The Steamboating Forum

PeteThePen1 wrote:Hi Folks


I think the answer for me is to build the system with a mind to recover the oil and set the oiler to its lowest setting.

Regards


Pete

Or, perhaps, even lower than it's lowest setting!

Hello Pete,

In my boat, Flying Cloud, I installed a larger than normal hotwell first, then added two household water filters with filter media (poly-whatever) that attracts oil like the oil-sorb material. The two filters are downstream from the air pump and the water passes through each sequentially. The first one gets real black and I change the filter at least twice a season. The second filter goes into the first and a new one into the second. I've been very pleased with the outcome.

Can you post the manufacturer, model and whatever you can find about those filter elements. I'd love to replace my crude Oilsorb wrappings with something more civilized.

Mike, I'll get the info after dinner. The units are about $35 from Amazon and the media is cheap.

I probably have the filter housings. The element is thing I need info about. I use polyester elements in the pre filter in my boat R.O. desalinator. Just not sure if they are oil absorbing ones.

Yeah, prosthetic same thing. The evening got away from me. I'll get the info to you tomorrow.

Good Morning, Mike,

Here's the info on what I bought:

Culligan HF-360A Whole House Sediment Filter Clear Housing with P5, 5 Micron Poly Spun Sediment Filter Cartridge Included

They have appropriate replacement filter in2 or 3 packs.

This particular filter housing has a nifty valve at the top to shut water flow when changing the filter element. Obviously you can't do this underway....

"This particular filter housing has a nifty valve at the top to shut water flow when changing the filter element. Obviously you can't do this underway...."

Why not?

fredrosse wrote:"This particular filter housing has a nifty valve at the top to shut water flow when changing the filter element. Obviously you can't do this underway...."

Why not?

Likely because it shuts off the flow from the airpump, which gets dead-headed while I'm fumbling w/ the filters.
For those of us who just use backpressure to empty the condenser, we might get away w/ it. I have a
Filtrete (3M) filter system that I put in our old Airstream; it manages to shut the water off automagically
but it's a little more pricey.

I'm not enamored of creating more plastic landfill, so perhaps a home-built modular filter system that uses that 3M Oil Sorbent
stuff but can be emptied and cleaned is in order. The usage directions for those products say:

3M recommends that waste streams should be minimized wherever possible. 3M sorbents promote minimization by only
being a small part of the total waste. In addition where laws allow, 3M™ Petroleum Sorbents can be disposed of by
incineration yielding less than 0.2% ash (ASTM D -482). The high energy value of the sorbents is also favorable for
incineration and waste-to-fuel systems

Since our steamboats have a handy incinerator present already, this makes things pretty simple. W/ a few filter housings
made of 1.5" PVC pipe (painted something not so white) and proper non-compounded oils from http://www.steamenginelube.com/lubeuse.html#non-comp, squeaky clean hotwells could be a thing.

- Bart

Smokestackmag,
Thanks for the part number. I'm in Baja for the Winter but adding one of those cartridges in the line is near the top of my boat list when I get back.
Mike