Algae-X Opinions

[ikent]

Looking for some opinions on the Algae X fuel conditioners. Does anybody have any experience with them?

Thx
Ike

[tsenator]

I read somewhere thats it snake oil. They say you must pour something in your fuel to have the effectiveness it should have. The report said just purchase the stuff you pour in your fuel and you''ll have the same results.

Remember just because they show you obscure governement studies, doesn''t mean that its effectiveness is related. This is an old trick for years of snake oil selling ....caveat emptor. On the up side most don''t think it''ll hurt your engine or fuel. It would just cost alot of money $$!!!

Instead I would invest in dual parallel fuel filters instead. This way if you ever did have a problem with bad fuel, then one quick flick of a valve and the fuel would start going thru your standby fuel filter. It woulod be much cheaper and in the KISS principle,

[GordMay]

Further to tsenator:
Whether Algae-X works, or not;
I''ve been advised that ''dead'' algae can cause problems with injectors; and this authority didn''t even recommend "Bio-Bor" (Algicide). His advice mirrored TSENATOR, thus FILTER, FILTER, FILTER.
Notwithstanding the above:
I fill from dock through ''Baha'' filter to jerry cans, then through ''Baha'' to boat, eliminating much contamination & water. My primary fuel filter has NEVER fouled in 10 years of Bahamas diesel (neverthless change filter @ every second oil change - 100 hrs).
Although I don''t have one, I recommend the use of a secondary fuel filter (which, counterintuitively, is ahead of the primary filter), such as (appropriately sized)Racor Spin-On etc.
Regards, Gord

[ikent]

tsenator and GordMay, thanks for your input. Always good to avoid unnecessary spending when there is so much that is necessary!

Cheers

[WASSERNUT]

tsenator must own stock in Racor. The algae-x system is very effective in eliminating biologicals. Why would Detroit Diesel be the sole distributor of their products? Has Hinkley been bitten by the snake oil sales man? My last treatment was on a tank of "mud"
heavy pariculate, very low cetane levels. After the treatment all particulate to 3 mic''s was removed, all water was removed and the cetane levels were improved.
For 70 gallons the cost was 1.00 gallon, 25 dollars for the catalyst and 20 dollars for the filter. As of yet the Racors remain pristine. I would either buy stock in Racor or try the algae-x treatment. But thats just my opinion.

nut

[tsenator]

LOL...nah I don''t own stock in Racor.

If you read what I said "They say you *must* pour something in your fuel to have the effectiveness it should have. The report said just purchase the stuff you pour in your fuel and you''ll have the same results"

What I meant by this is the study I read said that the "Magnetic Fuel Conditioners (MFC)" efficacy is questionable at best. They say that you *must* use their AFC-705 Fuel Catalyst ( http://algae-x.net/products-catalyst.htm )for the results to happens.

From here http://www.diesel-fuels.com/algae-contamination/tank-cleaning.html

"We recommend the use of AFC-705 to completely decontaminate and clean the entire fuel system, with the simultaneous installation of an inline ALGAE-X Fuel Conditioner to insure continuous Optimal Diesel Fuel Quality, enhanced combustion, and reduced emissions."

So they even admit its the fuel additive and the magnet only " optimizes fuel quality, enhanced combustion, and reduced emissions." Notice it doesn''t say it actually polishes the fuel. Very subtle but very telling .

The issue is that you can just purchase their AFC-705 Fuel Catalyst and supposedly get great results. But use their magnet ($$) alone and your results are lousy.

This stuff seems an awful lot like "PRI-D" Diesel Additive (or some others) that you can purchase from WestMarine

Plus it depends on how you use your engine, it is clear that the fuel must be circulated through these units and over the magnetic field to be effective. For work boat or charter vessel engines that are run often, this presents no difficulty. It probably wouldn''t help diesels sitting unused for long periods of time (Like most of us up in the colder climates) You would need to install a recirculating pump with diverter valves to occasionally pass all the fuel through the magnets . And if your doing that you might as well route them to parallel racor filters.

I always have to chuckle when someone puts one of these units on their boat and says "I haven''t changed my primary filter in 2 years!". Well hell, I haven''t changed *either* of my filters on my boat in almost 4 years (the truth). So that must prove that NOT using one of these things is better....;-) Obviously just showing the flawed logic.

But I did say "most don''t think it''ll hurt your engine or fuel. It would just cost alot of money " And I''m sure its a drop in the bucket for a Hinckley and can make money for Detriot Deisel. Who wouldn''t want to be a dealer of a high profit margin product that won''t hurt and people ask for -- Its like new car dealers adding an "Under-Carriage Sealant"

If I had money to burn, I would most probably put one on.

Here are some links to peruse:
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/1999-November/016024.html
http://old.cruisingworld.com/forums/arch_052/index.pl?read=77295
http://www.pilothouseonline.com/forums/Boats/posts/238.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/1999-November/016026.html

[WASSERNUT]

tsenator, thanks for the followup.
Detroit Diesel became distributors when the commercial truck fleets significantly improved mileage and power. My reference to Hinckley was quite abbreviated.

Shell Oil, Derektor Shipyards, Stewart-Stevenson, Palmer Johnson, Nordic Tugs,Morris Yachts,General Electric Power Companies, Broward Yachts, Cummins USA are all users of the A-X treaTMENT.

We currently own an MTC1000 dockside treatment unit. The cost of this machine runs in the 7000 range and we spent many years investigating the realm of fuel cleaning to justify it''s cost.
This is by no means a shade tree, homemade unit. We offer it as a service for our cruising clientele and it is an often asked for service for our South bound cruisers.

The catalyst simply seperates the bios from the fuel cells. The magnetic induction removes the impurities from the fuel cells. one 25 dollar of catalyst treats 320 gallons of fuel. It is required part of the treatment.
We also save sample of before/after of every job. The visual difference is quite apparent, test results yield the same conclusions the fuel is simply better.

tsenator I''m no rocket scientist but we''ve had no complaints and have received many
"well Dones" I guess thats good enough for me.

Thanks again for your input. I''m not trying to sell any thing just inform our readers.

One thing to note; the little A-X units are most effective with high flow rates.
We use an A-X 3000 at 78gpm.

the nut