two is one….

(see note at bottom of post for update)

 

and one really is none.

 

I have this generator that I built years ago. it uses a Lister CS clone as the prime mover with a belted generator head. It will generate 10,000watts (continuous) up to 14K for a short period of time…..It will burn almost any liquid fuel, from Kerosene up to fairly heavy fuel oil…(so long as it is liquid). It preheats it’s own fuel, and is an easy to service, reliable, very efficient setup. On diesel, at 5,000 watts, it burns less than a half gallon per hour

So I start it several times a year so I know it will be available when I need it. This year, I did my usual, drained the water from the fuel tanks (condensation, you know), oiled the spots that needed oiling, cranked it up (hand crank…takes a bit of effort) and away it went. Ran it on the startup tank (kerosene) then switched it to the main fuel tank…..

I noticed that the fuel filter for the main tank was 4 years old (only about 10 hours, but still, 4 years) and went and found the spare filter (two is one, right?)  I got sidetracked, and when I went back to the servicing of the genset, I decided to order another filter before removing the one that was on the engine, as there was no reason besides preventative measures to change it….

Now, when I built this genset, I chose a filter that also worked on another common piece of equipment….saving spares and all that. This other piece of equipment is a 750,000 BTU fuel oil heater..a giant torpedo heater. Both share the same filter because I engineered the genset to use the same filter…

Sadly for me, the filter is unavailable….the part number is Wix 24104…which Wix has discontinued. It is also discontinued by Baldwin, and FleetGuard, and Luber-finer,  Donaldson and apparently everyone…I cannot find a cross reference that is available…….It is (was) used by many large heater companies, but they are Unobtanium now….

I only had one spare. Now I am unsure what I am gonna do…I can easily find another filter and filter head mount to replace the one on the genset, but since (apparently) no one makes them at all, I am not sure what I am gonna do for the heater….(They don’t need to be changed often, but when they are clogged, they are needed very badly….or the unit will not work)

This isn’t a “supply chain” issue, this is the industry choosing to discontinue a filter across all manufacturers. Wix purges their dimensional data when they discontinue a part, so I am not sure if I will be able to find another compatible part number…(Lots of filters use the same threads and gasket dimensions, just slightly different media or flow rates).

 

A lesson I thought I’d share. Low consumption items , but critical ones, can be an issue in critical equipment…..Have more spares.

Without the filters, both pieces of equipment will become useless.

2 is…none ….if you cannot get a replacement and right now…I can’t.

Update:

(Many thanks to Reader “D” who found a compatible filter and who led me to a ready supply. The internet community can be a wonderful place sometimes. )

 

 

11 thoughts on “two is one….

  1. Yep. As I wrote, none of the compatible filters are available either.

    That link is one of the first places I went when I could not find the Wix version.
    No one has any of the filters that are compatible. In fact, they are all discontinued….Which is odd.
    But thanks for trying to help. I appreciate it.

    • That one was helpful….

      The link you gave me goes to a company that is apparently no longer in business (their telephone number is not in service and the system would not accept me signing up for an account)….

      However:
      That part number did lead to other companies who WERE in business and who did have the item in stock and who are shipping them to me.

      Thank you.

  2. When you do find a filter that is compatible, copy down all the information for future use, print it out and put it into the last replacement filter box so it’s there & available when you run out of your compatible filters and have to search again.

  3. Ouch. And yes, that is becoming more common. Cutting inventory for ‘old’ parts… sigh

  4. This is a wakeup call to all of us. No matter how well you prep, certain things are going to stop running, and for the dumbest reasons. The battery dies. The belt breaks. A seal goes. You won’t be able to repair or replace them. You’ll have to move on. Think of what that next step entails, and prepare for that…

  5. I had a small, 2KW genny powered by a Kawasaki engine. I test run my generators every month or so. One day, this one didn’t run up right. It ran, but really rough; definitely a fueling issue, from the way it was running. I tore apart the carburetor to clean it out. The jet was clean, as was the screen on the bottom of the pickup tube. This engine employed a carburetor incredibly similar to the older small B&S engines, which used a rubber gasket-type seal with small flapper valves incorporated in it. The flapper valves were no longer flat, but curled. No problem, look it up, and buy a new one. That’s what you do with the 50-year-old B&S engine on the lawn edger. Nope; not with the Kawasaki engine. That diaphragm is pure unobtainium. I looked EVERYWHERE. So, out behind the barn sits a perfectly good genny that will never work again because of one $1.50 part… Like I said, think about what you’ll do when that “whatever” stops working for good…

    • Might try a whole new carb. Sometimes they are insanely cheap.
      What model/serial number. I might be able to find one for you….

Comments are closed.