Air Conditioning Malfunction with Genny Power

[ThirdHatt]

[QUOTE=Angela;188444]Does the 2 really cause problems? Well, I don’t know. That filter has been in there for about 500 hours now and this is my first hiccup - not even sure it's related to the filter yet.
QUOTE]


Well Angela, I think you may have just identified your problem. If your 2 micron really has 500hrs on it, you are LONG overdue for a filter change! I hope you mean that you have been running 2 micron filters in that genny for 500hrs total time. Standard racor filter changes are usually every 100-150 hrs, depending on fuel condition and personal preference and the on-engine filters are usually recommended every 250-500hrs but your mileage may vary.

[Canuck Dennis]

If you can't run 2 micron filters you have a dirty fuel issue, even when my tanks were cruddy, I still ran 2 micron just changed more frequently, now I change once a year just before cruising season, no problems and that includes gen sets, I do make sure to also change the water separator filter also.

[Angela]

Well Angela, I think you may have just identified your problem. If your 2 micron really has 500hrs on it, you are LONG overdue for a filter change! I hope you mean that you have been running 2 micron filters in that genny for 500hrs total time. Standard racor filter changes are usually every 100-150 hrs, depending on fuel condition and personal preference and the on-engine filters are usually recommended every 250-500hrs but your mileage may vary.

Yes, that's why I think/hope it's the filter as I said many posts ago when Mario brought it up. Been running that same filter for a long while - way overdue - I embarrassingly admit.

I try to do the best I can here taking care of this boat mostly by myself and working a fulltime job, too. This boat is a lot of work (I've been in the engine room almost all day today working on stuff) and I do most everything myself rather than hire folks to do it. Ed is here occasionally, and when he is, he helps a lot, but he lives in Atlanta and is only here a few weeks each year. I will change those filters before I run it next - trying to get to it yet this weekend, but I'm installing water pumps and then I get to start on installing hardwood floor throughout the entire boat. I do stay on top of oil changes, air filters, zinc and coolant.

[krush]

It's pretty simple. If a great deviation in Hz is a problem, then you would most likely hear the generator surging.

[Canuck Dennis]

I installed a hertz meter on the flybridge so I can at least get a warning when the genny starts to act up when operating from there.

[ThirdHatt]

Yes, that's why I think/hope it's the filter as I said many posts ago when Mario brought it up. Been running that same filter for a long while - way overdue - I embarrassingly admit.

I try to do the best I can here taking care of this boat mostly by myself and working a fulltime job, too. This boat is a lot of work (I've been in the engine room almost all day today working on stuff) and I do most everything myself rather than hire folks to do it. Ed is here occasionally, and when he is, he helps a lot, but he lives in Atlanta and is only here a few weeks each year. I will change those filters before I run it next - trying to get to it yet this weekend, but I'm installing water pumps and then I get to start on installing hardwood floor throughout the entire boat. I do stay on top of oil changes, air filters, zinc and coolant.

I certainly know what you mean Ang! I didn't think moving up from the 58 to a 78 would mean too much more maintenance, but boy was I wrong! Boats are alot of maintenance especially when you do most of it yourself like we do. If you are capable of changing oil, coolant, zincs, etc then a Racor filter change is an absolute BREEZE! In fact, it's one of the easiest and most important maintenance items that you can do for your boat. You don't even need any tools. Just unscrew the T-handle on top, remove the cap, remove the old filter, drop in a new filter, top off with diesel kleen or diesel, put the top back on and screw the T-handle down snug but not too tight. DONE! The Racor filters come with an o-ring for the T-handle and a seal that sits in the lid which are both very easy to change. It is not necessary to change them every time, every other time is good enough especially if you are in a rush to do a quick filter change and get the genny back in service when you are away from the dock. Less than 5 minutes and your filter is changed. The on-engine filters are usually more of a pain, but that's why they are usually only changed every other Racor filter change.

Honestly if I were you I would move that item high up on the regular maintenance list. With paying charters and only one generator to rely on, you know that power is EVERYTHING so even if it means going longer on an oil change or coolant change you want to make sure your fuel filters are clean so that you do not lose power. Diesel engines are extremely reliable machines and they do not care if the oil or coolant is a little dirty. All they ask for is fuel and air to run. Air is easy and readily available so all you really have to worry about is your fuel supply. 2 micron filters are not bad if you have clean fuel and you change them regularly. Your fuel is probably just fine but as you know your change interval should be much less to avoid problems.

GOOD LUCK!

[Angela]

Thanks Byron. You omitted a couple of steps - first shut off the fuel supply valve at the Racor to keep the line from draining so that repriming isn't a pain; second, if you have the older style Racors, there is a large rubber round "block" at the bottom. You need to keep that as the filters these days do not come with that block anymore - that thing used to come with the filter - not any more since the new Racors don't use them. Occasionally, that will stick to the old filter and gets thrown away. If you don't have that block in there, the Racor does nothing and then you start changing the filter on the engine very often.

Back when I had cruddy fuel in my forward tank when we first got the boat, I was changing these filters in very short intervals...every couple of hours. I can change a Racor on that genny in the middle of the night, blindfolded, with one hand tied behind my back and still get it done in about 30 seconds, accompanied by a lot of cursing. I had a LOT of practice. LOL Then, I started going through the little filter on the engine in short intervals. That one takes longer to change, but the genny's Racor is the thing on the boat with which I am most familiar, unfortunately. At one point, the interval got down to 20 minutes and ready for a change. Time to go home at that point.

[ThirdHatt]

Thanks Byron. You omitted a couple of steps - first shut off the fuel supply valve at the Racor to keep the line from draining so that repriming isn't a pain; second, if you have the older style Racors, there is a large rubber round "block" at the bottom. You need to keep that as the filters these days do not come with that block anymore - that thing used to come with the filter - not any more since the new Racors don't use them. Occasionally, that will stick to the old filter and gets thrown away. If you don't have that block in there, the Racor does nothing and then you start changing the filter on the engine very often.

Back when I had cruddy fuel in my forward tank when we first got the boat, I was changing these filters in very short intervals...every couple of hours. I can change a Racor on that genny in the middle of the night, blindfolded, with one hand tied behind my back and still get it done in about 30 seconds, accompanied by a lot of cursing. I had a LOT of practice. LOL Then, I started going through the little filter on the engine in short intervals. That one takes longer to change, but the genny's Racor is the thing on the boat with which I am most familiar, unfortunately. At one point, the interval got down to 20 minutes and ready for a change. Time to go home at that point.

LOL, you know more about changing Racors than I do! I am not familiar with the block under the filter that you are referring to and you are right that some setups require the fuel to be shut off, others do not. I mistakenly assumed that you did not know how to change a Racor since you have 500hrs on it and you haven't changed it yet. It sounded like you were waiting for Ed to come back to the boat and I was just trying to encourage you to take a few minutes and swap the racor to hopefully solve your problem. With 500hrs, you are overdue for the on-engine filter as well so you will have to spend a bit more time changing filters to get them both done. Now hop down there and get 'er done!

[Pascal]

It has been a while since I did the fuel filters down there. And I never forget that litte one on the genny engine in addition to the Racor. I used to have to change them about ever 20 minutes when we were having nasty fuel problems a few years ago. I can't remember what's in the Racor currently, but I think it's a 2 micron. They come on 30's, 10's and 2's, right? Isn't the brown one a 2? (Red is 30, and blue is 10, right?). I'll change the filters first and see what gives before messing with anything else. That little filter on the engine is a bitch to change, and I believe that one is a 15, so I like to keep a 2 in the Racor to protect the one that is a bitch to change.

Makes no sense your primary should always be coarser than your secondary... You want the first filter to catch the bigger particles and the secondary just to cathchbthe fine stuff. Otherwise you really dont even need a secondary

[Boatsb]

or you could run the 2's and polish the fuel when the detroits run and keep the tanks clean. FWIW I run 2's and change them every 50 hours or less to be safe. When I run out ( I keep getting more for free though) I will change to 10's and probably still change them every 50 but could go as long as 100 hours.