The filter situation is handled…for a while.

Now, realize, that when I built the genset that I chose a very common filter. One that is used on about half the oil furnaces in the US and many larger oil fired portable heaters. Therefore it was a common filter….at the time….manufactured (or at least sold) by nearly every manufacturer…Baldwin, Fleetguard, Napa, Purolator, Wix, Donaldson, LuberFiner, etc. All the majors had a compatible filter. Therefore I thought that I would always have filters readily available from someone….

However:

Approximately two years ago, according to the Tech folks at Wix (and also at Fleetguard) the filter was discontinued….at approximately the same time at both companies….Which the Fleetguard tech guy said indicated that it was likely only made by one company and simply labelled differently for different companies. He said that he had suddenly received a lot of calls in the past month or two by folks looking for this same part,….his theory was that the supply of filters on the shelf after they were discontinued had run out in the two years since discontinuance, and people (like me) had started calling all the manufacturers to find a replacement.

Now, Capitalism being what it is, there is a company that makes this filter still, which I found via help from commenter “D” (thanks again for finding that for me!) in the previous post….But as far as I can tell, there is but one single supplier for this part. The rest of the suppliers no longer carry it. Perhaps the market is such that it isn’t worth carrying for the bigger companies….It is possible that the usage of oil furnaces has declined such that the big boys no longer find it economical to keep these filters in their inventories.

But the supply chain is fragile, more fragile than I thought…..perhaps, this time, not because of Covid.

A filter is an important part of a machine….without it, the machine will stop operating eventually. Our reliance on technology is also a reliance on supplies and manufacturers. It isn’t just fuel for the generator, it is also belts, and hoses, and filters and lubricants…..all of which are made by someone else and which replacements cannot be manufactured easily by the average person. Without that supply chain of needed consumables, technology will grind to a halt….first slowly and then rapidly.

Can you make tires for your car? Yes, you can patch them, but at some point they will wear out and become useless. Same with hoses. Belts are made by other companies, and you or I cannot make replacements if they are not available to purchase. Same-same fuel and oil filters. Gaskets may or may not be able to be made by folks like myself, depending on their complexity. Bearings and other parts are impossible. Brake shoes /pads and such are outside of my ability to manufacture. I MIGHT be able to find substitutes, but maybe not. How long will our technology last without a ready supply of parts?

This episode is a lesson for me. Even a common filter can be an issue. Stocking a single replacement part or supply may not be enough for critical machinery…..

Critical parts may or may not be available in the future, despite your planning….if it ain’t on your shelf right now, then it might never be….

You might take this into account in your own preps,

(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. )

Hell, what we already knew, just can’t yet prove:

Wuhan lab leak ‘is now the most likely origin of Covid because Beijing tried to cover it up’ and it is ‘reasonable to believe virus was engineered in China’, Harvard scientist tells MPs

Do the people that write Radio ads really think that “Get yourself a Covid Vaccination for Christmas” is really an effective tagline?

How about the people that authorize payment for it to be aired?

If this is the level of competency the administrators of our Public Health departments demonstrate, then I certainly don’t with to hear about anything that they recommend.

Look: at this point, anyone who wants to be jabbed has done so. Nearly all that can be convinced to get jabbed have been convinced. Certainly messages like the above ain’t gonna work on the folks that are left.

So all these people who have chosen not to work…..

Just how are they feeding themselves and their families?

It seems that only a year or two ago, these folks were doing whatever they could to earn a buck, often working two or more part time jobs if that is what it took to keep the family fed, the roof over their heads and the lights on.

Now we have millions out of work….by choice.

Just how are they feeding and housing themselves and/or their families? Who is paying their bills?

I was under the impression that most Covid economic aid had expired or otherwise ended. SO where is their money coming from?

Think very carefully

(Stolen from Instapundit)

I think the DNC types are gonna do their best to purge the more strident and Unwilling-to-Compromise RNC affiliated Senate and House members..

The reason I think that is because in my YouTube Feed I have twice gotten an ad featuring chuck Schumer telling me that I should read some report that will show that “Some members of our legislative bodies “MAY” have collaborated with the Jan 6th “Insurrectionists”.”

Bet on it, they are gonna try and charge them with Treason or a similar crime….Much like their attempt to get Trump blamed for that mess, they are now gonna go after the legislative  folks with a spine who won’t knuckle under to the DNC types.

Bet on it.

Got a chance to take a young kid and his Dad up for a short flight today.

Clear skies, visibility to forever. Smooth as silk. Only one 20 second bit of bumps. Winds aloft were sporty but that is what horsepower in a plane is for…

2 landings, 2.0 flight time.

Plus lunch.

Was a good day. Kids being happy is a Good Thing. Grins from ear to ear. Like a New Shooter Smile, only younger.

‘Twas a Good Day.

So I have a “Lets Go Brandon” (FJB) sticker on my car….(alongside the “Fueled by recycled Dinosaurs” sticker). It is my low key protest against President DeMentia and his policies, and also a slam against the Media who thinks they can tell us what to think….

And yesterday, while at the grocery store, I came out to find some fat, Liberal, (I think) woman standing behind my car….waiting to tell me off for having the “Brandon” sticker.

“That is disrespectful of our President” she informed me….

I looked over at HER car, parked directly behind mine…..actually blocking me in.

“What about the First Amendment?” I enquired sweetly, as I opened the back hatch and loaded groceries.

“HES THE PRESIDENT!!” she shot back hotly. (and by hotly, I mean angrily as there was nothing hot about this overweight, doughy blob of a woman (I think)).

“So it only matter when you approve…I mean, insulting the President?” I asked.

She looked at me, I pointed to HER sticker which said “Fcuk Trump!” in gold on a red background in 6 inch high letters. (among a whole slew of other “Liberal”  and Feminist  messages)

“That’s Different” she spluttered.

“Move yer fat cow-like ass and your car too, sweetie, or it’s gonna get another dent in the side”. With that I closed the door and started the engine.

She moved. Which is good for both of us…I don’t need a claim on my insurance and the resultant hassle. By her disheveled look  and the condition of her car she is either unemployed or working for a Non-Profit and can’t afford another accident on her car….

I’m actually surprised that she had the courage to tell me off rather than do something cowardly like key the sticker off the car or something like that while I was inside shopping. Leftist are generally only brave in groups and when they outnumber their opponents.

But it’s funny, innit, how the Liberal standards of behavior change so greatly, depending on the outrage of the day, isn’t it?

I mean, there’s breezy, there’s windy, and then there’s WINDY….

We are having WIND……. 50 knots. Now that is windy.

The good news is that the leaves are all moved around and most of the ones on the ground are elsewhere….and most of the ones that were still on the trees are no longer on the trees.

The bad news is that the forecast was for 15-20 knots so I had not secured the trash cans. My trash may be in another county now, which irks me greatly.

The winds aren’t unusual for December…..But we had a thunderstorm on Friday evening…which is unusual for December…..

But hey, Klimate Change, amIrite?