Fuel filter quick drain?

[Dk1117]

Emptying the fuel filter cup is messy when I get water in the fuel. This happens several times a year, even with a new fuel cap. Is there a guick drain style filter cup for the B7300? I think newer models have them. Perhaps someone knows of a third-party accessory?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[RalphVa]

Very odd. I've driven diesel cars since about 1978 and have had diesel tractors since 2004 and diesel generator for 10 years. Never ever have I had water in diesel fuel. Gasoline, yes. You're getting an unusual exposure to water.

 

[BruceP]

Moisture in ANY vented container will accumulate as the ambient temperatures swing. (think of water-droplets on the outside of a cold beverage...only the droplets are on the INSIDE)

This is why it is recommended to keep tanks FULL during storage. (less internal surface-area in contact with air)

There are diesel-fuel additives which address this issue. There are two distinct approaches:

1. Some of them make the water precipitate OUT of the fuel
   • Get trapped in lowest part of system/filters
2. Some of them make the water suspend in the fuel
   • Pass thru the filters out the exhaust

Bottom line: The environment in which the equipment exists will affect how much water accumulates in the vented enclosures (fuel, hydraulic, steering, xMission...etc)

 

[Dk1117]

Very odd. I've driven diesel cars since about 1978 and have had diesel tractors since 2004 and diesel generator for 10 years. Never ever have I had water in diesel fuel. Gasoline, yes. You're getting an unusual exposure to water.

Left outdoors all the time. Can be very humid here in Virginia.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

Left outdoors all the time. Can be very humid here in Virginia.

Yep. That's a very different story than someone in, say, New Mexico. But Ralphs' profile says he's our neighbor in Charlottesville, which is pretty humid, too, so I think his point is valid. You might want to review how you are obtaining and storing fuel. And the transfer process from wherever you store it to the tractor.

But back to your original question, there are lots of fuel filters out there. Anything that's designed for an engine as big as yours, or bigger, will do just fine.

 

[RalphVa]

After finding water in the bottom of the gearbox of the bush hog, I decided to check the 60 gallon tank on the generator. I attached the suction of the extractor pump to a driveway marker and lower it to the bottom of the tank. Started the pump. No water after nearly 10 years. Still no water ever in diesel.

 

[lynnmor]

I have three 275 gallon steel tanks for heating oil, one is outdoors and the others are indoors, all are vented to the outdoors. I have never seen a drop of water in the fuel filters when changed. Heating oil and diesel fuel are virtually the same product. My opinion is that the idea of condensation being a big problem is way overblown, and water in fuel was likely delivered that way.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

Heating oil and diesel fuel are virtually exactly the same product.

There! Ah fixed it fer ya!

My opinion is that the idea of condensation being a big problem is way overblown, and water in fuel was likely delivered that way.

Agreed! I've had water in my fuel, but I know how it got there. It has been a self-inflicted wound every time.

Here's one approach to improving the filtering on a BX:

 

[lynnmor]

There! Ah fixed it fer ya!

I asked my fuel supplier if the heating oil was suitable for use in the tractor, he answered no because of the additives they add. They do supply diesel fuel but I didn't want to add an additional tank and they won't deliver small quantities.

 

[imnukensc]

The OP has something else going on if he's getting water in his fuel several times a year. It ain't coming from high humidity. It's humid here, too, and I've never once had water in diesel fuel or gasoline from humidity.

 

[Dk1117]

Moisture in ANY vented container will accumulate as the ambient temperatures swing. (think of water-droplets on the outside of a cold beverage...only the droplets are on the INSIDE)

This is why it is recommended to keep tanks FULL during storage. (less internal surface-area in contact with air)

There are diesel-fuel additives which address this issue. There are two distinct approaches:

1. Some of them make the water precipitate OUT of the fuel
   • Get trapped in lowest part of system/filters
2. Some of them make the water suspend in the fuel
   • Pass thru the filters out the exhaust

Bottom line: The environment in which the equipment exists will affect how much water accumulates in the vented enclosures (fuel, hydraulic, steering, xMission...etc)

I do use Sea Foam with the fuel. Which of the two types is that? Maybe I am finding the precipitated water in the bottom of the fuel strainer?

 

[Dk1117]

I do use Sea Foam with the fuel. Which of the two types is that? Maybe I am finding the precipitated water in the bottom of the fuel strainer?

I should add that all my fuel is purchased at a local Shell station and kept in plastic 5-gallon containers under a roof. The tractor isn't covered and sometimes the little catchment ring around the fuel cap gets filled with leaves and dirt, thus plugging the drain hole. I replaced the cap with a new one, keep the drain clear and cover the engine area with a tarp. The water in the filter has lessened, so maybe the tank got a slosh of water that is now being eliminated. Because the filter instructions say to have the fuel tank below one third full before opening the filter, that makes it a pain to drain. A better idea would have been to put a shut-off upstream of the filter, rather than what they did.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

I asked my fuel supplier if the heating oil was suitable for use in the tractor, he answered no because of the additives they add.

The only additive is the dye, which is the same for off-road diesel. It comes from the refinery and goes either into the "home heating oil" tank or the "off road diesel" tank. Same stuff. The stuff that doesn't get dyed gets sold at your local gas station as #2 diesel.

 

[lynnmor]

The only additive is the dye, which is the same for off-road diesel. It comes from the refinery and goes either into the "home heating oil" tank or the "off road diesel" tank. Same stuff. The stuff that doesn't get dyed gets sold at your local gas station as #2 diesel.

I can only go by what the fuel supplier said to me, he had no reason to give me false information and lose the sale of additional fuel. As you know, additives for algae and gelling are added to outdoor storage tanks and they may not be suitable for year round use in internal combustion engines. There may be other things as well, all we can do is take the advice of the person that sells the product. I do know that he does not deliver to farm tanks and home heating tanks on the same trip with the same truck.

 

[DustyRusty]

I can only go by what the fuel supplier said to me, he had no reason to give me false information and lose the sale of additional fuel. As you know, additives for algae and gelling are added to outdoor storage tanks and they may not be suitable for year round use in internal combustion engines. There may be other things as well, all we can do is take the advice of the person that sells the product. I do know that he does not deliver to farm tanks and home heating tanks on the same trip with the same truck.

In CT the off-road fuel was a different color than the home heating oil. I don't know if it is still 2 different colors, since I haven't bought off-road diesel in years. I use home heating oil for almost 20 years in my BX22, and also my BX23S from when I first got it until I ran out of home heating oil. We no longer have an oil heat in-ground tank, so now I purchase the regular diesel at the local station. My diesel generator has a tank of home heating oil under it, and because we haven't had many power outages, it hasn't run out yet. My supplier told me that it was all the same with just different colors for identification by the state. Can't run off-road or home heating oil in your diesel pick-up because you are cheating the state out of their taxes.