The Official 450 Express Bridge Owners Club

Jack,

Thanks on the table leg info! Just what I wanted to know. Can you be more specific about "drop down cabinet"? I'm not sure what you mean.

And good results on the tank cleaning. I need to consider. Thanks for all the info!
 
LMBoat said:
Jack,

Thanks on the table leg info! Just what I wanted to know. Can you be more specific about "drop down cabinet"? I'm not sure what you mean.

And good results on the tank cleaning. I need to consider. Thanks for all the info!
Click to expand...
My cabinets adjacent to the fwd stateroom open by dropping down. Here's a pic.
LMBoat said:
Jack,

Thanks on the table leg info! Just what I wanted to know. Can you be more specific about "drop down cabinet"? I'm not sure what you mean.

And good results on the tank cleaning. I need to consider. Thanks for all the info!
Click to expand...
Cabinets adjacent to middle of master sr bed open downward. Pics here.
IMG_20231204_214539.jpg
IMG_20231204_214553.jpg
 
PostScript on fuel polishing/tanks cleaning. Refueled 90 gal/tank to full. Ran 40 miles Friday, then 50 miles Sunday. Ft. Meyers/Naples/Captiva. No noticeable fuel supply issues. Was suggested to run her a while after cleaning and before servicing/rebuilding Racors. Admittedly I was leary but I do have spare filters aboard. I just felt that leftover contaminant could wind up clogging the filters. I also thought I should start out valving to a single Racor just in case one filter clogs up quickly. Advised against it, so I left valves on dual filtering. No problems. Yay!
 
Jack O'Brien said:
PostScript on fuel polishing/tanks cleaning. Refueled 90 gal/tank to full. Ran 40 miles Friday, then 50 miles Sunday. Ft. Meyers/Naples/Captiva. No noticeable fuel supply issues. Was suggested to run her a while after cleaning and before servicing/rebuilding Racors. Admittedly I was leary but I do have spare filters aboard. I just felt that leftover contaminant could wind up clogging the filters. I also thought I should start out valving to a single Racor just in case one filter clogs up quickly. Advised against it, so I left valves on dual filtering. No problems. Yay!
Click to expand...
If you read the Racor tech stuff they recommend running on one filter at a time. The reason is to ensure the fuel flow velocity causes swirling in the bowl as designed ("turbine"). According to Parker Racor it is the swirling that separates water from the fuel and if on two filters the velocity just isn't there.
I run the boat on one filter then at the end of the season switch to the second and change the first filter. Then switch back the next season. Should the boat have a contamination issue underway I can switch to the second and get the boat to somewhere I can change out the first. I would dread being in big water and in a hot engine room trying to change elements purging air to get the engines running again. We do a lot of long open water cruising and I carry a case of filter elements on the boat but have never had to switch or change in-route.
 
ttmott said:
If you read the Racor tech stuff they recommend running on one filter at a time. The reason is to ensure the fuel flow velocity causes swirling in the bowl as designed ("turbine"). According to Parker Racor it is the swirling that separates water from the fuel and if on two filters the velocity just isn't there.
I run the boat on one filter then at the end of the season switch to the second and change the first filter. Then switch back the next season. Should the boat have a contamination issue underway I can switch to the second and get the boat to somewhere I can change out the first. I would dread being in big water and in a hot engine room trying to change elements purging air to get the engines running again. We do a lot of long open water cruising and I carry a case of filter elements on the boat but have never had to switch or change in-route.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Never paid much attention to my Racors but ask my yacht mgr periodically. He keeps eye on em, allegedly. Filters were changed last month. And, I have always thought as much about valving to a single for the great reasons you point out. Apparently I've got algae and sludge in the bowl bottoms. Meanwhile, I should also read up the tech stuff. Only a two hr run tomorrow back to home port and rebuild of Racors to be done couple weeks. We won't be using her again till mid-January.
 
I was given the same advice that ttmott provided and carry two extra filters on the boat just in case. Luckily no problems so far.
 
Forrestkk said:
Well, I had been looking at them as a lower cost upgrade for awhile now, but just bought the Airlock purifiers (https://airlockpurifierusa.com/) for our boat on their black Friday sale (Facebook actually had some additional discount, so ended up buying through them).



Our boat doesn't smell bad, but it does smell like vinyl after being closed up which clears with just letting in fresh air, and sometimes we have a slightly off smell from the main drain or head sump which is easily cleared by running fresh water through both for a few mins.

They have great reviews online, so will install them on all three units and see what comes of it.
Click to expand...

So, installed the Airlock's this evening. No need for cooling right now so I just left it with the fans running to see how they work.

Install was pretty simple and took maybe a total of two hours. You just wire it to the mains coming into the AC units right at the terminals in the box. I had to add a little wire to the guest and salon AirLocks to reach the AC control box. They are rated for continous operation, so anytime the power is on to the AC unit the AirLock is on. The purple light is the power on indicator.

Forward
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Guest (Mid-Ship)
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Salon
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20231206_192008.jpg
 
Forrestkk said:
So, installed the Airlock's this evening. No need for cooling right now so I just left it with the fans running to see how they work.

Install was pretty simple and took maybe a total of two hours. You just wire it to the mains coming into the AC units right at the terminals in the box. I had to add a little wire to the guest and salon AirLocks to reach the AC control box. They are rated for continous operation, so anytime the power is on to the AC unit the AirLock is on. The purple light is the power on indicator.

Forward
View attachment 155159

View attachment 155160

Guest (Mid-Ship)
View attachment 155161

View attachment 155162

Salon
View attachment 155163
View attachment 155164
Click to expand...
Not familiar. How does it work? We don't experience odor issues, happy to say.
 
Jack O'Brien said:
Not familiar. How does it work? We don't experience odor issues, happy to say.
Click to expand...

We don't really have odor issues, more like when it is closed up it smells like vinyl (the admiral doesn't love that).

The Admiral also doesn't love it when I make coffee on the boat.

Also, we started running a dehumidifier and our galkey sink drains right into the 'main drain' and I have noticed that because it just dribbles water that large PVC pipe does get a bit if odor because the water isn't flowing; run the sink and and the smell goes away.

Anyway, AirLock is just an ion generator like they use in hotels. So, it pumps ions right into the ACs and circulates them.

Here is the link to the tech explanation - https://airlockpurifierusa.com/pages/how-it-works
 
Forrestkk said:
We don't really have odor issues, more like when it is closed up it smells like vinyl (the admiral doesn't love that).

The Admiral also doesn't love it when I make coffee on the boat.

Also, we started running a dehumidifier and our galkey sink drains right into the 'main drain' and I have noticed that because it just dribbles water that large PVC pipe does get a bit if odor because the water isn't flowing; run the sink and and the smell goes away.

Anyway, AirLock is just an ion generator like they use in hotels. So, it pumps ions right into the ACs and circulates them.

Here is the link to the tech explanation - https://airlockpurifierusa.com/pages/how-it-works
Click to expand...
Tks! Will check it out. Sounds like a simple unit. Boat is idle usually for 3-5 weeks between our 1-2 week stays aboard. My salon Dometic A/C unit has a dehumidify function I set for while away. Hardest part of departing is defrosting/emptying Fridge and leaving ajar. We take home whatever is in there from our stays aboard.
 
Jack O'Brien said:
Tks! Will check it out. Sounds like a simple unit. Boat is idle usually for 3-5 weeks between our 1-2 week stays aboard. My salon Dometic A/C unit has a dehumidify function I set for while away. Hardest part of departing is defrosting/emptying Fridge and leaving ajar. We take home whatever is in there from our stays aboard.
Click to expand...

YW...We have dehumify our ACs too and used them for the first year, but saves me a few bucks to run the stand alone and I think it does a better job than the cycling the boats ACs do. Still run dehumidifier on the ACs May through September, primarily to cool the boat during the day when it is hot, but also to stir the air for the stand alone.

I'll let everyone know how/if the AirLocks actually make a difference.
 
Shoyrtt said:
I was given the same advice that ttmott provided and carry two extra filters on the boat just in case. Luckily no problems so far.
Click to expand...
Jack -- Thanks for sharing your fuel clean-up process and pics. I'm sure we are all wondering what we have in our tanks!

All of our Racor bowls (including the generator) were filled with brown sludge when we purchased the boat in July 2020. After draining & cleaning the bowls, replacing the filters, going to the single filter process that TT described, and religiously using the diesel fuel cocktail discussed on this thread a couple of years ago, I have had really good performance in my fuel system. I replace one Racor each year, even though the pressure gauge indicates more life. We also eliminated the black soot problem on our transom, which I attribute primarily to the diesel cocktail and re-pitching our props.
 
Shoyrtt said:
I was given the same advice that ttmott provided and carry two extra filters on the boat just in case. Luckily no problems so far.
Click to expand...
I've gotten the same advice from my mechanic. In fact, he went so far as to suggest making the inboard filter your "primary". If you get fuel contamination, you switch to outboard. It's much easier to change inboard if you find yourself in rough seas and have to do a switch. I carry spares as well. My tanks were polished 2 years ago and filters were really nasty this time. Southern temps and diesel just don't get along very well.
 
Forrestkk said:
YW...We have dehumify our ACs too and used them for the first year, but saves me a few bucks to run the stand alone and I think it does a better job than the cycling the boats ACs do. Still run dehumidifier on the ACs May through September, primarily to cool the boat during the day when it is hit, but also to stir the air for the stand alone.

I'll let everyone know how/if the AirLocks actually make a difference.
Click to expand...

So, after having 15 people on the boat with little kids and lots of spills (thank God for carpet runners) I can enthusiastically recommend AirLock. These things are incredible. They eat up any odor.
 
Forrestkk said:
Here we are in the Destin boat parade doing a Charlie Brown Christmas. We are mid-spin here.

View attachment 155604
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Terrific decor and yeah, quite a gang! I have a short video, 34sec of our Club boat lighting dock party I'll try to upload. My boat doesn't hold a candle to yours. Video too many mb to upload it says,
IMG_20231207_182421.jpg
but here's a pic.
 
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