Since
I can select the same tank for source and destination, I can
polish fuel in place as well. The problem comes with the selection
of a pump. I was looking at a Groco or Jabsco pump which seems
good for transfer purposes, but way exceeds the flowrate of the
filter when polishing. A Walbro fuel pump (which I have as a priming
pump now) seems like a good fit for polishing (33 GPH) but will be slow
when just transferring fuel. What happens when a 5.5 GPM pump
(Jabsco) is pushing fuel through a filter rated at 60 GPH (RACOR 500)?

Thanks!
Doug
s/v Callista

Concerns were expressed on this thread about pulling too much flow thru a
polishing filter. I polish with a Racor 500 in a stand-alone system. Some
time ago I called Racor and found out it's cartridge is rated for 20-25psi.
I equipped my polishing system with a vacuum gauge, same as on my engine.
Vacuum can then be monitored and regulated in a couple ways. One way is
variable speed pump. The other uses a bypass valve, so that not all fuel
being pumped goes thru pump. I'll usually keep the filter vacuum around 10
psi to be conservative. When it rises 5psi that's sign the filter is getting
clogged.

As for stirring up the crud, one guy told me he shoots a jet of air around
the bottom of his tanks. Has a small L-shaped copper tube on an air hose,
and with it tied to a dowel/rod pushes it to bottom and "aims" it around.
He'll them sometimes just let the thing bubble away while polishing to help
keep particulate matter in suspension.

Before "bubbling" the tank or doing anything else, first pump a quart or two
off the bottom into glass jar and check for water. And continue this,
discarding the water, until no more is seen.

FWIW.
Len

--
Eliminate "ns" for email address.

I had thought of a bubbling mechanism to stir the tank while polishing.
Also thought if the return from the polishing system was placed at the
opposite end of the tank from the uptake it might keep things mixed
up a bit. I have a draincock at the lowest of each of my tanks so draining
out water and a bit of sediment is pretty easy.

Doug

"Len Krauss" wrote in message
...
Concerns were expressed on this thread about pulling too much flow thru a
polishing filter. I polish with a Racor 500 in a stand-alone system. Some
time ago I called Racor and found out it's cartridge is rated for
20-25psi.
I equipped my polishing system with a vacuum gauge, same as on my engine.
Vacuum can then be monitored and regulated in a couple ways. One way is
variable speed pump. The other uses a bypass valve, so that not all fuel
being pumped goes thru pump. I'll usually keep the filter vacuum around 10
psi to be conservative. When it rises 5psi that's sign the filter is
getting
clogged.

As for stirring up the crud, one guy told me he shoots a jet of air around
the bottom of his tanks. Has a small L-shaped copper tube on an air hose,
and with it tied to a dowel/rod pushes it to bottom and "aims" it around.
He'll them sometimes just let the thing bubble away while polishing to
help
keep particulate matter in suspension.

Before "bubbling" the tank or doing anything else, first pump a quart or
two
off the bottom into glass jar and check for water. And continue this,
discarding the water, until no more is seen.

FWIW.
Len

--
Eliminate "ns" for email address.

That works. I put the pickup at bottom and return at top thru the filler
hole. Some people use the tank return -- they remove hose or have a
three-way valve. You might be able to connect a hose to your draincock --
which would simplify things.
Len

I had thought of a bubbling mechanism to stir the tank while polishing.
Also thought if the return from the polishing system was placed at the
opposite end of the tank from the uptake it might keep things mixed
up a bit. I have a draincock at the lowest of each of my tanks so draining
out water and a bit of sediment is pretty easy.

Doug

"Len Krauss" wrote in message
...
Concerns were expressed on this thread about pulling too much flow thru
a
polishing filter. I polish with a Racor 500 in a stand-alone system.
Some
time ago I called Racor and found out it's cartridge is rated for
20-25psi.
I equipped my polishing system with a vacuum gauge, same as on my
engine.
Vacuum can then be monitored and regulated in a couple ways. One way is
variable speed pump. The other uses a bypass valve, so that not all fuel
being pumped goes thru pump. I'll usually keep the filter vacuum around
10
psi to be conservative. When it rises 5psi that's sign the filter is
getting
clogged.

As for stirring up the crud, one guy told me he shoots a jet of air
around
the bottom of his tanks. Has a small L-shaped copper tube on an air
hose,
and with it tied to a dowel/rod pushes it to bottom and "aims" it
around.
He'll them sometimes just let the thing bubble away while polishing to
help
keep particulate matter in suspension.

Before "bubbling" the tank or doing anything else, first pump a quart or
two
off the bottom into glass jar and check for water. And continue this,
discarding the water, until no more is seen.

FWIW.
Len

--
Eliminate "ns" for email address.

I'm building a whole new unit for all the uptakes and returns. My
tanks are built-in. Integral to the hull. A plate containing everything
bolts through the top of the tank. But if I decide to place the return
for the polishing system at the opposite end of the tank, I'll have to
fashion a second unit at the opposite end.

Doug
s/v Callista

"Len Krauss" wrote in message
...
That works. I put the pickup at bottom and return at top thru the filler
hole. Some people use the tank return -- they remove hose or have a
three-way valve. You might be able to connect a hose to your draincock --
which would simplify things.
Len

I had thought of a bubbling mechanism to stir the tank while polishing.
Also thought if the return from the polishing system was placed at the
opposite end of the tank from the uptake it might keep things mixed
up a bit. I have a draincock at the lowest of each of my tanks so
draining
out water and a bit of sediment is pretty easy.

Doug

"Len Krauss" wrote in message
...
Concerns were expressed on this thread about pulling too much flow
thru
a
polishing filter. I polish with a Racor 500 in a stand-alone system.
Some
time ago I called Racor and found out it's cartridge is rated for
20-25psi.
I equipped my polishing system with a vacuum gauge, same as on my
engine.
Vacuum can then be monitored and regulated in a couple ways. One way
is
variable speed pump. The other uses a bypass valve, so that not all
fuel
being pumped goes thru pump. I'll usually keep the filter vacuum
around
10
psi to be conservative. When it rises 5psi that's sign the filter is
getting
clogged.

As for stirring up the crud, one guy told me he shoots a jet of air
around
the bottom of his tanks. Has a small L-shaped copper tube on an air
hose,
and with it tied to a dowel/rod pushes it to bottom and "aims" it
around.
He'll them sometimes just let the thing bubble away while polishing to
help
keep particulate matter in suspension.

Before "bubbling" the tank or doing anything else, first pump a quart
or
two
off the bottom into glass jar and check for water. And continue this,
discarding the water, until no more is seen.

FWIW.
Len

--
Eliminate "ns" for email address.

Doug - Since you're messing around with changes, you might what to have a
look at what friend Ray did for ideas if nothing else. See:
http://sundowner.thebilge.com/fuelsystem.htm
Len

--
Eliminate "ns" for email address.
"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
I'm building a whole new unit for all the uptakes and returns. My
tanks are built-in. Integral to the hull. A plate containing everything
bolts through the top of the tank. But if I decide to place the return
for the polishing system at the opposite end of the tank, I'll have to
fashion a second unit at the opposite end.

Doug
s/v Callista

"Len Krauss" wrote in message
...
That works. I put the pickup at bottom and return at top thru the filler
hole. Some people use the tank return -- they remove hose or have a
three-way valve. You might be able to connect a hose to your
draincock --
which would simplify things.
Len

I had thought of a bubbling mechanism to stir the tank while
polishing.
Also thought if the return from the polishing system was placed at the
opposite end of the tank from the uptake it might keep things mixed
up a bit. I have a draincock at the lowest of each of my tanks so
draining
out water and a bit of sediment is pretty easy.

Doug

"Len Krauss" wrote in message
...
Concerns were expressed on this thread about pulling too much flow
thru
a
polishing filter. I polish with a Racor 500 in a stand-alone system.
Some
time ago I called Racor and found out it's cartridge is rated for
20-25psi.
I equipped my polishing system with a vacuum gauge, same as on my
engine.
Vacuum can then be monitored and regulated in a couple ways. One way
is
variable speed pump. The other uses a bypass valve, so that not all
fuel
being pumped goes thru pump. I'll usually keep the filter vacuum
around
10
psi to be conservative. When it rises 5psi that's sign the filter is
getting
clogged.

As for stirring up the crud, one guy told me he shoots a jet of air
around
the bottom of his tanks. Has a small L-shaped copper tube on an air
hose,
and with it tied to a dowel/rod pushes it to bottom and "aims" it
around.
He'll them sometimes just let the thing bubble away while polishing
to
help
keep particulate matter in suspension.

Before "bubbling" the tank or doing anything else, first pump a
quart
or
two
off the bottom into glass jar and check for water. And continue
this,
discarding the water, until no more is seen.

FWIW.
Len

--
Eliminate "ns" for email address.