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I prevented a potential boat fire today.

B

btravlin2

Regular Contributor
I was going to begin the process of decarbing my 225's today. The plan was to draw a RingFree mix out of a 2.5 gal container and run into the motors briefly and then let them sit overnight. I decided to empty the twin Racors, replace them, and then use the primer bulbs to fill them. This way the mix would get to the motors more quickly.

I screwed on the first filter finger tight, and then gave it an extra 1/8 turn. Instead of getting tighter it started getting easier. I thought.....what the hell? And then the filter fell out of my hand, along with the threaded post I was screwing it onto!!?

Turns out the threaded post was only pressed in and held by friction, and it had apparently weakened over time and finally let go. If I had stopped at "finger tight" I wouldn't have known how weak it was, and it wouldn't have been long before a filter full of gas fell off in my bilge!!

I was stunned! What a poor design. My wife and I could have been on the boat doing 35mph. Crazy stuff.
 
WOW. Not good at all. Thanks for letting us all know. Is that Racor base that failed the one that holds the Racor S-3213 filter?
 
No, these were Moeller brand (as in fuel tanks). They were a hard composite material. The upper end of the threaded shaft isn't threaded. It is knurled. It wasn't a secure design. I'm going with aluminum Sierra mounts.
 
I've used the Parker/Racor filters on my last two boats and they have worked flawlessly. A nice feature is the see-through contaminant bowl with a screw-type opening on the bottom that makes them very easy to drain.
 
The filter/bowl part is exactly what I have. The mounts seem to be universal, although they evidently vary in quality and design.
 
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