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Maxum Owners Forum
Fuel Polishing:

I know there has been a thread on this subject, however, I would like to explore an additional phase on this. I have just installed a Gulf Coast Filter and Walboro pump per the instructions.  I felt that there was a problem with the fuel based on the fuel odor (rotten) and the engine Racor filters had much black slime in them.  Now that I see how much stuff came out of the Racors,  I am wondering how to get this out of the tank. I believe Belgoes is out of business where I bought the filter and pump and they sold a product called Soltron that was supposed to assist in returning the sludge back into suspension so the Gulf Coast filter could remove it. Anyone have experience with this?  The boat has 2  large Diesel tanks and has not had enough use to keep the fuel fresh. I have always treated the fuel for winter storage but it still got the algae.


Fuel Polishing, Again.

I have twin 450C Cummins diesels, 200+ Gallons in each tank, and boat in the Florida sun. The boat has been idle for most of the year, (we leave on May 24th for 9 weeks to make up for that). But, back to fuel polishing, the best way to polish fuel is to use it up, and buy fresh fuel. If your fuel smells stale it is, either use it up or have it removed and replaced. Second, keep algaecide in the fuel, run the engines, and drain the pre filters (Racors usually) of water and sediment by the bottom of the bowl after every other fill up. A diesel will naturally polish fuel through the return line to the diesel tank. Third, call in a fuel cleaner to polish your fuel at the dock. We have them the East and West coast in Florida. Ask your marina or your fuel dock for their number. Lastly, I would install a fuel polisher.
We have had water and algae in our starboard tank, this year, I added an algae killer and a water absorber, then ran the tank down, I got to 1/8 of a tank before I plugged the Racors, I drained the fuel bowl and was able to finish my run @ 70% power. Then changed all the fuel filters and put in fresh fuel. Yes, my plan was to use the boats Racors to do the removal. When the algae dies, it leaves behind the bodies of the guilty and they have to be removed from the tank somehow.
I'm in favor of clean fuel and have considered a fuel polisher, but I've already complicated my life enough and don't need an additional system on board. Especially one that cuts into the fuel system. I do use vacuum gauges on my Racors to show the condition of my fuel filters. An extremely good investment considering 90% of diesel problems are fuel related. I have never had my diesel fuel smell stale, I use a cetane booster from Racor every time I fuel up. Cetane is to diesel as Octane is to gas. Good diesel is 40 cetane, Cummins tests their diesels engines and rates them @ 44 cetane. A Cetane booster will raise the cetane to that level and put additional additives into the fuel to add to a clean burn, proper upper cylinder lubrication and algaecide. One Gallon of Racor's Diesel Conditioner Plus +, treats 2,560 gallons of fuel.

Captain Jim Clausen, MV Summer School

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Maxum Owners Forum
Fuel Shut off valves:
Many voice have stated the need for mandatory fuel shut off valves on all boat fuel tanks.

So I asked Peter Eikenberry of the USCG Office of Boating Safety.

Peter Eikenberry
-----Original Message-----
From: BillEGates@aol.com [Mailto:billegates@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 10:44 AM
To: Eikenberry, Peter
Subject: Peter, Can you clarify whether a shutoff valve is required by the USCG on Diesel fuel tank installations.

Peter, I found this "letter to the editor" in Professional Boatbuilder, October/November 2003 issue.
Can you clarify whether a shutoff valve is required on Diesel installations.
I hope this E-mail finds you well. I will not be attending IBEX this year.

Jim Clausen, Orlando, Fl
CaptainJim@maxumowners.org



Fuel Systems for
Pleasure Craft, Part One

To the Editor:

In "Fuel Systems for Pleasure Craft, Part One" (PBB No. 84, page 82), Dave Gerr calls for mandatory remote fuel shutoffs on all boats. I agree with this; it would be a great improvement for onboard firefighting. However, Coast Guard CFR regulations do not make it very clear whether fuel shutoff valves (remote or not) are required for diesel.

CFR 33 183.568 states that a fuel shutoff valve is required only when the line from tank to carburetor is below the top of the tank and an electrically operated stop valve at the tank withdrawal or antisiphon device is not present. If these conditions are present and the top of the tank is below the carburetor inlet, a shutoff valve shall be installed directly at the tank, readily accessible from outside the compartment. I had to read the CFR language a few times before I could translate this. Does the mention of carburetor mean this does not apply to diesel? At least diesel tanks are regulated by 33 CFR to have all openings at the top of tanks.

Luckily, American Boat & Yacht Council Standards and Technical Information Reports for Small Craft (H 33.14.2) clearly state, "A shutoff valve is required at the fuel tank in systems where fuel may siphon, and in gravity feed systems."

The burning boat pictured in the article was said to have all the required fuel shutoff valves on the tanks. However, without remote pulls on the valves, the setup might not have
allowed the crew to use the valves.

There is another voluntary standard for boatbuilders. The National Fire Protection Association publishes ATPA 302 Fire Protection Standard for Pleasure and Commercial Motor Craft Section 5-6.4.4 states, "A readily accessible manual shutoff valve shall be installed on all fuel tanks directly at the tank connection, except on those fuel systems provided with antisiphon protection." They make one more statement in 5-6.4.4 that Dave Gerr will be happy to see: "if the fuel tank(s) is located in machinery space(s), a remotely operated means of closing the valve(s) without opening machinery spaces shall be provided."

Colin Daugherty
Chicago, Illinois

And the answer from: PEikenberry@comdt.uscg.mil

RE: Peter, Can you clarify whether a shutoff valve is required by the USCG on Diesel fuel tank installations.

First let me say that when you read the CFR the first thing you have to read is the beginning of the subpart that says applicability. This tells you what the regulation applies to and any exceptions there may be. Additionally these regulations apply only to recreational boats. There are Separate regulations for commercial passenger carrying vessels.


Sec. 183.501 Applicability.
(a) This subpart applies to all boats that have gasoline engines, except outboard engines, for electrical generation or mechanical power for propulsion.

Put simply, this does not apply to diesel powered vessels, unless they have a permanently installed gasoline engine onboard, such as a generator.

In the letter below the standards referenced are voluntary standards. However, for liability and safety reasons most of the industry follows these standards. They are American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Both of those standards do require remotely controlled shutoff valves for diesel installations. There are also the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards. The ISO standards are mandatory in the European Union and many other countries.