Winter Jobs Part 2

Modifying the aft section of Maunie's winter cover, to fit around the legs of the solar panel arch, was quite a challenge but we've added zips with velcro'd storm flaps so the boat is now beautifully protected from the elements. Meanwhile the work on various projects that we can complete at home continues; we thought we'd share some with you on the grounds that (a) fellow boat owners might find them vaguely useful and (b) watching other people at work is always a good reason for having a tea-break yourself.

Polishing the Fuel

You may remember reading that our engine fuel filter suddenly blocked and the engine died as we motored south through the Irish Sea last July. Contaminated fuel is a real worry with diesel engines so there are two in-line filters, the first 10-micron and the second 2-micron, to prevent debris or water reaching the fine-tolerances of the high pressure diesel metering pump and the injector nozzles. We obviously had some dirt in the fuel so the first filter did its job but there remained the worry of what might be lurking at the bottom of the fuel tank. Any water that gets into the diesel (even from condensation on the tank walls) sinks to the bottom and the interface between it and the fuel can be a breeding ground for a gloopy microbial growth known as Diesel Bug, a problem exacerbated because diesel now includes a proportion of hydroscopic bio-fuel.

We therefore decided to build a Fuel Polisher - a pump and filter system that sucks fuel from the bottom of the tank, filters it to remove any water, debris or diesel bug and then returns the clean diesel to the top of the tank.

This is the finished design - we went for a portable device so that we can clean both of Maunie's tanks and can also easily transfer and clean any fuel that we bring aboard in jerrycans.

The schematic of the components

The finished device

There's a short video of the building and testing process (where we purposefully poured water into diesel to see how well it would work) HERE

Re-varnishing the table

The last time Maunie's dining table was given a coat of varnish was seven years ago, in New Zealand: 

It's coped remarkably well with heavy use since then but was definitely ready for some TLC  so we removed it from its pole (another story of extended 'it's a boat!' challenges!) to bring it home. We were able to strip off many layers of varnish and get it looking really good, eventually. 

A supposedly easy process didn't go exactly to plan (it nearly sent Graham round the bend)  but we are very pleased with the final results. There's another short video of the process, ideal for those who like to watch paint dry, HERE

So, two important jobs are ticked off the list and we start on the next - rejuvenating Maunie's floors and replacing some seacocks. More updates to follow, bet you can't wait!