Seeking advice - Battery & Racor filter in starboard laz

A

Albie Back

New member
Hi gang, I'm looking for some advice.....

My current setup is a follows:
1) Port laz is empty
2) Starboard laz has battery switch and racor fuel filter
3) 2 grp 27 batteries are in battery boxes between the fuel tanks

I'd like to have a 3 battery system. 2 for house and 1 for start. The 2 grp 27s can go into the port laz, but my concern is battery+fuel filter in the starboard laz. Would fuel fumes, leaks, or recharging the battery be a major concern? Opinions please?
 
I agree -- the fuel filter should not be enclosed with a battery. I would be uncomfortable with a fuel filter in an unventilated space in any case. Most of the c-dories have the separator filter on the engine well near the motor/s. I just moved mine from inside the cockpit to the engine well.

Matt
 
We put our Racor Filters in the splashwell - one on each side. I'd be concerned having the Racor inside a closed space.

We have 1 starting battery in the port laz and 1 starting / 1 house battery in the stb laz.
 
Albie Back":9kuuu0mr said:
my concern is battery+fuel filter in the starboard laz. Would fuel fumes, leaks, or recharging the battery be a major concern? Opinions please?
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The Racor is great in the splashwell as others have said, but there is one more concern. To change the filter you WILL get fuel in places you don't even want it to be. Even in the splashwell it's dangerous but far less than if it's in the boat itself and especially in the lazarette, even without the electrics in there. Inaccessible usually means "ignore" and that could get you a big surprise from Murphy.... In an accessible spot you'll also change it more often.

Go with the splashwell and make sure it's high enough to be above the fuel tanks. Worse case, a leak will drain maybe a cup or two of fuel into the well while it's stored. If it ends up below the tank fuel level, it'll drain both the filter and a good slug of the tank's fuel before it quits.

Don
 
A 3 battery system? Really? Are you planning on running AC or entertaining the kids with tv and videos? I have a house battery and a starting battery and the house is under the counter inside.
I would not be inclined to go directly to three. You could get a battery charger, shore power set up able to charge three batteries and get some of the switching for three, and then just install two and see how they work.
I would put a solar panel on the roof before I would get a third battery.
Opinions...oh I have opinions.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
We have three batteries, one house in starboard lazarette, two starting batteries in port, of course we have two engines. Our racor filter is also in the starboard Lazarette. For the reasons others have mentioned I have been considering moving it to the outside of that same bulkhead in the splashwell. One factor that has delayed the move is my concern about the vulnerability of the filter to damage in that more exposed location. I am also considering using two independent filters, one for each engine. Opinons??
 
I'm looking at placing a third battery in the v-berth hatch up front. It’s a space that I do not use very much and should get some balance back into the boat. I will use it only for the windless and the spot light and maybe as a backup for the other two on a switch. I’m trying to keep my cable runs down to a short length. As is if I hook in to the buses under the steering wheel I don’t know if the wire going back to the battery is big enough to run the windlass at its peak performance.
 
One factor that has delayed the move is my concern about the vulnerability of the filter to damage in that more exposed location.
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This was my concern as well. But, after looking over several C-Dories of varying ages I decided that it was worth the trade-off. I decided to put on the Yamaha micro-10 filter since it doesn't have the plastic bowl -- it is just the metal cannister. At about $13 they are cheap enough to swap out a couple of times a year. (I know the racor is a 2 micron -- but Yamaha is recommending the 10 micron -- so, with Blue Stabil, I assume I'll be OK).

When I pulled out my Racor under the splash well (in the cockpit) it was rusted on the outside... so corrosion will be a problem in any case. And, since it was out of site and out of mind I rarely looked at the filter bowl anyway.

The biggest factor with the exposed filter is sun damage to the plastic bowl and to the fuel lines. But, as they are exposed on the outer splash well one can keep a close eye on them. I'll replace my filter more frequently now -- and I will no longer be spilling gasoline into the cockpit.

Matt
 
I suspected this might be general answer...... Ok, splashwell it is.

"A 3 battery system? Really? Are you planning on running AC or entertaining the kids with tv and videos?"
YES, I'm trying to make it more wife and kids friendly 8) . Actually, I should have clarified: 1 start, 1 electronics, 1 house.

thx for the quick responses.
 
Albie Back":3prrrdsk said:
The 2 grp 27s can go into the port laz, but my concern is battery+fuel filter in the starboard laz. Would fuel fumes, leaks, or recharging the battery be a major concern? Opinions please?
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I've got two group 24's in my port lazarette and my start battery a group 24 in the starboard laz. I don't think 2 group 27's will fit in the port laz the 24's just barely fit.
 
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