I use 2 microns on my racor(500 series). The engine is a Volvo MD-30.

With a 10 some sludge will get thru..


Hanz


Wayne.B wrote:
On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 06:31:41 -0400, "Roger Long"
wrote:


"Wayne.B" wrote

I've had good luck with Biobor.

That's the stuff I almost bought. Do you just pour it in the tank before
filling?

I was buying just before I needed to fill the tank. The print on the Biobor
Jr. bottle was so small that, even with my glasses, I could only make out a
few phrases that looked like, "full protective clothing", "pre mix with
(some quantity) of fuel", etc. It was the latter that really made up my
mind because I didn't have time to arrange the necessary containers and
means of transfer.

The StarTron says that there is absolutely no risk of interaction with other
fuel treatments. (If the PRI people are correct, that's easy to believe.)
I could still try Biobor when I use up the next half tank.

Another question: Does the alge sludge get through the primary filter? I
plan to put a vacuum gauge in my fuel line the next time I open up the fuel
system. However, my secondary filter is downstream of both fuel pumps so I
can't put a gauge on that one unless it was a pressure gauge just before the
filter.


Good questions. If I still have a fair amount of fuel when I start, I
just pour in the total amount of Biobor that I will need. Otherwise I
will fill part way, add the Biobor, and resume fueling. I wear rubber
gloves when handling it. It's a good practice to wear them when
handling diesel also.

My primary filters are 10 micron Racors with vacuum guages. As long
as I keep an eye on the vacuum and swap out the Racors in a timely
manner, the secondary filters mounted on the engine stay clean. The
sediment bowl on the Racors also needs to be checked periodically.

I replace the secondary fuel filters once a year as preventive
maintenance.

I've used Startron since it was Soltron and hard to find, about 6
years. When I first got the boat, I shocked the tanks per their
directions,then had the fuel polished. I've used it ever since. I had
a small leak a couple of years ago, and we opened up the tank to clean
it out and line it with aircraft fuel tank sealant. The inside of the
tank was pretty darned clean. This is a steel tank on a 20 year old
trawler. There was a little bit of black stuff, maybe 1/8" thick on
the very bottom, and some sediment which was mostly rust falling off
the top of the tank, where the fuel doesn't hardly ever slosh up and
cover. I've been very impressed with Startron, and continue to use and
recommend it. The PRI stuff at least looks good too, but I've never
tried it personally. I do have to wonder about someone who spends all
that time/effort bashing their competition though. If your product is
so good, just sell it on it's merits.

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 07:35:43 -0400, Hanz Schmidt
wrote:

I use 2 microns on my racor(500 series). The engine is a Volvo MD-30.

With a 10 some sludge will get thru..

This topic has been debated endlessly on the Trawler mailing lists
where it was a hot topic for a while. Most engine manufacturers
recommend 10 micron for the primaries, typically Racors, and 2 microns
in the secondary engine mounted filters. Their rationale is that the
10 micron filters capture a lot of the smaller particles also, and
that the secondaries need to be replaced on a regular schedule
regardless.

Sludge is heavy, much larger than 10 microns. If you have sludge
getting through your Racors they are leaking, probably because you are
using FG500s without the necessary spacer. This is a common problem
with the Racor 500s and many people do not know about it. I ended up
replacing my 500s with 900s but that would be overkill for small
sailboat engines.

For more information on the 2 micron vs 10 micron debate look he

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...& btnG=Search

or

http://tinyurl.com/258xnk

I've been using Soltron about 7 years (the original stuff). Before using
it, my filters took a lot slime out (from the algae); after using it,
the output is like 'coffee grains', which filter out easily. The filters
last about twice as long. I have 3 fuel tanks (about 200 gallons of
diesel). YES, it's a sailboat that been to Europe, in the Med, and back.
Been in the Caribbean 4 times.

Before I started using Soltron, I used Biobor (for 15 yrs). The tanks
had 'junk' on the bottom and sides. The line was also filled with the
same 'junk'. After using Soltron, the tanks are 'clean' and I can go for
about 200 hours (about 200 gallons) before replacing the racors (500
series). By the way, I use a Baha filter when I fuel up.

I don't know a lot of 'testing', but I do know the results of using
Soltron. From my experience, I won't put anything else in my tanks
except SOLTRON.


IMHO


Hanz


Roger Long wrote:
I'm just starting to see some signs of something that looks like alge on the
walls of my Racor sediment bowl so I decided it was time to put something in
the tank to get ahead of the problem before there is so much that killing it
produces a mass of sludge to clog the filters.

After looking at the dire poison warnings on many of the bottles, I bought
Starbritte StarTron. The enzyme approach seems to make sense. According to
the brocure on the bottle, it seems to prevent the alge from clumping rather
than killing it.

I did the research after since I needed to fill the tank and, with my
economical engine, there may not be another fill this summer.

The research:

Found this site which look good and has some testimonials from reputable
sounding people:

http://www.priproducts.com/default.htm

They say:

"Soltron, also re-packaged as Startron, is composed of odorless mineral
spirits, a form of high-grade kerosene. Soltron makes the bold claim that
the product contains biological enzymes that "eat" impurities in fuel
including microorganisms, hence improve fuel stability. Fact is, enzymes are
amino acids - not living organisms that "eat". Chemically, amino acids are
typically not capable of surviving in a hydrocarbon base, including
petroleum fuels. While Soltron provides "testimonials" from individual
users regarding product effectiveness, independent laboratory testing for
fuel stability tells a completely different story.
We had Soltron independently tested by Saybolt - Core Laboratory, a well
respected international petroleum testing laboratory that routinely conducts
petroleum testing for major refiners. The industry standard ASTM-D2274
testing provided the following results. In summary, Soltron failed to
improve fuel stability. In fact, it made the fuel, a California Air
Resources Board mandated low-sulfur diesel (0.02%), less stable."

Of course, they also say not to believe anything you read on a website
(except theirs).

I'm sure this is the kind of thing where there are as many opinons as
posters to this newsgroup but, the questions of the day a

Is all this stuff snake oil?

Is putting powerful and dangerous biocides in the tank and pulling the
sludge out with the filters the only option? (In between major fuel
polishing episodes.)

Does anyone know a qood source of objective information about what works and
doesn't?

--

Roger Long

StarTron report posted 07/20:

My sediment bowl had been clear for two years and had just a few deposits of
green on the sides when I put the StarTron in and first posted this thread.

About four engine hours later, the sediment bowl is solid green and I'm
about to replace all my filters. It certainly seems like the StarTon is
doing something and is more than just the mineral spirits that PRI claims.

--
Roger Long

Was it 'solid green' or more like 'coffee grounds'??

Hanz


Roger Long wrote:

StarTron report posted 07/20:

My sediment bowl had been clear for two years and had just a few
deposits of green on the sides when I put the StarTron in and first
posted this thread.

About four engine hours later, the sediment bowl is solid green and I'm
about to replace all my filters. It certainly seems like the StarTon is
doing something and is more than just the mineral spirits that PRI claims.

"Hanz Schmidt" wrote
Was it 'solid green' or more like 'coffee grounds'??


When I looked in the bowl with a flash light behind it yesterday, it looked
solid dark green, as if it had been filled with paint. My heart skipped at
every little change in engine sound on the six hour motor home.

When I drained it today, there was no water (after 2 1/2 seasons) and it
looked just like red fuel as it drained out. The sediment bowl was mostly
clear after with about 20% coverage of something that looks like alge. The
2 micron Racor filter, originally white, was dark green, almost black. The
secondary filter looked like it had been put in yesterday. No coffee
grounds.

--
Roger Long

I believe it is a result of the soltron(startron) which attacked the
leftover algae that was on the bottom/side/top of the fuel tank. It
'eats' it up and allows the filter to take it out.

I've had the same thing in my racor 2 micron.

It's doing it thing...

Hanz
Roger Long wrote:
"Hanz Schmidt" wrote

Was it 'solid green' or more like 'coffee grounds'??



When I looked in the bowl with a flash light behind it yesterday, it looked
solid dark green, as if it had been filled with paint. My heart skipped at
every little change in engine sound on the six hour motor home.

When I drained it today, there was no water (after 2 1/2 seasons) and it
looked just like red fuel as it drained out. The sediment bowl was mostly
clear after with about 20% coverage of something that looks like alge. The
2 micron Racor filter, originally white, was dark green, almost black. The
secondary filter looked like it had been put in yesterday. No coffee
grounds.

--
Roger Long

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 21:43:00 -0400, Hanz Schmidt
wrote:

It's doing it thing...

I agree. It's not unusual for the filters to load up a bit after
using a fuel treatment. That's a good thing because it means the gunk
is being cleaned out of the tanks and being redeposited in the
filters.

A little extra vigilance is required with the filters however while
this is going on.