E10 resistant low pressure fuel hose.

[Nasher]

I’ve got myself confused with a subject I thought I knew all about.

One of the projects I have on the go at the moment, fitting my RIB with a pre-loved Optimax 225, is almost complete.
It just needs the whole fuel system connecting up with brand new hose.
It needs to be 10mm ID, and for future proofing I want it to be E10 fuel resistant.

SAE J30 R9 hose is the go-to for this as it has a very low Permitivity rate, plus the inner is resistant to most things you’d likely have on the road or at sea, including Ethanol.
However it’s 100Psi Fuel injection hose, highly reinforced, and as such is @18mm OD and not very flexible.

As with most outboards all the high pressure stuff happens under the cover, and the main fuel hose from tank to fuel pump just needs to transport the fuel.
Actually it has to resist a small vacuum, and not kink easily.

In an attempt to reduce the diameter of the hose I need, and increase it’s flexibility, I’ve been looking for a non-fuel injection equivalent to the chemical spec of SAE J30 R9, and been completely confused by what I’m seeing.
Partly because I know for sure a lot of hose being advertised on the net as suitable for E10 isn’t.

Has anyone been through this and come up with an answer?

Thanks

[Pikey Dave]

Parker is my goto hose supplier, but this seems to meet the specs. Not cheap though.

https://www.thehosemaster.co.uk/r9-u...tive-fuel-hose

[Nasher]

Thanks PD, that price is about right by the look of it for that spec hose.

But being High Pressure injection hose it's highly reinforced, quite a large OD, and stiff.

Although that sounds highly desirable to a bloke of my age
For the fuel hose it would be good to find something of a similar Chemical spec, but a little more ..... Limp.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Thanks PD, that price is about right by the look of it for that spec hose.

But being High Pressure injection hose it's highly reinforced, quite a large OD, and stiff.

Although that sounds highly desirable to a bloke of my age
For the fuel hose it would be good to find something of a similar Chemical spec, but a little more ..... Limp.

Are you sure it's HPI hose? max wp is 10bar /147psi. It looks very similar to the stuff I used to rig BP and it's rather "floppy" min bend radius is 60mm, so it'll go round a tightish corner.

[beerbelly]

hi the hose i used is rated to BSAU108/2 / SAEJ30R6 is this going to be ok with e10 fuel the company i bought it from said it is but it was ebay so you cant take anything for granted

[Nasher]

Personally I wouldn't be happy with R6, and don't use it on my bikes any more.

R6, 7, and 8 were really about reducing fuel vapour into engine bays, R6 I believe going back to the 80's.

Only R9 was introduced specifically with Bio fuels in mind, including what we think of as normal petrol that is laughingly described as bio-enhanced with the addition of Ethanol.

[beerbelly]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Personally I wouldn't be happy with R6, and don't use it on my bikes any more.

R6, 7, and 8 were really about reducing fuel vapour into engine bays, R6 I believe going back to the 80's.

Only R9 was introduced specifically with Bio fuels in mind, including what we think of as normal petrol that is laughingly described as bio-enhanced with the addition of Ethanol.

thanks looks like i have another task to complete changing my fuel hose

[beerbelly]

also just a note buy it on there ebay page just saved 40 quid over there website same stuff and free shipping saving another 6 quid

[gpsguru]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Personally I wouldn't be happy with R6, and don't use it on my bikes any more.

R6, 7, and 8 were really about reducing fuel vapour into engine bays, R6 I believe going back to the 80's.

Only R9 was introduced specifically with Bio fuels in mind, including what we think of as normal petrol that is laughingly described as bio-enhanced with the addition of Ethanol.

Another vote for Parker for this sort of stuff, also have a look on the Merlin Motorsport site.

[beerbelly]

i bought some from hosemaster on ebay it arrived yesterday its a lot more flexible than the r6 hose with a thinner wall and has a more rubbery smell seems a lot lighter weight but if its better then i best change it . just need to find the time to pull out and replace the r6 hose that has only been in 2 years but showing no signs of being porous at least at either end of the conduit

[Easedalenovice]

The stuff I bought for my current rib build was stamped suitable for modern petrol. Time will tell if it is or not

[beerbelly]

Originally Posted by Easedalenovice

The stuff I bought for my current rib build was stamped suitable for modern petrol. Time will tell if it is or not

so is mine but but a little research into the specific part numbers of the fuel line shows r6 rated is not suitable for e10 fuel all the classic car folk are changing over to r9 too r6 fuel line was commonly sold and used a few years ago but its been superseded now due to porosity issues with e10

[Nasher]

Unfortunately I think only way to have complete peace of mind is to buy hose from a well know supplier that is printed with SAE J30 R9.

Or, obviously, swap your fuel line out every year.

The Hose will deteriorate from the inside outwards, so your not going to know something is up until it's either really bad or your fuel filter starts to show signs of it breaking up.

Don't forget that nearly all the Primer bulbs for sale on line are also not suitable for E10.
The only Primer Bulb I've found that is specifically marketed for high Ethanol content Fuel is the Marpac Blue ones.

I'm sure a lot of people are thinking I'm being a bit of a Tw*t for worrying about this so much.
But I'm already seeing issues with hoses on my motorcycles.
A blocked filter or fractured hose on a motorcycle is inconvenient at the side of the road, but on a boat at sea is a whole load more trouble.

[Pipster100]

I think it’s really good info you’ve shared Nasher, especially the primer bulb. I’ll be honest and say when I did my tank replacement last year I changed my fuel line to the latest spec but didn’t cross my mind to change the primer bulb. A job to do!! I only buy V’power fuel (or equivalent) but I’ll still change it.