I am thoroughly impressed with this video of yours on several levels! Much respect and thanks to you sir! This is an AMAZING video! I enjoyed your analysis of marine rescue events and then where you broke those events down further coming to the conclusion that the majority of diesel engine failures are caused by fuel contamination issues. I thought you were most wise to take on this specific issue proactively in your own vessel. Most impressively you got to the root of the problem. That root problem being the accumulation of bacteria, diesel-bug, in the bottom of the tank. To eliminate the source of diesel-bug caused fuel starvation or contamination induced engine failure you must eliminate the presence of the bug in the fuel system itself. It is not enough just to eliminate the "bug" suspended in the fuel while leaving the massive colonies of the "bug" still alive and accumulating in the bottom of the tank tucked away in the recesses of the fuel tank. It is just as you said; in foul weather, the physical jarring of the tank leads to large quantities of those "bugs" breaking away, from where they were hiding in the recesses of the tank, then making their way into the fuel to then clog the fuel filter and/or fuel injectors which leads to engine failure. Numerous boaters on UA-cam go through the effort of "polishing" their diesel fuel, very few of them get to actually mechanically cleaning their fuel storage tanks. You are also fluent in English and have put out this outstanding educational video in English which I suspect is not your 1st language even though you speak it as well as a "native" speaker. I very much admire you for that as it is something that I could not do in any other language. Very well done sir and thank you again! I have a question. Did you wire a separate electrical circuit from your ship's main DC circuit breaker/switch panel to power the DC diesel pump in your fuel polishing system? Or did you simply pick up 12 volts DC somewhere in the compartment to power the fuel polishing DC pump? Did the 12 volt DC fuel polishing pump come with its own fuse or circuit breaker? All of those questions come down to whether or not the 12 volt DC fuel pump (and its associated wiring) you installed is independently and separately protected by it own circuit breaker or fuse which is correctly sized for the expected electrical load of the pump and the size of the wire powering it. If the only overcurrent protection, for everything that is powered by the same circuit breaker that this new fuel polishing pump is powered by, is at the ship's DC circuit breaker/switch panel; is that circuit breaker properly sized (sized for the SMALLEST wire on that circuit)? If you have already done this OUTSTANDING. If not, may I respectfully suggest that you add a fuse, sized for the maximum current draw of the 12 volt DC fuel pump powering your fuel polishing system, as close as possible to where the wire supplying DC power to that pump is picking up the DC current from the ship's electrical system. -Respectfully
Hi apackwestbound, Whow, that one could call a serieus comment. And jam packed with compliments. Thanks a lot! Much appreciated you liked it and recognise the necessity of the issue. As for your question, yes, the pump has its own breaker. As does the full system and even the batterty now. You can check it on the videos 051, 053 and 054 where I re-wired the entire system. And took the right gage wire for the full system as well by the way. :) Hope you that content is also useful and thanks again for your nice reply!
Another item you can do.. Fresh water Rinse layup and Emergency Bilge Pump. On Starlight 1989 Beneteau Oceanis 350 has a Volvo Penta engine M2003 28hp anyway I was the second owner, so after I purchased the boat I was doing the shakedown cruise and ran the engine for about an hour and the overheated alarm went off , could not find a problem, cutting too the chase lots of growth and calcification of the tubes in the heat exchanger. Had too take the entire unit clean it and put it back, never wanted to do that again figured was not the use rather the extended, layup with saltwater, also the corrosion factor of the elbow, had to replace that. So as a solution I cam up with this manifold I constructed with brass and bronze fittings and ball valves for each connection, from the thru hull , to the manifold, ball on the thru hull and on the manifold did the same at the on end valve to the sea strainer to the engine, next thru hull, pressure fresh water, and at the other end again valve to a run to the bilge. This allows me to turn on the fresh water, backwash the thru hull, then shutoff and run the engine for 2 minutes on fresh water before shutting down the engine for the night or an extended time. It also in the final configuration allows me to bring to bear as an emergency pump, on my main bilge the engine, if there is a major leak in the boat that bilge pumps cannot handle for whatever reason, (lightning strikes) etc. I often use the fresh water system when sh3 is on the hard, and I need to run the engine, like changing oil, etc. I have 100 gallons of water on Starlight, you should see the looks I get in the yard with no hose, on the hard, yet engine running and water from the exhaust and prop shaft running out. In 20 years have not had any overheating issues or had to deal with the heat exchanger or the elbow, which is notorious on Volvos..
Hi, Funny you mention this, I thought about this setup actually and feel it’s strange it is not standardised practice in a way. It is quite a bit of work though so might take a wihile to decide on it :)
@@SailingWindRose have it on Starlight for 20 years, helps in everyday operation and have never had an overheat problem. The ability to backwash my thruhull has unclogged it many times. Still running on the same elbow, everything runs better with fresh water instead of salt water being left for extended periods of time. The Emergency Bilge pump aspect helped my friend who had a leak after a lightning strike, with just about all the electric wiped out except the isolated starter battery, saved his boat his claim not mine but can see that.
Thanks for your video. I have been an advocate of fuel polishing ever since I had a clogged fuel line off the coast of Cuba many years ago. I have to say something about your tank. Who in the world welded that tank? He/she deserves some harsh words.
And what if you forget to switch off your pump in time? Will your daytank overflow into your main tank? I have a made similar kind of system in my boat as you made it. But I made 3 levelswitches in my daytank. With a little relaisbox which I designed I can automatically fill up my daytank when it is getting empty. So I cannot forget to fill up my daytank. And I get a low level alarm as soon as the Separ filter should get glogged and the level in the daytank comes under a critical level. After this should happen I have 1 hour to change the filter, or in my case to switch 2 valves. I have a double filter. If one gets glogged I can easily swich over to the other one and change the dirty filter without the need to stop the engine. This system usualy only runs to fill up my daytank. If I want to polish my diesel in my main tank I can run the system continously and the daytank will overflow into the main tank. If the whole system would fail, which I never had yet, I can easily go back to the original situation by closing/opening some valves and the engine will suck the diesel straight away from the main tank. My experiencie after running with the system for about 7 or 8 years now is that if you start with a clean main tank and add some biocides when bunkering and using the fuel polishing system is that you will not have problems anymore. But you will still see some gunk and/or water coming into your filter.
That is a superb setup Felix! I now rely on remembering to switch it off but like your idea of automating it. You tip on the overflow indeed is very smart. I did not think about that and will check if I can add that. In all honesty, the system is quite noisy and super fast (10L per minute) so I tend to run it for about a minute or five and then I can motor for another day. Happy to hear that at least it works as designed and as you said, adding the biocides as well so curious to see what I find next year! Thanks for the tips!
Will do! First going to check how I could arrange the overflow. Was thinking an auto stop is probably easier knowing how hard it is to get the hoses from the hose tail… especially the one in the main tank is a nightmare… #winterproject…. 😬
I can't understand why you would ever want to pump the diesel from the day tank back through the filter to the bulk tank. Is there a reason why you want or need to do this?
Hi SailingAphrodite4189, Thanks for asking! I’m sailing regularly but sometimes I’m not sailing for a month or two. That means bacteria could grow in the day tank. By running the diesel back to the main tank I’m able to refill the day tank from the main tank before I start a new adventure making sure I have a clean day tank. This is especially valuable as the diesel Return is on the day tank making the diesel warmer after a trip. Hope this helps!
Hi Johansteb6713, I think in total around 1200€. Filter, debug and motor were not for free but also all the hoses and hose barbs add up. In hindsight I think the filter us motor would have been ok but this works good. Hope it helps.
About 150.00 just some fittings and three ball valves. Some hose for another bilge run. It is very similar to what Amel does, they just do not have the fresh water input on the Manifold, but I have seen the engine on Amel 50 used as a bilge pump. At my Marina here in Greenport Long Island, I have helped do it to 30 other boats including power boats. Solves lots of issues especially the tubular crustaceans growth in the heat exchanger. Also leaving fresh water in the Saltwater strainer does wonders on the stainless basket. All of the rubber hoses last much longer, including the exhaust, and no rust stains from the exhaust. Leaving the salt water side with fresh overnight and the for the week it is huge also from electrolysis too even the smell when cleaning the basket in the strainer..
Hi Trinidad Fishing, being from the Netherlands I’m a bit in doubt if help full but I bought it at Snijder Filter techniek: www.filterwebshop.nl All the best with the setup! For me it works like a charm! :)
I am thoroughly impressed with this video of yours on several levels! Much respect and thanks to you sir! This is an AMAZING video! I enjoyed your analysis of marine rescue events and then where you broke those events down further coming to the conclusion that the majority of diesel engine failures are caused by fuel contamination issues. I thought you were most wise to take on this specific issue proactively in your own vessel. Most impressively you got to the root of the problem. That root problem being the accumulation of bacteria, diesel-bug, in the bottom of the tank. To eliminate the source of diesel-bug caused fuel starvation or contamination induced engine failure you must eliminate the presence of the bug in the fuel system itself. It is not enough just to eliminate the "bug" suspended in the fuel while leaving the massive colonies of the "bug" still alive and accumulating in the bottom of the tank tucked away in the recesses of the fuel tank.
It is just as you said; in foul weather, the physical jarring of the tank leads to large quantities of those "bugs" breaking away, from where they were hiding in the recesses of the tank, then making their way into the fuel to then clog the fuel filter and/or fuel injectors which leads to engine failure. Numerous boaters on UA-cam go through the effort of "polishing" their diesel fuel, very few of them get to actually mechanically cleaning their fuel storage tanks.
You are also fluent in English and have put out this outstanding educational video in English which I suspect is not your 1st language even though you speak it as well as a "native" speaker. I very much admire you for that as it is something that I could not do in any other language. Very well done sir and thank you again!
I have a question. Did you wire a separate electrical circuit from your ship's main DC circuit breaker/switch panel to power the DC diesel pump in your fuel polishing system? Or did you simply pick up 12 volts DC somewhere in the compartment to power the fuel polishing DC pump? Did the 12 volt DC fuel polishing pump come with its own fuse or circuit breaker? All of those questions come down to whether or not the 12 volt DC fuel pump (and its associated wiring) you installed is independently and separately protected by it own circuit breaker or fuse which is correctly sized for the expected electrical load of the pump and the size of the wire powering it.
If the only overcurrent protection, for everything that is powered by the same circuit breaker that this new fuel polishing pump is powered by, is at the ship's DC circuit breaker/switch panel; is that circuit breaker properly sized (sized for the SMALLEST wire on that circuit)? If you have already done this OUTSTANDING. If not, may I respectfully suggest that you add a fuse, sized for the maximum current draw of the 12 volt DC fuel pump powering your fuel polishing system, as close as possible to where the wire supplying DC power to that pump is picking up the DC current from the ship's electrical system.
-Respectfully
Hi apackwestbound,
Whow, that one could call a serieus comment. And jam packed with compliments. Thanks a lot! Much appreciated you liked it and recognise the necessity of the issue.
As for your question, yes, the pump has its own breaker. As does the full system and even the batterty now.
You can check it on the videos 051, 053 and 054 where I re-wired the entire system. And took the right gage wire for the full system as well by the way. :)
Hope you that content is also useful and thanks again for your nice reply!
Another item you can do.. Fresh water Rinse layup and Emergency Bilge Pump.
On Starlight 1989 Beneteau Oceanis 350 has a Volvo Penta engine M2003 28hp anyway I was the second owner, so after I purchased the boat I was doing the shakedown cruise and ran the engine for about an hour and the overheated alarm went off , could not find a problem, cutting too the chase lots of growth and calcification of the tubes in the heat exchanger. Had too take the entire unit clean it and put it back, never wanted to do that again figured was not the use rather the extended, layup with saltwater, also the corrosion factor of the elbow, had to replace that. So as a solution I cam up with this manifold I constructed with brass and bronze fittings and ball valves for each connection, from the thru hull , to the manifold, ball on the thru hull and on the manifold did the same at the on end valve to the sea strainer to the engine, next thru hull, pressure fresh water, and at the other end again valve to a run to the bilge.
This allows me to turn on the fresh water, backwash the thru hull, then shutoff and run the engine for 2 minutes on fresh water before shutting down the engine for the night or an extended time. It also in the final configuration allows me to bring to bear as an emergency pump, on my main bilge the engine, if there is a major leak in the boat that bilge pumps cannot handle for whatever reason, (lightning strikes) etc. I often use the fresh water system when sh3 is on the hard, and I need to run the engine, like changing oil, etc. I have 100 gallons of water on Starlight, you should see the looks I get in the yard with no hose, on the hard, yet engine running and water from the exhaust and prop shaft running out. In 20 years have not had any overheating issues or had to deal with the heat exchanger or the elbow, which is notorious on Volvos..
Hi,
Funny you mention this, I thought about this setup actually and feel it’s strange it is not standardised practice in a way. It is quite a bit of work though so might take a wihile to decide on it :)
@@SailingWindRose have it on Starlight for 20 years, helps in everyday operation and have never had an overheat problem. The ability to backwash my thruhull has unclogged it many times. Still running on the same elbow, everything runs better with fresh water instead of salt water being left for extended periods of time. The Emergency Bilge pump aspect helped my friend who had a leak after a lightning strike, with just about all the electric wiped out except the isolated starter battery, saved his boat his claim not mine but can see that.
WindRose normally is on fresh water, that helps. But I see your point and like your solution!
Beautiful cookie!
Dutch WindMills :)
Thanks for your video. I have been an advocate of fuel polishing ever since I had a clogged fuel line off the coast of Cuba many years ago. I have to say something about your tank. Who in the world welded that tank? He/she deserves some harsh words.
Hi Philippe,
Thanks for your comment! One question, which tank do you mean? The day tank or the main one?
@@SailingWindRose the one you show right at the beginning of the video.
That would be the main tank… 😬. I think it was not intended to be seeing a lot of views on YT ;)
Use liquid dish washing soap on the metal barb before installing the rubber hose… and it should slide right on.
Thank you Floyd, good tip indeed! 👍. Honestly, I hope there is no next time ;)
Tip. Vingertje afwasmiddel om de tule en de slang glijdt er probleemloos op.
Ha! Goeie tip! Achteraf bezien was dit niet zo heel slim. M’n pees ietswat gescheurd en serieus 5 maanden zoet mee geweest 😬
A little washing up liquid on the pipe fitting the hose will slide on.
Thanks Frank. In hindsight that indeed would have been the better option! Nearly ripped my tendons on it…
And what if you forget to switch off your pump in time? Will your daytank overflow into your main tank?
I have a made similar kind of system in my boat as you made it. But I made 3 levelswitches in my daytank. With a little relaisbox which I designed I can automatically fill up my daytank when it is getting empty. So I cannot forget to fill up my daytank. And I get a low level alarm as soon as the Separ filter should get glogged and the level in the daytank comes under a critical level. After this should happen I have 1 hour to change the filter, or in my case to switch 2 valves. I have a double filter. If one gets glogged I can easily swich over to the other one and change the dirty filter without the need to stop the engine.
This system usualy only runs to fill up my daytank. If I want to polish my diesel in my main tank I can run the system continously and the daytank will overflow into the main tank.
If the whole system would fail, which I never had yet, I can easily go back to the original situation by closing/opening some valves and the engine will suck the diesel straight away from the main tank.
My experiencie after running with the system for about 7 or 8 years now is that if you start with a clean main tank and add some biocides when bunkering and using the fuel polishing system is that you will not have problems anymore. But you will still see some gunk and/or water coming into your filter.
That is a superb setup Felix! I now rely on remembering to switch it off but like your idea of automating it. You tip on the overflow indeed is very smart. I did not think about that and will check if I can add that. In all honesty, the system is quite noisy and super fast (10L per minute) so I tend to run it for about a minute or five and then I can motor for another day. Happy to hear that at least it works as designed and as you said, adding the biocides as well so curious to see what I find next year! Thanks for the tips!
@@SailingWindRose I am pumping with abt. 1,5L/min.
If you want to have more info regarding my system, please contact me in private.
Will do! First going to check how I could arrange the overflow. Was thinking an auto stop is probably easier knowing how hard it is to get the hoses from the hose tail… especially the one in the main tank is a nightmare… #winterproject…. 😬
I can't understand why you would ever want to pump the diesel from the day tank back through the filter to the bulk tank. Is there a reason why you want or need to do this?
Hi SailingAphrodite4189,
Thanks for asking! I’m sailing regularly but sometimes I’m not sailing for a month or two. That means bacteria could grow in the day tank.
By running the diesel back to the main tank I’m able to refill the day tank from the main tank before I start a new adventure making sure I have a clean day tank.
This is especially valuable as the diesel
Return is on the day tank making the diesel warmer after a trip.
Hope this helps!
how much did the setup cost ?
Hi Johansteb6713, I think in total around 1200€. Filter, debug and motor were not for free but also all the hoses and hose barbs add up. In hindsight I think the filter us motor would have been ok but this works good. Hope it helps.
About 150.00 just some fittings and three ball valves. Some hose for another bilge run. It is very similar to what Amel does, they just do not have the fresh water input on the Manifold, but I have seen the engine on Amel 50 used as a bilge pump. At my Marina here in Greenport Long Island, I have helped do it to 30 other boats including power boats. Solves lots of issues especially the tubular crustaceans growth in the heat exchanger. Also leaving fresh water in the Saltwater strainer does wonders on the stainless basket. All of the rubber hoses last much longer, including the exhaust, and no rust stains from the exhaust. Leaving the salt water side with fresh overnight and the for the week it is huge also from electrolysis too even the smell when cleaning the basket in the strainer..
Can you put a link where I can get this setup please.
Hi Trinidad Fishing, being from the Netherlands I’m a bit in doubt if help full but I bought it at Snijder Filter techniek: www.filterwebshop.nl All the best with the setup! For me it works like a charm! :)