+xWhen we launched this year after two years of inactivity due to Covid in Ireland, our filter promptly clogged and the engine died. We switched filters (have a dual system) and made it to the dock only for the engine to fail again. There was crud in the filtered fuel in both cases.
We couldn't locate our spare Racor filters so we left it for the week, and ordered new filters and bug killer. We left the biocide to work overnight when we returned and ran the fuel polishing system afterwards. Not a problem since and the Racors were clean.
Ever since Ireland switched to white diesel for yachts (which I believe can contain up to 5% ethanol) and started adding ethanol to petrol, we've had problems with biological issues in both
Aleria's fuel tanks and our dinghy engines. We've had hot weather here in summer now but very mild winters so we are not sure what to do next. But the first thing Alex does in the Spring is clean the carburettors of our dinghy engines cleaning out the gummy substance that forms due to the hygroscopic nature of ethanol. I suppose we will now always add biocide when laying up and polish our diesel fuel at the start of the season.
As to full versus empty, in America, we had to leave it full because the condensation in New England was epic. Whether we need it here in Ireland is a question but, maybe because of habit, we've always left it full.
Hi Daria,
Sorry you encountered such initial difficulties. It was wise to have dual filters. It sounds like you had/have a bad bug problem. I would also carry a lot of extra filters: your fuel tanks internal surfaces may still be covered in crud that can foul the filters.
I would consider, with appropriate back-up, going out on a boisterous wavy day and slamming into waves for a bit. Really shake up the fuel in the tanks and try to shake the crud loose. That is, if your tanks are like most and pretty difficult to access for cleaning.
One can go through a number of filters in this way.
This is likely to happen anyway a few times during a season, better to do it a controlled way than on some lee shore unexpectedly.
BTW, if memory serves, RC Collins of marinehowto (a very respected source of marine knowledge), did an experiment on condensation, during a Maine winter on empty tank condensation concluding that needing full tanks to discourage condensation was a marine-myith. (the full article can be found on his site along with many other informative photo essays.)
My winters in the UK with not full tanks seemed to validate this, although the weather was less extreme than Maine.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy