How often do you change your air filter?

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Quandary

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My VP D1 30 is blessed with a plastic sealed unit type air filter/ intake silencer which i have just noticed VP recommends should be replaced every 200 hours. The replacement unit cost is in the order of £70 and asking around it seems that not everyone rushes to replace them. In the typical West Scottish environment where my boat is used the air is very clean if sometimes a bit moist and on previous boats with replaceable elements I never noticed any particular evidence of dust or pollution of intake filters.
So how long do you think I can get away with it and what harm can occur if I neglect to change it.
 
Quandary said:
My VP D1 30 is blessed with a plastic sealed unit type air filter/ intake silencer which i have just noticed VP recommends should be replaced every 200 hours. The replacement unit cost is in the order of £70 and asking around it seems that not everyone rushes to replace them. In the typical West Scottish environment where my boat is used the air is very clean if sometimes a bit moist and on previous boats with replaceable elements I never noticed any particular evidence of dust or pollution of intake filters.
So how long do you think I can get away with it and what harm can occur if I neglect to change it.
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I changed mine on a 2003T after about 10 years. The potential harm is if the foam inside it breaks down and gets sucked into the engine, otherwise I agree that boat engines generally don't live in a dust-laden atmosphere.
 
Quandary said:
So how long do you think I can get away with it and what harm can occur if I neglect to change it.
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I can't say but my 30 year old engine (BUKH DV10ME) just has a coarse wire mesh air filter that is supposed to be washed out occasionally (which reminds me . . . ). As pvb points out, there isn't much dust around at sea.
 
According to recent research midge larvae has been identified as a major cause of fuel bug and is extremely virulent in fresh water locations.
 
scottie said:
According to recent research midge larvae has been identified as a major cause of fuel bug and is extremely virulent in fresh water locations.
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I thought they bred in the bracken after having a suck of fresh blood, I have never noticed any fornicating in my engine compartment so I think I might discount that risk. I am even more baffled about how they could get into the diesel tank, are you sure you did not read this at the start of this month?
 
Quandary said:
I thought they bred in the bracken after having a suck of fresh blood, I have never noticed any fornicating in my engine compartment so I think I might discount that risk. I am even more baffled about how they could get into the diesel tank, are you sure you did not read this at the start of this month?
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I agree. Midge larvae live in water, not diesel.
 
Avocet's BMW D12 has a conventional (small) folded paper air filter and doesn't seem down on power or smoking after 20+ years. The BMW marine engines were originally made by Hatz for cement mixers, generators and other similar site plant, so I imagine the filters were quite generously specified. Certainly it doesn't appear to offer much restriction to the hoover when I stick the element on the end of the suction hose!
 
Re earlier post I was actually trying to see how nonsensical a reply I could make to a posting and still get a argued response .
 
Sea Gull Catcher

Sabre 150 fitted with sea gull catcher wide mesh, still good after 20 years!

The main engine room contaminate seems to be belt dust
 
scottie said:
Re earlier post I was actually trying to see how nonsensical a reply I could make to a posting and still get a argued response .
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And why would anyone want to do that, did you think you had too much credibility?
Not any more!

I was asking a serious question arising from advice in my engine manual, if you thought it was stupid or ridiculous you did not have to read or answer it.
My thanks to those who took time to give serious responses.
 
nigelmercier said:
My MD22 doesn't even have a filter. If your filter is the corrugated paper type, find out what your engine is based on, and buy one to fit that. Or just take it to a motor factor and find one the same size.
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I wish!

The filter housing isn't common to the industrial engines and the paper element is set into a polyurethane rubber disc to seal round the joint between the two halves of the filter housing. If it ever does get choked, I'll probably just find the nearest small paper element and make up some sort of adapter to put it straight on to the side of the head.
 
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