How do you know water seperators work?

[tank1949]

Back in the day before the E87 crap, water separators/fuel filters would do a great job of filtering crap that had accumulating in gas tanks due to condensation, breakdown and trash. I'd pour out contents every so often and see the water and crap that that the filter had collected and prohibited from going into my carburetor.
A little over a year ago I got back into boating and have experienced nightmares with the POS I bought, especially fuel related problems. I now use Sierra 10 micron screw on water separator/filters. Last week I unscrewed one and poured contents into 5 gal bucket to examine. Some crud came out of filters but I didn't notice any water had accumulating. I treated my tank's new gas last year at season end with additives to prohibit alcohol/gas breakdown. It is my understanding the that refiners put additives into their fuel to assist in keeping gas and alcohol mixed. If so, how do I know the filters are removing water? Or, should excess form water beads at bottom of 5 gal bucket?

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

probably would be easier to see if there's any water/separation using a clear glass like an old pasta jar or mason jar.

No water is always a good thing

 

[stonyloam]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

Water is insoluble in regular non ethanol gasoline and will separate into a distinct layer. So in your boat tank the water will be in a layer in the bottom and the gas will be above it. When the fuel gets agitated and the water layer will mix with the gasoline and form water droplets suspended in the gas. Those droplets get sucked into the fuel line and when they hit the filter it essentially slows the flow to the point where the water droplets, (being heavier than gas) drop out and form a layer in the bottom of the filter. When you add ethanol to the gas I believe the ethanol will absorb the water and it does not separate out. Look around you might be able to find a source for non-ethanol gas. Lots of marinas and some stations sell it.

 

[tank1949]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

Water is insoluble in regular non ethanol gasoline and will separate into a distinct layer. So in your boat tank the water will be in a layer in the bottom and the gas will be above it. When the fuel gets agitated and the water layer will mix with the gasoline and form water droplets suspended in the gas. Those droplets get sucked into the fuel line and when they hit the filter it essentially slows the flow to the point where the water droplets, (being heavier than gas) drop out and form a layer in the bottom of the filter. When you add ethanol to the gas I believe the ethanol will absorb the water and it does not separate out. Look around you might be able to find a source for non-ethanol gas. Lots of marinas and some stations sell it.

Stoneyloan,

I suspected that but I wanted opinions from others. I remember back in school that alcohol absorbed water to a degree. I suspected as much and if using gasohol water sepeators, other than filtering ccumulated crap, were moot concering trapping water. . Not many places aound here in NW Fl. sells gas without alcohol in it. I trailer my barge, so marinas are out of the equation. Gov. Rick Scott is trying to pass laws prohibiting alcohol in gas, but I don't think it will happen.


thx for replying

 

[Bondo]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

Back in the day before the E87 crap, water separators/fuel filters would do a great job of filtering crap that had accumulating in gas tanks due to condensation, breakdown and trash. I'd pour out contents every so often and see the water and crap that that the filter had collected and prohibited from going into my carburetor.
A little over a year ago I got back into boating and have experienced nightmares with the POS I bought, especially fuel related problems. I now use Sierra 10 micron screw on water separator/filters. Last week I unscrewed one and poured contents into 5 gal bucket to examine. Some crud came out of filters but I didn't notice any water had accumulating. I treated my tank's new gas last year at season end with additives to prohibit alcohol/gas breakdown. It is my understanding the that refiners put additives into their fuel to assist in keeping gas and alcohol mixed. If so, how do I know the filters are removing water? Or, should excess form water beads at bottom of 5 gal bucket?

Ayuh,.... The filters work the same as they Always did,....

they'll hold maybe 1/2 pint of water, 'n then it's goin' into the carb,....

I agree, the $h!p they call gasoline now-a-days,... Ain't,....

I buy Napa fuel filters by the 4 pack to service the fleet of barges I take care of,...
'n Ya, I blame the so called Fuel,...

Over the years, most of the Chronic water in the fuel issues I dealt with were due to poor placement, 'n plumbin' of the tank's vent,..
Ya gotta have that upward loop at the fittin',...

I use a cut open clear gator-aid type bottle for Viewin' fuel from the filter,...
I'd think it would be Easy to miss the water puddle in a 5 gallon pail,...

 

[Harritwo]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

Tank,

Where in NW Florida are you? In Jacksonville, there are many stations that sell Non-Ethanol fuel. The local marinas also have non-ethanol fuel.

 

[achris]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

Correct, the ethanol in the fuel will carry water (to a certain point) all the way through the fuel system and it will end up being burnt in the engine, along with the rest of the fuel. Once the ethanol becomes saturated, then you will get water separating out.

The ethanol does exactly what some of the additives of a few years did. Back in the 60's and 70's it was well known that if you dropped a pint or so of 'metho' (methylated spirit) into car fuel tanks it would remove water from the fuel....

Chris.....

 

[slothman]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

The solution is simple. Just buy gas that has zero or LESS ethanol in it. Then you don't need the water separator.

 

[dswi]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

I had a friend tell me that there is an app for a smart phone that will find "real gas"...
Search "real gas" on your smart phone app store....

Lotta good it did me, since I don't have a smart phone (mine isn't even reasonably intelligent)

Hope it helps.

 

[achris]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

The solution is simple. Just buy gas that has zero or LESS ethanol in it. Then you don't need the water separator.

What???? The less alcohol in the fuel the MORE the requirement for a water separator... (They should be compulsory as far as I'm concerned!!!)

 

[stonyloam]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

Check this out: Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada I run only "real gas" in my boat, love it! Costs me about $0.20 more per gallon. Ask your local marinas if they sell non-ethanol. There are at least two on my lake and some stations near the water do too. Good luck.

 

[tank1949]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

It is, but I still have pretty good vision, as long as I have my glasses on. Years ago, we see the mess real easy, but that was back in the pure gas days.'

thx!

 

[Outsider]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

Back in the day before the E87 crap,

Do you have an E-87 engine, or is that just for illustration ... :facepalm:

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: How do you know water seperators work?

The solution is simple. Just buy gas that has zero or LESS ethanol in it. Then you don't need the water separator.

Um, the water is the problem, NOT the 10% [or less] ethanol in the gasoline........ Water gets into the tank mainly because you have a HUGE supply of it under the boat that sometimes gets splashed near the vent or leaking fuel filler cap, it rains on the boat and runs into that same leaking fill point, OR it's in the fuel from the supply..........
[Click the following link--->] (No, Victoria..... condensation is not much of a problem in boat fuel tanks that people think it is......)

It happens regardless of the fuel you're using (or what snake-pizz you dump in it!!). ALL diesel powered boats have water separators. (IN FACT, ALL diesel: boats, trucks, generators, cars etc have water separators) Aircraft fuel systems use "gascolators" (fuel-water separators) etc............



Cheers,

Rick