Trawler and motor yacht owners enjoy the sound of our diesel engines; like sweet music to our ears. The diesel engines are the core of any boat.
But problems can take place with diesel fuel stored in your trawlers fuel tanks, affecting those diesel engines?
It is crucial to know what diesel fuel is to start with. Diesel fuel is processed from crude oil. In petroleum refineries, petroleum is heated, and different hydrocarbon molecules are extracted to produce the fuel. Diesel fuel is much thicker than petrol and vaporizes much more slowly. It's frequently referred to as "fuel oil" because of its consistency. Oftentimes forgotten, diesel is an organic matter.
"Give a diesel engine clean fuel and it will run forever." This old saying is less of an exaggeration than you might think. Repair statistics record that 90% of trawler diesel engine problems result from contaminated fuel. The promise of eliminating 9 out of 10 potential failures should put fuel-system maintenance at the top of your list.
The most common signals of fuel contamination in a boat are blocked fuel filters, and decreased engine performance. However, the lack of these circumstances does not necessarily suggest that your diesel fuel is not contaminated. In fact, it is probable that every trawlers fuel is moderately contaminated. Fuel pick-up tubes, where the diesel engine draws fuel from the tank, typically sit about 3/4 of an inch off the bottom of your fuel tank floor. This position is intended to protect the engine from contamination that has settled to the bottom of the tank. Consequently, you may never realize that you have a fuel contamination problem until the fuel is agitated in some way - such as when you are in rough seas in your trawler.
Moisture can get into trawler fuel tanks in several ways by condensation of wet outside air, during transportation from refineries to distributors, by leakage through broken fill hoses or vents and by careless handling. Water can create injector nozzle and pump corrosion, micro-organism growth and fuel filter blockage with materials resulting from the corrosion or microbial growth. Your trawlers fuel/water separators should be checked often for water and drained as necessary. In cold northern climates, ice formation in fuels containing water creates severe fuel line and filter plugging problems. Regularly getting rid of the water is the most effective way of preventing this problem; still, small quantities of alcohol may be used on an emergency basis to prevent fuel line and filter freeze-ups.
Frequent diesel fuel filter changes and the costly and time consuming task of cleaning diesel fuel tanks have become acceptable routine maintenance instead of looking for a warning signal for diesel engine failure. Diesel fuel filter elements should last several hundred hours or more and injectors some 15,000 hours. However, since diesel fuel is inherently unstable, solids begin to take shape and the accumulating tank sludge will eventually clog your diesel fuel filters, possibly ruin your injectors and cause diesel engines to smoke.
Diesel stored in vessel tanks for long periods (6 months and more) requires special care. This diesel suffers from multiple issues that influence its quality. The presence of free water supplies the platform for microbiological growth that result in the formation of slime and acids inducing corrosion of metal surfaces such as storage tanks, pumps, injectors, etc. Left neglected this water layer will entrap sludge and become the breeding ground for microbes, fungus, yeast and more. This poisonous mix creates acids that compromise the integrity of your tank, lines, pumps, fittings and worse, diesel machinery.
Another key factor leading to diesel deterioration, is mechanized stress caused by heat and pressure of pumps. Since most diesel engines return substantial amounts of fuel back to the tank, it is simple to see that the engine itself contributes to fuel deterioration.
Microbes in the form of bacteria and fungus are present in all diesel fuels. Long periods of fuel storage can create ideal opportunities for germs to grow in fuel tanks. The first suggestion of microbic contamination is mucous-like accumulations on fuel-filters. Bugs can only be removed from the fuel system by polishing or by preventing their occurrences by use of a diesel fuel pesticide such as BioBor. I highly recommend it.
Should you use diesel fuel additives? There are many of additives on the market today that are designed to improve the operation and efficiency of diesel fuel. I opt to use Marvel Mystery Oil. Even So, if you use the proper additives, you can achieve peak performance from your fuel every time.
Trawlers typically have primary fuel filters and a set of secondary filters installed; Racor is a good example of primary filters. Each time the engine is operated, the diesel is polished by filtering and returning fuel back to the tanks. A separate polishing system can also be set up that filters the fuel independently of the engine operating.
But problems can take place with diesel fuel stored in your trawlers fuel tanks, affecting those diesel engines?
It is crucial to know what diesel fuel is to start with. Diesel fuel is processed from crude oil. In petroleum refineries, petroleum is heated, and different hydrocarbon molecules are extracted to produce the fuel. Diesel fuel is much thicker than petrol and vaporizes much more slowly. It's frequently referred to as "fuel oil" because of its consistency. Oftentimes forgotten, diesel is an organic matter.
"Give a diesel engine clean fuel and it will run forever." This old saying is less of an exaggeration than you might think. Repair statistics record that 90% of trawler diesel engine problems result from contaminated fuel. The promise of eliminating 9 out of 10 potential failures should put fuel-system maintenance at the top of your list.
The most common signals of fuel contamination in a boat are blocked fuel filters, and decreased engine performance. However, the lack of these circumstances does not necessarily suggest that your diesel fuel is not contaminated. In fact, it is probable that every trawlers fuel is moderately contaminated. Fuel pick-up tubes, where the diesel engine draws fuel from the tank, typically sit about 3/4 of an inch off the bottom of your fuel tank floor. This position is intended to protect the engine from contamination that has settled to the bottom of the tank. Consequently, you may never realize that you have a fuel contamination problem until the fuel is agitated in some way - such as when you are in rough seas in your trawler.
Moisture can get into trawler fuel tanks in several ways by condensation of wet outside air, during transportation from refineries to distributors, by leakage through broken fill hoses or vents and by careless handling. Water can create injector nozzle and pump corrosion, micro-organism growth and fuel filter blockage with materials resulting from the corrosion or microbial growth. Your trawlers fuel/water separators should be checked often for water and drained as necessary. In cold northern climates, ice formation in fuels containing water creates severe fuel line and filter plugging problems. Regularly getting rid of the water is the most effective way of preventing this problem; still, small quantities of alcohol may be used on an emergency basis to prevent fuel line and filter freeze-ups.
Frequent diesel fuel filter changes and the costly and time consuming task of cleaning diesel fuel tanks have become acceptable routine maintenance instead of looking for a warning signal for diesel engine failure. Diesel fuel filter elements should last several hundred hours or more and injectors some 15,000 hours. However, since diesel fuel is inherently unstable, solids begin to take shape and the accumulating tank sludge will eventually clog your diesel fuel filters, possibly ruin your injectors and cause diesel engines to smoke.
Diesel stored in vessel tanks for long periods (6 months and more) requires special care. This diesel suffers from multiple issues that influence its quality. The presence of free water supplies the platform for microbiological growth that result in the formation of slime and acids inducing corrosion of metal surfaces such as storage tanks, pumps, injectors, etc. Left neglected this water layer will entrap sludge and become the breeding ground for microbes, fungus, yeast and more. This poisonous mix creates acids that compromise the integrity of your tank, lines, pumps, fittings and worse, diesel machinery.
Another key factor leading to diesel deterioration, is mechanized stress caused by heat and pressure of pumps. Since most diesel engines return substantial amounts of fuel back to the tank, it is simple to see that the engine itself contributes to fuel deterioration.
Microbes in the form of bacteria and fungus are present in all diesel fuels. Long periods of fuel storage can create ideal opportunities for germs to grow in fuel tanks. The first suggestion of microbic contamination is mucous-like accumulations on fuel-filters. Bugs can only be removed from the fuel system by polishing or by preventing their occurrences by use of a diesel fuel pesticide such as BioBor. I highly recommend it.
Should you use diesel fuel additives? There are many of additives on the market today that are designed to improve the operation and efficiency of diesel fuel. I opt to use Marvel Mystery Oil. Even So, if you use the proper additives, you can achieve peak performance from your fuel every time.
Trawlers typically have primary fuel filters and a set of secondary filters installed; Racor is a good example of primary filters. Each time the engine is operated, the diesel is polished by filtering and returning fuel back to the tanks. A separate polishing system can also be set up that filters the fuel independently of the engine operating.