Trawler and motor yacht owners like the hum of their diesels; like music to our ears. The diesel power plants are the nucleus of any vessel. But problems can crop up with diesel fuel stored in your trawler's fuel tanks, upsetting those diesels. It is important to recognize what diesel fuel is to begin with.

Diesel fuel is refined from crude oil. In oil refineries, crude oil is heated, and a variety of hydrocarbon molecules are extracted to make the fuel. Diesel is a great deal heavier than gas and evaporates much more slowly. It is frequently cited as "fuel oil" as a result of its feel. Often forgotten, diesel is an organic substance. "Give a diesel engine clean fuel and it will function eternally." This old saying is less of an overstatement than you might believe. Repair statistics show that 90% of trawler diesel engine problems stem from tainted fuel. The guarantee of eliminating 9 out of 10 potential failures should place fuel-system maintenance at the top of your list.

The most common indications of fuel contamination in a yacht are clogged filters, and depreciated engine performance. However, the lack of these conditions does not necessarily mean that your fuel is not contaminated. In fact, it is probable that every trawler's fuel is to some extent contaminated. Fuel pick-up tubes, where the engine draws fuel from the tank, generally are positioned roughly three-quarters of an inch off the base of your fuel tank floor. This placement is designed to guard the engine from contamination that has fallen to the bottom of the tank. Consequently, you may never comprehend that you have a fuel contamination issue until the fuel is disturbed in some manner - such as when you are in violent waters in your trawler.

Water can enter trawler fuel storage tanks in a few ways - by condensation of humid external air, during transportation from refineries to distributors, by leakage through faulty fill pipes or vents and by careless handling. Water can produce injector nozzle and pump decay, microorganism growth and fuel filter plugging with materials resulting from the corrosion or microbial growth. Your trawler's water spectators should be checked frequently for water and drained as needed. In cold northern winters, ice formation in fuels containing water produces serious fuel line and filter plugging issues. Frequently elliminating the water is the most effective method of stopping this issue; however, minor quantities of alcohol may be utilized on an emergency basis to prevent fuel line and filter freeze-ups.

Regular diesel fuel filter changes and the expensive and time consuming task of cleaning diesel fuel tanks have turn out to be acceptable periodic maintenance as an alternative of a caution sign for diesel engine failure. Diesel fuel filter elements should endure 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 ultimately clog your diesel fuel filters, destroy your injectors and cause diesel engines to smoke.

Fuel kept in boat tanks for long durations (6 months and more) needs special attention. This fuel suffers from multiple problems that affect its quality. The presence of free water provides the medium for microbiological growth that result in the formation of slime and acids creating decay of metal surfaces including storage tanks, pumps, injectors, etc. Left ignored this water layer will trap sludge and turn into the breeding area for microbes, fungus, yeast and more. This toxic mix makes acids that compromise the integrity of your tank, lines, pumps, fittings and worse, diesel machinery.

Microbes in the appearance of bacteria and fungus are present in all diesel fuels. Long durations of fuel storage can create ideal chances for microbes to develop in fuel tanks. The first sign of microbial contamination is mucous-like accumulations on fuel-filters and increased requirements for fuel-filter replacement. Microbes can only be removed from the fuel system by polishing or by stopping their occurrences by use of a diesel fuel biocide such as BioBor. I highly suggest utillizing it.

Another key issue leading to fuel deterioration is mechanical stress prompted by the heat and pressure of pumps. Since a good number diesel engines return sizeable quantities of fuel back to the tank, it is easy to understand that the engine itself contributes to fuel deterioration.

Should you make use of diesel fuel additives? There are plenty of additives on the market these days that are designed to improve the functioning and proficiency of diesel fuel. I prefer to use Marvel Mystery Oil. However, if you use the right additives, you can achieve peak performance from your fuel each occasion.

Most trawler fuel systems have primary and secondary filtering systems installed; Racor is a good example. Every time the engine is operated, the diesel is polished by filtering. A separate polishing system can also be installed that filters the fuel independently of the engine operating.