Diary - Jan 18th 2014

Cold' - Sat was a torrential washout - I think it stopped for about an hour. Managed to get the tank back in. Didn't stop till about 2am.

Sun

Still cold - colder in fact but fine and clear. Managed to get up by 11am - warmest place to be ! Ran in the new fuel pipe, took ages. Everything is so awkward. Working low down the right side of a locker is all kack handed for fixing things.

I've run everything in new 5/16th marine (lloyds app) rubber hose, from the tank top to the CAV filter. This is now lower than the CAV so need an inline tap ( Bullfinch ) for maintenance.

I've scrapped the comp elbow at the dip pipe top and made it an endfeed soldered joint plus pipe stub. This goes straight onto the 5/16th hose, with a soldered olive for a hoselock. I can get two jubilee clips on this. The hose is a good tight sliding fit onto 8mm copper ( warm the hose and lubricate with fuel oil or cooking oil )

The compression Bullfinch tap has 'proper' steel hosetails - fixed with copper olives ( SSL sell hose tails to fit comp fittings which take a normal olive ) Why don't chandlers sell these - very cheap and useful !

I considered running it all in 8mm copper - but have never had a hosetail leak. I have had a compression joint leak ! After all - this is deisel oil at very low pressure - you need a 'barn door open' to have a leak !

Its vibration I worry more about - and a hosetail is less likely to vibrate loose ! I still am stuck with comps on the tap ( After searching I did find Bullfinch, fuel rated inline taps with bsp ends - so could have gone with bsp hosetails. So difficult to source this stuff.)

I also have found some 7.5mm hose for the Yanmar spigots ( why 7mm hosetails Yanmar !!!! ) on the return and lift pump. Should be 7mm - but thats too tight on the CAV - and onto my Vetus tank fittings. So 7.5mm seems a good option. Not the best fuel pipe though ( rubber with a cotton braid outer - fairly thin walled. Would not trust it for many seasons - but its cheap enough to renew every year.

So - tank is refilled and all hoses run. Just need to bleed it through then check timing.

Fitted new hatch seal tape - getting some water in the locker - from somewhere ?

Fitted my 'extra' cover over the diesel filler. Basically a 110mm Drainage screw access fitting - cut down short. Makes a great second seal - so I don't have to screw the filler cap down mega tight. You can get them in white online - and they are about £4 ! I used a grey one and painted it white - but could always change it. They are great for any waterproof access hole - ie spare anchor rode etc.

Monday

I was going to bleed it through today - but am just freezing. Can't warm up. My brain has frozen - and is saying get in car and go home !

I think my service batteries are about dead. Can't really tell untill I can get some amps in from the engine or some real sunshine for the panel ? They are seven years old now.

Boats - Love them or Hate them' - maybe don't stay on unheated ones for three days in January !

PS

While clearing out the engine spares locker - I found my Mityvac ( American made vacuum pump + dial gauge etc and various hose connectors )

So I checked the Cav primer bulb - Its pulling approx 0.5 in HG ( max approx ) Hard to be precise as its barely on the scale of 0 - 30 in !

The Yanmar Lift Pump specs - are Suction Pressure 60mm HG ( 2.362 in HG roughly )

By comparison - the Racor 200 series has a flow restriction of 0.254 in HG

The Racor 500 turbine ( no primer, 10 micron filter ) - and the 400 series (with primer bulb) are 0.509 in HG approx each.

S0 - the primer bulb is not anything excessive for the lift pump to overcome - actually the same as the Racor 400 which has a very similar bulb It is however, a 5th of its sucking capacity - so raising the tank to positive pressure is no bad thing. Essentially - I don't really need the bulb now - but its so useful for bleeding I wouldn't like to be without it really.

I started a new page on CAV filters/ pre-filters - but it has turned out more complex than I ever thought. ie what 'real quality' filters are out there. where to get them at their cheapest - and which type of filter loading to suit !

Seem Baldwin/Dahl, Fleetguard etc are in another leauge to your average names. Many professional sources seem to consider Racor range, 'boaty' ie 'overpriced' and overly 'pretty' - despite being a good product.

I will try to post my findings soon - its taken me to some intersesting filter suppliers, but fighting your way through the morass of stuff out there is difficult.

ie - a 16 x 1.5mm screw on head, four port can be had for about £11 - and the filters to fit it vary, not in screw on size - but in construction, quality and filtration. However - you find there are limtiations for that head thread. ie - a 1x14 head gives you options in Fleetguard for variation in micron size - 4. 10. 30 etc - and I think a Racor type 'cartidge and separate clear bowl'. It goes on and on !

At present - I'm impressed with Baldwin ( genuine ) - they really make an effort to show their internal filter arrangement, cutaways etc - and even have a request form on their main site for a cutaway diagram of any filter that you are interested in !

I have yet to delve into the Fleetguard online info.

The spin on head I mentioned ( £11 ssl dieselparts ) - with the Baldwin BF- 5587D fuel/water separator cartridge ( with built in bowl and drain) is my best option for price. Genuine Baldwin filters - at Inline filters - £ 5.20 net. I believe there is a primary and a secondary on that model - but not sure exactly how they differ ( prob micron size ) - but I know Baldwin would tell you - they seem cued up to customer relations !

Geoff - getting nowhere slowly - that's sailing for you !