SMX filters versus Racors

[Raymond Slingerland]

New boat to us. 970 CPL, 300 hp engines with some updates. Changing all the filters etc. Noted Racor 900s had water in them. One 300 gal. Tank. One filler station. Don’t like messing with the Racors. Changed from them on previous boat with the SMX double doubles and squeeze bulb primers. Still have 4 of the 1000 filters and 3 of the 19513 filters. Is there a shelf life for them? Probably 4 years old stored in a humidity controlled room. The Racors did separate some water, but would like to switch to screw on and screw off system with primer/pump capability. Pretty sure one engine, without the shutoff valve at the filter system has air in system Can I switch to the double doubles and achieve water separation or should I stay with the Racors until I get the water out??

Topic

[Raymond Slingerland]

fuel and water

Tony, great reply, gives me more things to look at. I also like your double double filter system since I had them on my previous boat. But at age 85 the agreement with my son-in-law is “I’ll buy the next boat but you have to maintain it”, My mistake was not letting him work with the Racors this time and I think that would have sealed the deal. Still have three Racors left that came with the boat, and will let him do them next time which probably isn’t going to be to far in the future.

[Tony Athens]

How does water get in your fuel tanks

Water in your fuel tanks……..

It goes like this, in this order…………

#1———Deck and cap rail fills let water thru the caps as water washes over them

#2———Fuel vents letting water in when the boat in being used with water washing up over them……….For decades couch engineers, “Naval architects” or whatever thought that putting tank vents on the outside of the hull was a “good thing”….I think many are still done that way today…..Talk about stupid.

#3———-Fuel providers –Not as likely as people want to think or want to place blame on

#4——————Condensation– Very unlikely on pleasure boats with very small tanks.. Mostly another old wives tale used as an excuse for #1 & #2 above…

Tony

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firehoser75

[Raymond Slingerland]

water in fuel

So changing to the Double double would be an improvement in that the 19513 would hold more water and the two filters would filter better.Assume it is the —513 that can handle the water. So it would be an improvement to change. Know have to figure out the water.problem. Not sure how water got in unless the filler cap seal is bad. Of course could have come from a bad pump supply as well. The forum doesn’t seem to put much credibility to the idea must keep the tanks full to preclude water buildup; so either it leaked in with the filler cap seal or it was pumped in. Are there other possibilities I am not aware off?? Thanks

[Philip]

The SMX/Fleetguard will not only filter better than the racor but also have the ability to separate and hold more water than a racor. However knowing there is water in the fuel I’m not sure I would count on the filters vs getting the water out of the fuel tank some other way.

Either way you need to figure out where the water is coming from and solve that issue and at the same time do everything you can to ensure water never reaches your engine. If that means having the tank pumped dry and clean and filling with fresh fuel so be it – it won’t be cheap but it will be a whole lot cheaper than the damage that water could do if it reaches your engine.

No shelf life issue with the filters that I’m aware of.

Phil

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