Fuel line check valve

"How important are fuel line c

"How important are fuel line check valves? I have one that has left me stranded twice now so I took it out last night and replaced it with no valve. It was located between the fuel tank and the Racor filter, then to the fuel pump and to the carb. This thing doesn't take a lot of gunk to make it stick but it's sure a pain in the arse when it does stick. I hope it won't blow my boat up without it. My last boat didn't have one just a shut off valve which I still have on this boat. Any thoughts?"

"They prevent backflow of gas

"They prevent backflow of gas into tank, leaving a fuel line empty and making starts a little more difficult. While they do add a very slight restriction to forward flow of fuel, that restriction should easily be overcome by the suction of the fuel pump (assuming engine mounted pump, not in-tank electric pump).
If gunk in fuel tank is plugging it up, perhaps it is time to drain and clean tank, or at least add some fuel injector cleaner to the gas for a tank or two.
Also brings into question the "sucking power" of you fuel pump - could there be an air leak on the suction side of the pump?
How much you "need" the check valve may depend on the elevation(location) between tank level and pump, although in most smaller boats that is pretty similar."

"The problem just happens afte

"The problem just happens after a few hours of cruising with no problems at all it runs perfect. Then after sitting out on the lake for a few I start it it runs for about a minute then stops. Won't start until I pull the valve assembly off and blow the obstruction of crud through it. It's done this to me twice in the past year, both times when we had company on board. Very annoying. I think I'll leave it off for a while and see how it does. The boat is 25 years old so I am sure there is some crud in it but I have good filters. Thanks for the insight."

PS:

Try 1 can of SEAFOAM pe

PS:

Try 1 can of SEAFOAM per 10 gallons of fuel. It will dissolve any gum and varnish in the tank. Pull the tank in the winter and clean it.

"If your tank has a large roun

"If your tank has a large round plate fitting where the fuel sender fits, you can remove this and use the opening to suck out the water and residue crud using a hand operated oil sump pump. This will clean the crap out of your tank and should end your problems.
Be careful, and no smoking please!

Rod"

Thanks Rod and Guy. I really d

Thanks Rod and Guy. I really don't want to remove the tank if at all possible. But when I empty it this time I will try and swab it out. I did that on my last boat and got a most of the crud that had built up.

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" Don't use polyesther material or blended material! Only 100% cotton. Polyesther will create a static spark and send you and your boat to the moon."

"Guy; you have a way with word

"Guy; you have a way with words!

Just kidding,
Rod"

"All boaters:

Thanks Rod.

"All boaters:

Thanks Rod. When I was working as a buyer for the local city govt. I had to buy 3,000 lb. of rag annually for use by all agencies. One requirement was 100% cotton. A natural gas construction crew was making a butt connection on a 8" plastic gas transmission line. There was a small NG leak in the trench and the worker wiped the plastic connection w/poly rag which created the static spark that ignited a terrible fire in the trench. One man was burned but recovered while another was severly burned and never returned to work after 5 years.

The same goes for boaters w/permanent plastic fuel tanks. They must be grounded to the fill neck. (CG regs.)

Portable tanks should be pulled from the boat and set on the ground before filling or the static in the boat can blow up everything when the grounded fuel fill valve touches the tank."

"Guy - Any suggestions about s

"Guy - Any suggestions about solving my static problems? Each time i go down to my boat, my wife gives me a bunch of static!

Kidding. Serious business, guys."

"Mistahays now that's funn

"Mistahays now that's funny!

Guy, I happen to work for a hazardous waste recycling company and we have all the great toys for clean up. We have oil and fuel absorbing "diapers" that are static resistant and absorb like crazy. They work awesome. I line my bilge with them whenever I am working with oil or fuel. They leave my bilge clean as a whistle. In fact I installed a small tray below my racor fuel/water seperator filter and put a diaper at the bottom in case I have to drain some water out. Then put the used ones in a sealed garbage bag and take everything back to work for recycle and disposal."

"MistaHays:

Tell her that

"MistaHays:

Tell her that she's grounded so the boat will run.

PugetSounder: Now that's smart. "