Diesel fuel polishing system - experiences?

[Greg2]

The Diesel Dipper from Marine 16 is what you need. Easy to install and very effective.

Good suggestion but the Diesel Dipper doesn’t appear to be quite the same as the one that Landau used to do as it is completely separate from the engine fuel system and runs with its own pump. I was thinking that the purifier being in line before the primary filter is a better option and a whole lot easier to install.

As an aside, Marine 16 aren’t shy about putting a hefty price on the Diesel Dipper!

Edit: Found a U.K. supplier for the fuel purifier to install inline with the engine filtration system and they are just under half the price of the Diesel Dipper. Given that the latter usually runs when the engine is running, unless I am missing something, I am not sure that the Dipper offers any benefit over a purifier.
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[Greg2]

LandauUK was not the manufacturer of the fuel purifier. I just bought mine through them. I also see they have removed the sales part from their website.
I'd give them a call. Mine is the MFP10 unit, rated for a fuel flow of about 270 liters/ hour if my memory is correct.

After a lot of searching I think I found them here but can’t find a U.K. dealer although it looks as though they do online sales. Is the MFP10 the same one as yours? Our engines are 265hp so it looks as though the MFP6 would work for us.
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[TrondS]

That is the right one. Yes, I have the MFP10.

 

[Bouba]

It's been a few years now, so just to follow up with practical experience after installing a mechanical fuel polisher.

I went with the largest version of this system, which I got from LandauUK. First for my previous boat, and then same setup with my current boat:

The fuel purifier is installed like this:
Fuel tank -> fuel purifier (mechanical) -> Racor 500 -> secondary filter on engine -> engine.

With my previous boat (in 2019) I once got about a liter of water and some dirt while refueling. (First day of a long vacation trip around the coast of Norway)
During the next 10-12 hours of engine use, in rough 2-3 meter seas part of the time, the fuel purifier unit had separated all the water and dirt, while the Racor 500 filter still looked like new /unused. Not a single drop of water in the Racor water separator either.

Both the Racor 500 filter and the engine mounted filter are changed after every season (about 120-140 engine hours average), and the Racor filters have always been clean, and could probably have been used another season.

When that is said, from 2020 season with my current boat, I have always had clean fuel, and not even a single drop of water in the fuel.

With my setup, it does not prevent water coming into the fuel tank, but it is an extra safety barrier.
Financially, when I purchased these, the cost was about 1/3 of a double Racor filter. Easy choice for me.

One strange thing about the John Mendez video is that he complained about a filter system that was metal and you could not see the contamination...but praised a fuel polisher that was also metal. In practice you would not know if you had a problem unless you constantly take samples from the system

 

[TrondS]

The main difference is that a filter can get clogged and might need replacement, but the purifier / centrifuge only needs to be drained/ checked once in a while.
This is probably the reasoning Mendez was thinking about.

If the options are to replace a contaminated filter or drain the centrifuge in rough seas, I know what I would choose.

 

[Greg2]

One strange thing about the John Mendez video is that he complained about a filter system that was metal and you could not see the contamination...but praised a fuel polisher that was also metal. In practice you would not know if you had a problem unless you constantly take samples from the system

Perhaps a marketing ploy as they offer a sensor to tell you when the bowl is full….at an extra cost of course!

I would agree with TrondS as occasional draining should take care of things and if coupled with Racor 500 filters with clear bowls (which is what we have) the appearance of a bit of crud in the Racors would indicate that the purifier needs to be drained.
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[Croftie]

After a lot of searching I think I found them here but can’t find a U.K. dealer although it looks as though they do online sales. Is the MFP10 the same one as yours? Our engines are 265hp so it looks as though the MFP6 would work for us.
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I assume a full kit
MLS 8 & 10mm Hose Kit, FP100 Unit, Water & Contamination Diesel Purifiner - Hoses Direct
or
Ardfern Yacht Centre, by Lochgilphead, Scotland

 

[Greg2]

I assume a full kit
MLS 8 & 10mm Hose Kit, FP100 Unit, Water & Contamination Diesel Purifiner - Hoses Direct
or
Ardfern Yacht Centre, by Lochgilphead, Scotland

Thanks - I did find Ardfern Yacht Centre but not the other one
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[Bouba]

I would prefer a fuel polisher that took fuel from the tank and returned it to the tank with its own battery powered pump. That way you could polish the fuel without using the boat...and if it developed any problem it wouldn’t starve the main engine filter of fuel because it is not inline

 

[Greg2]

I would prefer a fuel polisher that took fuel from the tank and returned it to the tank with its own battery powered pump. That way you could polish the fuel without using the boat...and if it developed any problem it wouldn’t starve the main engine filter of fuel because it is not inline

I take your point and I think there are pros and cons to each solution. The Diesel Dipper is intended to be used when the boat is underway and relies upon some motion from waves to stir up the crud so that it has a chance of coming into contact with the pick up pipe. It appears that polishing the fuel when the boat isn’t being used is of limited value, which has been suggested in earlier posts.

I have a home-made polishing system that I used on a previous boat so my thinking is to modify it so I can take fuel from the drain tap to each tank and do what I can to polish the fuel. Previous experience indicates that I will get rid of major debris that way but it won’t clean that tank fully, which can only be done via access hatches and scrubbing (not an option for us unless we have both engines and fuel tanks out). If we then install purifiers to add a layer of protection that should take care of things alongside regular treatment with additives.

I haven’t written Diesel Dippers off just yet though but I am erring toward the purifiers.

On a separate note I came across a Flo Tool F8 filter today, which is used to filter fuel at the point of filling your tank. It has a claimed flow rate of 19 litres per minute, which I guess is what it will do with a clean filter. Anyone used one or something similar? Is it a realistic option or would it make re-fuelling a painfully slow process?
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[Bouba]

I take your point and I think there are pros and cons to each solution. The Diesel Dipper is intended to be used when the boat is underway and relies upon some motion from waves to stir up the crud so that it has a chance of coming into contact with the pick up pipe. It appears that polishing the fuel when the boat isn’t being used is of limited value, which has been suggested in earlier posts.

I have a home-made polishing system that I used on a previous boat so my thinking is to modify it so I can take fuel from the drain tap to each tank and do what I can to polish the fuel. Previous experience indicates that I will get rid of major debris that way but it won’t clean that tank fully, which can only be done via access hatches and scrubbing (not an option for us unless we have both engines and fuel tanks out). If we then install purifiers to add a layer of protection that should take care of things alongside regular treatment with additives.

I haven’t written Diesel Dippers off just yet though but I am erring toward the purifiers.

On a separate note I came across a Flo Tool F8 filter today, which is used to filter fuel at the point of filling your tank. It has a claimed flow rate of 19 litres per minute, which I guess is what it will do with a clean filter. Anyone used one or something similar? Is it a realistic option or would it make re-fuelling a painfully slow process?
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What do you mean by the term ‘purifier’ ?

 

[Greg2]

See posts #33 and #42 - these are what the OP installed - they are installed inline prior to the engine pre-filter

 

[Bouba]

See posts #33 and #42 - these are what the OP installed - they are installed inline prior to the engine pre-filter

Thanks...I just thought they were polishers
If you think about it, an ocean crossing trawler with fuel polisher usually only supplies fuel to a day tank....so the main tank also doesn’t get totally clean

 

[Freebee]

purifier is not a polisher, as there is no filtration action, looks to me like a reservoir where water and some contaminants will drop out of diesel due to the change in velocity,

the fuel being fast moving in a small diameter pipe changes to slow moving in a big diameter vessel , maybe some baffles internally to help the settling action but essentially its an expensive settling chamber.

 

[Greg2]

Thanks...I just thought they were polishers
If you think about it, an ocean crossing trawler with fuel polisher usually only supplies fuel to a day tank....so the main tank also doesn’t get totally clean

Yep, I guess it is similar to a polisher but with no filter to get blocked.
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[PCUK]

I agree the Dipper is expensive but the filter never needs changing so over time the additional cost reduces and the engine filters will also last longer.

 

[Freebee]

I agree the Dipper is expensive but the filter never needs changing so over time the additional cost reduces and the engine filters will also last longer.

The diesel dipper has a filter on the bottom of the electric pump chamber that requires not changing but cleaning, the box before is just an even more SUPER expensive settling chamber, same as I explained above and the pumps are £30 from china and a few £5 valves and a whole lot of hype!!! .

 

[Greg2]

An update on our tanks.

Had the guys out today to polish the fuel with a system that takes out any metal bits, has very low micron filters and two water separators. They took the fuel out of the bottom of the tanks using the drain taps and put it into clean drums and it wasn’t too bad but there was a little water and a little crud. We then removed inspection hatches to see what state of the tanks were in and thankfully they were pretty clean with only a few bits of black stuff and a little staining on the sides. The guys are both boat owners who happen to have problems with their tanks having picked up bad fuel and they both said that they would be very happy to have tanks in the same condition as ours.

The fuel then went through the system again on the way back to the tanks. End result was very clean fuel with not a lot of crud in the tanks and certainly nothing that the Racor 500 filters can’t take care of.

Interestingly they didn’t think it was fuel bug but was what they call ‘sticky diesel’ which is modern diesel breaking down as it doesn’t last so long. Their additive of choice is Fuel Doctor, which we used on a previous boat so we added a dose and will be using it routinely in future.

Overall a bit of a result I think!
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[Meagain]

Sticky diesel ! If I remember correctly MBY are investigating this, might be worth reaching out to the magazine and Hugo.

 

[harvey38]

An update on our tanks.

Had the guys out today to polish the fuel with a system that takes out any metal bits, has very low micron filters and two water separators. They took the fuel out of the bottom of the tanks using the drain taps and put it into clean drums and it wasn’t too bad but there was a little water and a little crud. We then removed inspection hatches to see what state of the tanks were in and thankfully they were pretty clean with only a few bits of black stuff and a little staining on the sides. The guys are both boat owners who happen to have problems with their tanks having picked up bad fuel and they both said that they would be very happy to have tanks in the same condition as ours.

The fuel then went through the system again on the way back to the tanks. End result was very clean fuel with not a lot of crud in the tanks and certainly nothing that the Racor 500 filters can’t take care of.

Interestingly they didn’t think it was fuel bug but was what they call ‘sticky diesel’ which is modern diesel breaking down as it doesn’t last so long. Their additive of choice is Fuel Doctor, which we used on a previous boat so we added a dose and will be using it routinely in future.

Overall a bit of a result I think!
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Which company did you use and where are you based?

I need a similar service