Fuel filters

[Kittycarter]

A little help please.

I have a Sunseeker Comanche 49 with 250 met cruiser dtronic engines. Not sure if fuel filters are restricting power a little. Each engine has the fuel filter attached to the engine and two inline filters, the twist Delphi type. I have seen two fitted so you can switch between if one gets blocked but not two I line. Is this normal? Can't see the point as if first one gets blocked the second one is useless. I think they are different filtration levels.

 

[Latestarter1]

A little help please.

I have a Sunseeker Comanche 49 with 250 met cruiser dtronic engines. Not sure if fuel filters are restricting power a little. Each engine has the fuel filter attached to the engine and two inline filters, the twist Delphi type. I have seen two fitted so you can switch between if one gets blocked but not two I line. Is this normal? Can't see the point as if first one gets blocked the second one is useless. I think they are different filtration levels.

Forget your on engine filter, that is your last chance or maybe better termed your too late filter.

Twin filter heads with a change over valve was never intended for changing over in the event of blockage, they were designed primarily for constant running applications whereby filters can be serviced without shutting motor down, very useful on continuous running gen sets.

If you have CAV Delphi 296 filter head as primary pretty much useless for 250 Hp Mercriser D Tronic, therefore somebody has added a secondary filter to increase the capacity however will ONLY work if you have say 30 micron on the primary and say 10 micron on secondary, you need to be more specific about what you actually have.

 

[Sdpaddler50]

Latestarter, I disagree with your comments. I know many people run these in parallel, but the other half run them in series, with the idea of switching over if one were clogged. There are positive and negatives to both ways, and personally I choose the latter.

KC, search my name on this sit and you will see a retro I had done on my boat. I replaced the single primaries with dual Racors. I made a short video of the switchover while running at about 8 knots.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Filters in parallel:
Either its so you can change filter while the engine is running or to increase flow capacity.
Filters in series:
Either the second filter is a finer guage or the second filter will catch anything that is forced through a clogged primary.

 

[Sdpaddler50]

DL - Not sure what your point is.

I used to own a Sea Ray, and I started a thread on the CSR website last year because I still monitor that board. In the U.S., the best boating forum is CSR - IMO. They have their share of odd balls, like any net forum, but there are many 50 to 70 year old folks who have been run boats since they were kids, and still tear in to their own engines for repairs, and not write checks. Anyway, I asked who was running their dual filter systems on their diesels in parallel (both on line), or in series (one flowing, the other in reserve). I would say it was a 50-50 split.