fuel water sep which is best

[crazy charlie]

I have had an oil filter type fuel water seperator forever and only need to change it once a season.I have acess to a raycor with a plastic bowl at the bottom and a drain.I was considering switching to the raycor.My current replacement cost is $6.99 per season.The elements that go in the racor look to be much more expensive.Is that a seasonal replacement as well??Charlie

 

[18rabbit]

Re: fuel water sep which is best

Element change is determined by the clog-factor. Some people just change it seasonally and don’t ever worry about it. If you have a drain plug on the bottom of your filter housing you just keep draining off the water. On a diesel system it is common to install a vacuum gauge on the downstream side of the filter and when it hits 7 to 10 psi (15 to 20 inches of murcury) you know it’s time to replace the clogging element. Don’t know if it works the same for gas vacuum.<br /><br />Racor builds an excellent filter. They are owned by Parker, the folks that build a filter for anything/everything on the planet...even overpriced rolls of toilet paper for those toilet-paper-roll oil filters. Any of the major manufacturers of fuel filters will do a great job at coalesing (seperating water and fuel). In reality, you probably aren't going to gain much by changing to that Racor filter.<br /><br />Shhh...don’t tell any anyone Charlie but Racor actually makes the elements for many of the engine manufacturers and third party filters that have someone else’s name on them.<br /><br />Don’t know if a plastic bowl is ok with a gas system. It’s ok for diesel. Might whant to check out that part. Also, the filter housing ports should not be any smaller than the interior diameter of your fuel lines. That’s a pretty good way to know the filter can handle the engine’s fuel demand. Obviously, bigger is ok and better.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: fuel water sep which is best

I happen to be one of the guys that change the filter every season as PM whether it needs it or not so you may be right.I will probably gain nothing except spending $25 for a new element instead of $6.99 each season.This is for my Mako with an outboard so I guess that makes the plastic all right if I decide to change it anyway.Charlie