IT LIVES!

To say my day started off on the wrong foot would be an understatement. However the race isn't won at the start, it's won at the finish line. 

Up to my eyeballs in projects, I had set aside today to get the solar panels mounted only to have all chances of that crushed by things out of my control. I decided to tackle another major project and began to work on the fuel system and our fouled tank. During our trip down from Indiantown our engine failed us at a very crucial time at 1am with 35kt winds and breaking 6 to 8ft seas (not counting the two times we were knocked down by waves much more significant than that) Our engine didn't actually fail us, I failed the engine. One of the most important things to feed a diesel is clean fuel. I had changed the oil, replaced filters and put fresh fuel in the tank, however I did not take care of the remaining fuel that had been sitting there for over a year and this was the achilles heel. 

Since then I have been running off an external tank I purchased in Ft Lauderdale just to get us down here. Even then I have had my fair share of problems with this jerry rigged solution because the tank is not baffled, resulting in the engine getting a big gulp of air every time we pitched and rolled. Instead of paying a local shop 1,200 dollars to "polish" my fuel tank and clean the fuel, I decided to set up my own polishing loop and take the task on myself. 

After a few trips to West Marine (LOVE going to work on my day off! /sarcasm) I finally amassed the parts needed to get started. Once I set up the loop, fuel pump and filters I flipped the switch and the system began to suck the fuel through the water separator and filter. Almost immediately I watched the bowl fill with water, so I shut it down and drained it off. I did this several times in a few minutes and also noticed how much sediment was accumulating at the bottom. I heard a change in the pitch of the fuel pump and realized my filter was now completely fouled/clogged. I shut the polish loop down again and did a filter change, fired it back up and began again. After numerous filter changes, draining and filling up containers I saw the color of the fuel change. Soon it began to look like the sweet red sauce you get with sweet and sour chicken ;-) It might just have been because I was starving, but whatever, you get the point. The red is the color of off road diesel, just what I was looking for!

Jessica arrived home from work and I had let the loop run for several hours without a clogged filter so I figured "why not try and run the engine off the tank?" "Jess fire it up!" I waited in the engine compartment with my red headlamp on, fingers crossed and holding my breath. I heard the familiar  or should I say, not so familiar sound of the control panel buzz and then with the push of a button it came to life. "Oh my God it started!" I yelled through the cockpit (My neighbors were excited as well to hear me yelling at nearly midnight) We let the engine run for about 20 minutes while I watched the water separator carefully, checked other components and bathed in my triumph. I felt like pounding my chest and yelling "Me make fire" 

I had done it, something that isn't really rocket science, but it's something that 90% of the people cruising would have just paid someone to do. Instead of 1,200 dollars I had a total of 400 invested in the polishing of my tank, 1/3 the cost. Not only had I saved money, but i've also improved the fuel system and made it more reliable. Win/win.. 

Polishing the fuel will now be part of my bi monthly maintenance..