water in my petrol, what's the chances ?

[simonfraser]

2 yrs old Merry Fisher 150HP Honda
petrol from a busy roadside station, burn about 150L per season, put fuel stabilizer in
200L tank, keep it about 1/2 empty, that way i recon i have a higher percentage of fresh fuel in the tank
the filler is aft on the deck, good seal on the cap as far as i can see, cap has a further plastic matt over the top, so little rain water ....

i have a solid filter, no transparent bow, filter number 1760-zx2-000he
so cant see any water that may accumulate

nothing much to worry about, or install a racor with a bowl ?

or is there some other way i can monitor the fuel quality ?

tnx

 

[petem]

Has the pre filter got a drain tap?

 

[simonfraser]

Has the pre filter got a drain tap?

nope

 

[KevinV]

Not boats, but I've installed drain valves at the very bottom of my quad tank (one each side). I just drain the dregs every now and then.

 

[Mr Googler]

e10 loves water

 

[QBhoy]

Think you might be encouraging moisture with half tank idea. If you mean over winter. Either empty it low as you dare, or fill it.
I always leave my boars tanks as low as possible, dosed with 2 stroke for the last run of the season.
Anyway..apart from that..you can get a racor unit with a bowl and water sensor alarm. If it helps. I have one.

 

[simonfraser]

'you can get a racor unit with a bowl and water sensor alarm'

not for petrol as far as i can see

 

[ChromeDome]

If fitting a bowl water separator by aware of the instructions.

See-through bowls (plastic or glass) and fuel type will decide fitting location and then some.

Mercury's Quicksilver part no 18458Q4 indeed is an outboard fuel filter with a sensor.

 

[simonfraser]

If fitting a bowl water separator by aware of the instructions.

See-through bowls (plastic or glass) and fuel type will decide fitting location and then some.

Mercury's Quicksilver part no 18458Q4 indeed is an outboard fuel filter with a sensor.

yes location is not helpful in checking the bowl where it would be

blue screw in sensor looks promising, how does that need to be wired up

 

[Pirx]

When I was playing about with light aircraft the received wisdom was always to fill the tanks after a flight as otherwise any warm damp air would condense and contaminate the fuel. Before the first flight of the day we drained a small amount of fuel from each tank into a transparent fuel tester and examined it for water.

 

[QBhoy]

'you can get a racor unit with a bowl and water sensor alarm'

not for petrol as far as i can see

You can. I have one. Look up the mercury/racor part. All the best.

 

[QBhoy]

Genuine MERCURY MARINER WATER SEPARATING FUEL FILTER KIT WITH SENSOR 75-150HP | eBay
This is the smart craft alarmed one I have. But can get it much cheaper if you don’t want the alarm

 

[Bouba]

I had water in my fuel once...it was also a 150 Honda on a Merry Fisher...it gave an alarm, which when deciphered told me water in the fuel...and went into limp home mode..there is a water separator under the cowling....with a bowl and drain..if I recall, the drain was jammed and couldn’t open...so I removed the filter while still at sea and drained it into an empty water bottle...I reinstalled it and carried on...it filled again and I repeated the process..probably did it three times until all the water was finally out of the system...it would have been a doddle if the drain plug worked

 

[Bouba]

I had water in my fuel once...it was also a 150 Honda on a Merry Fisher...it gave an alarm, which when deciphered told me water in the fuel...and went into limp home mode..there is a water separator under the cowling....with a bowl and drain..if I recall, the drain was jammed and couldn’t open...so I removed the filter while still at sea and drained it into an empty water bottle...I reinstalled it and carried on...it filled again and I repeated the process..probably did it three times until all the water was finally out of the system...it would have been a doddle if the drain plug worked

Can I just add on reflection... I can’t actually remember if the above incident was with my Honda 90 or Honda 150

 

[simonfraser]

I had water in my fuel once...it was also a 150 Honda on a Merry Fisher...it gave an alarm, which when deciphered told me water in the fuel...and went into limp home mode..there is a water separator under the cowling....with a bowl and drain..if I recall, the drain was jammed and couldn’t open...so I removed the filter while still at sea and drained it into an empty water bottle...I reinstalled it and carried on...it filled again and I repeated the process..probably did it three times until all the water was finally out of the system...it would have been a doddle if the drain plug worked

Tnx bouba, yes a fuel filter supplier in Liverpool just suggested to me the 150 might have a water alarm

i’ll investigate further tomorrow as it’s a 2020 model, prob have the same

however, better to catch it before the outboard ….

 

[Mr Googler]

RACOR 200 SERIES FUEL FILTER/WATER SEPARATOR-2 MICRON-30 GPH

 

[jon and michie]

Think you might be encouraging moisture with half tank idea. If you mean over winter. Either empty it low as you dare, or fill it.
I always leave my boars tanks as low as possible, dosed with 2 stroke for the last run of the season.
Anyway..apart from that..you can get a racor unit with a bowl and water sensor alarm. If it helps. I have one.

exactly that
when I used to work at a refinery where they bunkered fuel off into tankers - the Op's every morning used to go to the holding tanks and on the side was a tap and a gulley and they drained off the water.
even when ive been inside repairing the tank you could see condensation running down the walls

 

[simonfraser]

exactly that
when I used to work at a refinery where they bunkered fuel off into tankers - the Op's every morning used to go to the holding tanks and on the side was a tap and a gulley and they drained off the water.
even when ive been inside repairing the tank you could see condensation running down the walls

Is that typical for a small marine tank ?

The Myth of Condensation in Fuel Tanks: Need a Full Fuel Tanks to Store or Lay-up Your Boat? - Boat Maintenance - by David Pascoe

 

[Bandit]

When you have a petrol tank with a breather you will condensation, you will also get water introduced when refuelling.

When you use Eco sh%t E 5 0r E10 it is unstable and will stratify over time it is also hydroscopic.

Petrol filter cartridges are unpainted bare steel on the top and you will see evidence of rusting from water if you have it.

Years ago I had a petrol outboard with a racor filter and a screw on clear plastic bowl under it with a drain valve.

 

[Mr Googler]

You can see the crap in the one on the right…engines fuel filter was nice and clean. It’s a no brainier. Can’t have too much filtration!

Oddly…the IOM is E0 at the pumps. They don’t bother!