Racor Filters

[Administrator]

It occurs to me that we surely spend a lot of time talking about cleaning out carbs when dealing with dirty fuel, but the primary filter (Racor or otherwise) is almost never mentioned.

Has anyone experimented with the Racor S3228SUL 2 micron version, realizing that this makes the small metal "polishing filter" downstream (which I think is 7 or 8 microns) redundant?

I found this on the Parker website:

Recent changes to gasoline fuel
blends have resulted in many boaters
requesting a more efficient, high
performance media for contaminant
and water removal. Racor’s 2-micron
Aquabloc®
media has been used
successfully in demanding diesel engine
fuel injection system applications.
Gasoline users can expect the same
high performance and efficiency.
One effect of ethanol blended fuel is
fuel tank and fuel system component
“cleansing” resulting in more
contaminates in the fuel stream. Racor
filters trap particles in their Aquabloc®
media which also repels the damaging
water into the drainable collection bowl

How often do you swap out the primary filter?

When you do remove the old one, do you pour the contents into a glass jar to get some sense of how much water was trapped?

I confess to being paranoid about always replacing this filter and the impeller before a problem presents itself, rather than after.

Bill

[ndutton]

My filter is not a Racor but rather a spin on disposable type so I don’t know if my experience and practice applies. One advantage is a new ‘bowl’ with each filter service. I replace the filter annually, always inspect its contents in a glass bowl, replace the fill plate O rings bi-annually and never use gas from the fuel dock. Marina rules prohibit it but I still fuel from Jerry cans with gas from a high volume terrestrial station. No polishing filter either.

[joe_db]

I have got totally away from Racor. They are much more expensive than the $10-$20 spin-on filters, seem to rust just as fast as the cheap ones, and are next to impossible to drain without getting gas all over you and the boat. Even if it weren't for all that, getting the bowl off the bottom takes superhuman strength
All that said, I have NEVER had so much dirt that any fuel filter got clogged with it. My fuel issues have all been water getting into the fuel, which the Racor (or any other filter) will not be able to separate out anyway with ethanol gas, and forms of "goo" that are either ethanol corrosion of the carb, chemicals of some kind that are in liquid form and go through the filters*, or perhaps residue of evaporated fuel.
The extra polishing filter is invaluable IMHO because that is the disconnect point when I take the carb off. Little rubber bits ripped from the hoses when you take them off the barbs have no chance to make it into the carb

* Bertram fiberglass fuel tanks were being dissolved by ethanol and the resin went right through any filters to go on and ruin expensive engines. If you ever buy a gasoline fueled Bertram, make SURE the fuel tanks have been replaced! Do note that ethanol can dissolve various kinds of goo from ANYPLACE in the supply chain, not just your own tank. Many a marina was giving out horrible gas for some time after the ethanol switch when years of crud dissolved off their own storage tanks and then went into yours

[joe_db]

I just thought of something: Is Racor implying that their 2 micron filter will *remove water from ethanol-gasoline mixtures* ?
My experience with water in the tank and a Racor is that is NOT the case - not even remotely
A little water just mixes in with the fuel and goes right through. A little more and you get this nasty alcohol-water mix that settles out of the gasoline. That stuff DID make it through my Racor and when I called them their engineer told me that their filters were never designed to remove water and alcohol mixtures from fuel.

[JOHN COOKSON]

Originally Posted by joe_db

I just thought of something: Is Racor implying that their 2 micron filter will *remove water from ethanol-gasoline mixtures* ?
My experience with water in the tank and a Racor is that is NOT the case - not even remotely
A little water just mixes in with the fuel and goes right through. A little more and you get this nasty alcohol-water mix that settles out of the gasoline. That stuff DID make it through my Racor and when I called them their engineer told me that their filters were never designed to remove water and alcohol mixtures from fuel.

Absolutely.
Water, ethanol, or a combined water- ethanol molecule are much smaller than than 2 microns. There is no way to "filter" them out. The best bet would be to adsorb them on some sort of special media that would let the gasoline through but retain the more polar water and ethanol molecules. Sort of a reverse oil adsorb cloth.

TRUE GRIT

[Administrator]

Certainly, water is not "filtered" out. Maybe the separation of water from fuel has to do with a difference in the densities of the two? Just guessing...

Bill

[ndutton]

If you guys invested half the energy in keeping water out of the tank as you do dealing with it after it's in the tank life would be much simpler.

[joe_db]

Originally Posted by Administrator

Certainly, water is not "filtered" out. Maybe the separation of water from fuel has to do with a difference in the densities of the two? Just guessing...

Bill

Water is easily separated from gasoline. I do it every time I preflight an airplane, all the tanks and the fuel filters have drains and any water comes out. Gravity does the work for you, just like the little cup on mechanical pump A4s. Water will settle out of gasoline in there.
Separating water from E10 gas is a whole 'nother story
A little water is thoroughly mixed with the ethanol that is thoroughly mixed with the gas. That will just burn. A little more and you get phase separation. The nasty goo that results is not filtered nor separated out by a Racor. I can tell you that from trying it
If you somehow could get rid of it, the "gasoline" that remains is not fit to burn anyway.

[ndutton]

Originally Posted by joe_db

If you somehow could get rid of it, the "gasoline" that remains is not fit to burn anyway.

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