Fuel filters

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Have lost 1500 revs on diesel Volvo Tamd40B . Changed fuel filters (8 months old) Lots of crap some water in filter , looks like dirty fuel tank. Is there a cheap / easy way to clean tank on a Princess 35 . Running full power now but for how long?
 
There is/was a company called "Tankmar" who sucked fuel from your tank passed it through filters before ejecting it back in to your tank at high pressure. The process continued until the tank and fuel were clean. Not too sure what has come of them, they were based in Girvan in Ayrshire however, there must be other outfits that do the same thing.
 
Water-contaminated diesel is likely to contain bacteria, that appear on filters as a black sludge. Cleaning the fuel by filtration is unlikely to remove the cause of the problem. The only answer is to thoroughly clean the tank, steam is probably the best way, although if you can remove the tank you may find other, less effective means.
 
Re: dare I mention Soltron?

I have no idea whether the product does what it says, but it doesn't claim to deal with large accumulations of sludge. One of the last that I dealt with consisted of at least two filter housings full of sludge, probably best part of a litre of the stuff. There is only one way to get this amount out, and that's the hard way!
 
Re: dare I mention Soltron?

Where can i buy soltron ?Is it going to be cheaper than steam cleaning tanks ? or should i change the filter every few months? Is it a problem that will cause more serious problems in the future if tanks are left?
 
Re: dare I mention Soltron?

you can mail order it from :- SOLTRON/SOLPOWER LTD
7-15 UPPER NEWTOWNARDS ROAD BELFAST BT4 3HT
Telephone: 01232 471001 Fax: 01232 471006

it's not too expensive but as Vyv says if it is a large amount of sludge in the tanks it may not be enough to clear it but may be worth a try - you are advised to add it just before filling the tank so the sludge is disturbed and mixes well with the Soltron which can do its stuff. Their website tells you more.....
 
Did your loss of revs and choked filters happen after being chucked about a bit after long quiet spell? eg going to sea after a long spell moored up or just pottering.
I have experienced the same thing a couple of times but, after using a certain product (dare I mention Soltron ?) at each fill up, and changing the filters every time I go to sea after a long spell on the river, I've had no problems.
If the problem occurred while just tootling along then it is probably serious enough for a tank clean

Trev
 
Trev thanks for info : The problem did occur after use in heavy seas ,The t.v came off its brackets so it must have been bad . I will try dare i say Soltron & carry spare filter. , for rough weather. Hopefully i'll get away with dismantling boat to get to fuel tanks!
 
I suffered from the same problem and hads to change filters every 20 hours or so. I have inspection hatches in the top of my tank which i took off and used one of those small pumps you use to suck oil out of the dip stick hole and connected it to some stiff pipe and hoovered as much of the bottom of the tank as I could. This produced a fair amount of muck along with only a gallon or so of diesel. I now only have to change the filter every 100 hours or so, so I guess what I did had some positive effect. The small pump I used cost about £20 and I still see them advertised in various catalogues.
 
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