At 02:56 PM 9/5/98 +1200, Stephen C. Darden wrote: >>I do have good news to report concerning the desiccant filters: > >Would these be effective in dealing with diesel tank condensation? Could >you please identify a source for these? They are very effective in keeping the condensation out of a fuel tank. I had posted a source or two for them some months ago on the TWL. If you do a search on "Alan Jobes," then you will likely find it, since he is the guy I get mine from. If you cannot find it, then I'll fetch that information out of my other computer at work for you. The name of the company is Fluid Filtration Systems in Orlando, Florida. His E-mail address is fluidfiltration@juno.com, but he is not very religious at checking his electronic messages. He knows filters extremely well, but I don't believe that he is comfortable on the computer. He carries a number of types of these filters. I have a letter from Alan, which is sort of commercial in nature. That is why I hesitate to post it here, but it does have a great deal of good useful information on these filters, and Alan also gives you some other sources besides himself. It makes it sort of easy to find these filters, if you are not in Central Florida, and therefore not likely to buy from him. If Georgs will let me post it, then I'll do that. I'll cut and paste something that I wrote to someone else on the subject: >How do the desiccant filters work and how do I install them in my system. Back when I was in school, I could tell you what the chemical name for the stuff is, but that was a long time ago. Actually, there are several chemicals that are commonly used as desiccants. The most common one for industrial applications is a blue crystal. As you pass air through the blue crystals, they absorb the water out of the air. When they cannot absorb any more water, they turn pink. That is how you know when to change the filter. These filters come in all sizes. The one I would use for a recreational boat is about the size of an oil filter for a full size car. It is made of clear PVC, so that you can see the crystals. To install it, you need only use whatever piping and tubing adapters are required to fit the 1 1/2 PVC pipe interface on the bottom of the filter to your vent line. Use whatever you can find at your local hardware or plumbing store. Whatever you put onto the filter itself will be glued on, just like any other PVC plumbing fitting. That filter will last for a long time, and will cost fifty or sixty dollars. For most recreational boats in the South, I would guestimate a life of about a year or more. For a commercial boat, or one that is used more than a few hundred hours per year, I would consider on of the larger and heavier industrial models. They are made out of metal with a site glass to see the desiccant crystals, which are easily replaceable. The crystals can also be regenerated in an oven by cooking them to drive out the water. Since the crystals are replaceable, they can be replaced with Copper Sulfate crystals, which is what is used in most laboratories for a desiccant. They start out white, and turn blue, are less expensive, and are slightly more effective in pulling out the water. The only reason that they are not used in the industrial world much is that no one wants to use a desiccant that turns blue when it needs changing; for then it looks just like a new filter of the other type. I seem to remember that Copper Sulfate is also easier to regenerate, since you can cook it at a lower temperature to dry it out again--but then I have gotten in trouble trusting my memory before. :-) I hope that helps. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ :: Paul and Cindy Kruse :: KJV Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, 165 South Kenneth Court :: my peace I give unto you: Merritt Island, FL 32952 :: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. E-mail: plkruse@iu.net :: Let not your heart be troubled, 407-453-6206 :: neither let it be afraid. :: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The question of how to estimate water infiltration is an interesting one. I leave a boat in Key West over the summer. Last fall when I returned it was most instructive. Both tanks are aluminum and have 200 gal. capacity. The one that was half full with fuel had about 2 gallons of water in the bottom. The one that was empty was dry. This summer, needless to say, I've left them both full and expect no problems, but at the same time am very interested in desiccant vent filters. My guess (and it is no more than that) is that the water "made" is a function of the surface area above the fuel which is close enough to the fuel to be "heat sinked" by it. This provides the condensing surface. Thus, a half full metal tank may well be the worst case. I would not expect the problem to be a function of hours of use. Anyone else have a better explanation? Tom Alumina, 42' aluminum hulled trawler in Key West, FL and Woody, 42' wooden hulled trawler in Blue Hill, ME. -----Original Message----- From: owner-trawler-world-list@samurai.com [mailto:owner-trawler-world-list@samurai.com] On Behalf Of Paul Kruse Sent: Saturday, September 05, 1998 4:34 PM To: trawler-world-list@samurai.com Cc: fluidfiltration@juno.com Subject: Desiccant Vent Line Filters <snip> These filters come in all sizes. The one I would use for a recreational boat is about the size of an oil filter for a full size car. It is made of clear PVC, so that you can see the crystals. <snip> That filter will last for a long time, and will cost fifty or sixty dollars. For most recreational boats in the South, I would guestimate a life of about a year or more. For a commercial boat, or one that is used more than a few hundred hours per year, I would consider on of the larger and heavier industrial models. They are made out of metal with a site glass to see the desiccant crystals, which are easily replaceable. <snip>