Racor Probe Kit & Position; & Solar Panel.

[Phoenix]

Hi Andrew & the folks at the Factory:
We are the proud & delighted owners of a 2009 Ranger Tug R21EC, Squirrel Tug, purchased from Port Boat House in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. We live in Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island, BC (& are new Tugnuts). We recently took her to Altech in Campbell River for her 50 hour service. We have 5 questions/issues arising out of that service.
1. Altech was not happy with the fact that the factory installed Racor did not have a plastic bottom to detect the presence of water. They suggested installing an RK20726 Racor Guage (Audio/Visual) Probe Kit (which sets off an alarm when water is detected in the filter). What do you think of that idea/suggestion?
2. They also found the location of the Racor very awkward. (It is exactly as in Andrew's December 2008 photo.) As the photo shows, it has pipes under it, is very close to the floor, & therefore awkward to remove to change the filter or drain. Do you have any ideas to make this easier? Is there a special reason why it is positioned where it is? What do you think about moving it higher up to improve access?
3. Someone at Port Boat House suggested checking for water in the Racor prior to each outing (i.e. turn off fuel cock; place bowl under filter; remove plug at bottom of filter; drain contents & check for water in fuel; replace plug; & turn fuel cock back on). Do you suggest doing this before each outing & is this the correct procedure? (Naturally this makes question #2 even more relevant because of the awkwardness of getting to the plug at the bottom of the Racor.)
4. We bought a small Solar Panel to trickle charge the battery while anchored when cruising & when the boat is moored without shore power. (We have installed a charge regulator to avoid over-charging.) The most convenient place to plug in the panel would be the 12V/cigarrette lighter type outlet in the cabin. Is this really the best place to plug it in? Don't we have to have the master switch for house voltage switched on to trickle charge this way? And is there any problem leaving the battery switch on when moored & unattended for a few days?
5. Finally...Is it a good idea to plug in the shore power (with an extension cord from the house) to keep the battery charged up when the boat is being stored over the winter on the trailer beside the house?
Sorry, Andrew & Co. to ask so many questions. Thanks for your help & best wishes,
Simon, Barbara & Squirrel Tug.

 

[rt11002003]

Not to prempt Andrew, let me help a little with an owner's viewpoint.

#1. A plastic water trap is a "no no" in an engine room; since the engine compartment sorts of vents back to the area where the filter is located I'd go with the metal trap. I'm ultra cautious. You might have trouble mounting a larger unit there, ie. one with a trap. Alarms are a good idea. I've never had one in any of my boats.

#2. I found if you disconnect the bilge pump hose, move it aside. Remove the two mounting bolts for the filter housing and move it away from the bulkhead there is plenty of room to do the job. Loosen and tighten the plug and the housing while attached to the bulkhead. Takes less than an hour the first time, probably can do it in 15 to 20 minutes the second or third time. I couldn't see a place to move it to that is any better.

#3. In theory it sounds good, but takes more time (see #2 above) than checking the oil before running the engine and many folks are lazy about that. The water alarm is a better solution.

#4. To solar charge all batteries you'd have to tap into a circuit that went to both. Then you'd need to consider the effect on the on-board battery charger and the alternator. The plug-in in the cabin is connected to the house battery bank only. Leaving the house switch "on" is only a problem if one has something drawing current. At one time, some solar panels would draw current when not charging. I don't know if that is still the case. I've always connected solar panels directly to the battery being charged.

#5. The new chargers, my tug is a 2009, can be used continously. This past winter, from Jan., I'd go by once a week and plug it in; it'd reach "float" stage in a couple of hours. That's a GA winter, 20 degrees. I run the boat regularly since I put it inthe water. I'm charging it every couple of weeks, overnite as I leave the boat.

Gene

 

[bbrh842]

There are different opinions about whether plastic is o.k. in the engine compartment. I would go with the plastic bowl on the Racor. You can tell at a glance if there is any water in the bowl. First time you change the fuel filter, you will notice the plastic bowl is SO THICK, you would have a hard time breaking it with a hammer. I would say the odds of having problems because you used platic instead of metal, are about zero. That's just my opinion.

 

[rt11002003]

I think the issue with plastic bowls is fire. One of the standards recommended by ABYC for manufacturers, pertains to the ability of items in the engine compartment to resist fire for a specific amount of time. I think glass bowls are acceptable.

I'll bet Andrew knows. 😀

Gene

 

[Andrew Custis]

Gene,

Thanks for the answers.

Ok here is the deal with the plastic see through racors. Its funny that you mention this. Due to UL (Canadian) and CE (European) standards, we had to make this change. Canadian regulations do NOT like the fact that a fuel filter has a plastic bottom due to its possibility of breaking. Hope this helps!

 

[bbrh842]

I wonder how long all that fiberglass in the engine compartment will withstand a fire?

 

[rt11002003]

I think the ABYC standard for fuel system components to resist fire is two minutes. I guess that's to give us time to abandon ship. 🙁

Fiberglass/resin takes a pretty high temperature to ignite. See todays www.sailinganarchy.com for an example. :cry:

Gene

 

[Andrew Custis]

Its a good thing diesel is not combustable! 😀