Prevent water in diesel with silica gel?

[alanwilson]

I have never used it but there is a ready made product that will meet your needs, details at h2out.com

That's similar to the product in a previous reply: $129 is expensive for a container of self-indicating silica gel with hose connections. I'll make one up myself and see what happens: give me a month or three and I'll report back.

 

[lw395]

If your tank has a sump, surely it is better to use the sump to catch any water, and dirt, long before it gets to the filters.

Ideally yes, but nobody I've ever sailed with has drawn off the water from the sump between filling up and motoring away from the fuel pontoon.
In the ideal tank, the sump will have some depth to it, and the fuel will be drawn off some way above the bottom. So the sump can hold a certain volume of water which won't reach the filters.
Most yacht tanks don't seem to be like that.
Either tanks are flat bottomed to fit the hull, so the water spreads out giving a large fuel-water interface where bugs breed, or there is a very shallow sump.

Having the engine draw fuel from a sump is effective in preventing the engine drawing in air from the tank when motoring in rough conditions with not much fuel in the tank.
A decent filter setup should be able to cope with all the water that enters the tank.

 

[NormanS]

Ideally yes, but nobody I've ever sailed with has drawn off the water from the sump between filling up and motoring away from the fuel pontoon.
In the ideal tank, the sump will have some depth to it, and the fuel will be drawn off some way above the bottom. So the sump can hold a certain volume of water which won't reach the filters.
Most yacht tanks don't seem to be like that.
Either tanks are flat bottomed to fit the hull, so the water spreads out giving a large fuel-water interface where bugs breed, or there is a very shallow sump.

Having the engine draw fuel from a sump is effective in preventing the engine drawing in air from the tank when motoring in rough conditions with not much fuel in the tank.
A decent filter setup should be able to cope with all the water that enters the tank.

Well, I must be lucky, the sumps on both my fuel tanks have a much greater capacity than than that of the filters/water traps. That's how they should be.

 

[lw395]

Well, I must be lucky, the sumps on both my fuel tanks have a much greater capacity than than that of the filters/water traps. That's how they should be.

I think some of the sumps, filters and water separator systems advocated have a greater fuel capacity than the tank on my first yacht.

 

[Mad Pad]

Just fit Racors then you can see water and other shti in the system and drain it off.
JOB DONE

 

[zionGREEN]

Although silica gel is hygroscopic and works wonders in the absorbing of moisture to a saturation point, it is also known to break down in certain applications when mixed with certain oils, oils that turn acidic, excessive high temperatures and a few other circumstances.