Fuel/Water separator

[Matt19020]

I was considering putting a fuel /water separator like this: http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... &id=569700
Do most people have this type of protection on an outboard? Or is this overkill for our use.
Being it is made of stainless would a feasable location be under the transom seat but above the well area? As of now the only filtering I have is the fuel filter built into my Suzuki 70...

[bastonjock]

i may be wrong but i thought that fuel/water separators were only used in Diesel engines,there is a moistyre content in diesel

[Matt19020]

Bastonjock I do not know?? This particular filter says not for use on diesel.
I usually bring my fuel with me and top the boat off when we use it.
This year I have decided to try and support the local marinas and use thier fuel ....yes it is more expensive but if we do not support them they may not be there any longer or offer the service. I am not one to preach but it makes sense for all of us to do this...

[Boblee]

A lot of our petrol is contaminated with water and other organisms especially in the remote areas, which is why we carry heaps of fuel but will be installing a separator this year before heading off.

[Catigale]

The Mercury BF has a small (100 mL size) fuel/water separator integral with the fuel filter under the cowl. Ive never found more than a drop or to of water in it, even when my gas has sat all winter.

I would be surprised if your motor doesnt have the same filter which will trap water. Unless you know gas in your area is loaded with water, I wouldnt look to make this more complex than that.

[tangentair]

We added one to our 28 foot's atomic 4 because we thought that the tank was sweating a lot, but like Cat, we seldom found anything. I think the ethnol in the gas will absorb a fair amount of moisture - I believe that is what the "dry gas" stuff they sell is mostly made of.

[ronacarme]

In Michigan, it is now hard to find gasoline not laced with ethanol. Michigan law no longer requires stations to post ethanol content unless greater than 10% and station personel have no clue.
Ethanol in E10 gas will separate from the gasoline and combine with any water (eg condensed from damp air) in the vented tank and sink to the bottom of the tank, where the fuel pickup can take the water/ethanol mix to the motor, and the motor can then stop. So in Michigan, a fuel/water separator between tank and motor is not a bad idea. Gotta get one.
This and other of E10's other dandy traits have become better known recently, eg loss of octane as the ethanol separates out, and ethanol's carb gumming (hence motor offing) capability after sitting in the tank for a month or two or passing thru lines previously used with MBTB (sp?) oxygenated gasoline.
This is aside from the lack of a clear energy gain, the increase in food grain prices worldwide, the added taxpayer subsidies to the grain farming and ethanol producer industries, and the downstream huge net increase (see the latest Time magazine) in carbon release to the atmosphere by turning forests to grazing land, and grazing land to crop land , to produce more fuel corn and soy, while we try to learn how to economically produce, on an industrial scale, ethanol from plants growable without much tillage or fertilizer (ie without oil) on non crop land.
Good luck with your fuel.
Ron

[Matt19020]

Well two years after this post I finnally took the 20 minutes to install this Mod...
I know others have questioned the feasability of this but I feel a little more comfortable with it on there

[Catigale]

Matt - are you sure you have that plumbed right? I would have guessed that the engine comes off one side, and your tanks would connect on the other, and it doesnt look this way in the pictures. I do like that the filter saves you from having to swap tanks on the water - nice feature. I once transited Woods Hole in MASS against the tide (5kts) - rocks, fast ferries, and lee shores everywhere - and ran out of gas just as I cleared the marker on the far side .....

[K9Kampers]

It is plumbed correct. In the bottom photo you can see the cast-in arrowheads indicating direction of flow. These plus the illustrated instructions take the guesswork out of the installation. The forward two ports flow into the filterhead while the rear two ports flow away from the filter.

[Catigale]

Im a dumba** of course. The filter supports not just our installation, but the installation of two tanks AND two motors - ergo a total of four inputs/outputs.

Which would support your next mod, titled the "In your face Billy" - two 140 HP outboards....wonder if that would plane??

[Sumner]

Matt that is nice. I'm putting one on when I add a tank. I'm looking at a RACOR Model #: 120RRAC01 ..............

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... &id=569700

... Is that what you used?

Thanks,

Sum

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[opie]

Sumner,

There is an error somewhere....

The actual factory Racor website shows the filter that Defender is selling as a 120 w/ small filter.. is actually a 320.. with a large filter. Which will you get if you order the item you show in the link?

I got the 120 from boats.net although it is private labeled "Suzuki."

Check out page B17 in this Racor pdf file for details. The 320 is 60gph and the 120 is 30gph. How fast do you intend to go......? ha

[Sumner]

Sumner,

There is an error somewhere....

The actual factory Racor website shows the filter that Defender is selling as a 120 w/ small filter.. is actually a 320.. with a large filter. Which will you get if you order the item you show in the link?

I got the 120 from boats.net although it is private labeled "Suzuki."

Check out page B17 in this Racor pdf file for details. The 320 is 60gph and the 120 is 30gph. How fast do you intend to go......? ha

Now I'm confused. The link I gave has the part number as 120RRAC01. The link you gave (thanks) shows that as the part number for the 30 gph. Isn't that what I want. I don't/can't go fast with an S, I'm just looking for clean fuel .

Thanks,

Sum

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[opie]

Sorry,
Defender had the wrong picture for the 120 and the price seemed high enough for the 320. I'm too picky and nosy sometimes.