Hello all,
I did a basic fuel filter test that others may find interesting, I was testing diesel fuel filters with a m16x1.5 thread, specifically for the Donaldson P562263 or P560382 base. Keep in mind, all test results are subjective, this is just for entertainment.
What was tested:
Filters tested
They are 3 main filters I was testing, but also added an additional 3 to compare performance. The micron rating here is to give you a rough idea on filtering capability, at efficiency at about 99% for Donaldson, and 99.5% for Baldwin filters (I think their rating of "absolute" is beta 200 (99.5%) based on other data they provided)
Key takeaways
Before we get to some pictures, here is the test results:
I skipped some filters during tests, thats because they performed poorly, or I was running out of test fluid. Right away you can see the BF7772 filters dry fuel better then the P551615, even know the BF7772 is rated at 5 microns @ 99.5%, while the P551615 is 3 microns @ 99%. But the biggest difference is when water is added into the fuel, the Baldwin BF7772 fuel/water separator way out performed the Donaldson, it was really impressive to see how well it filtered.
Even know the P555095 did not filter the best, it really was not that bad, and its a compact filter at $11.00 each.
Pictures
Theres a lot of pictures, so I wont post them all, but I'll post the more interesting ones, along with the PDF for the complete test.
Control (dry)
Donaldson P555095 (dry)
Donaldson P551615 (dry)
Baldwin BF7919 (dry)
Baldwin BF7772 (dry)
Control (mixed/emulsified water) yes it really looks like this
P551615 vs BF7772 the baldwin on the right is cleaner, not visible, but the one on the left has a small amount of water in it
BF7919 the non-water separator let unfiltered water pass
Its kinda amazing the two water separators were able to take this unusable liquid and output clean fuel, the Baldwin BF7772 did better then the Donaldson P551615, not only is the liquid more clear, but the P551615 let a little water pass.
Dissolved water
This is the last and hardest test, more water and dish soap was added to the test mixture. The control looked very similar to the above picture of mixed water.
P551615 vs BF7772
The P551615 struggled on this test, it let over twice as much water pass compared to the BF7772, and it did not filter nearly as good.
Max uploads, no closeups for this last test.
Conclusion
The Baldwin BF7772 did overall the best, the Donaldson P551615 also did really good.
The P551615 is hard to get, currently Donaldson is back-ordered until Apr 23, the Baldwin filters can be picked up a FleetPride, or ordered, but they come fast.
The post seal did not make any noticeable difference, the Baldwin BF7921 (not tested) looks very similar to the BF7772, just a bit shorter, and without a post seal, so that may be a really good option as well.
I did a basic fuel filter test that others may find interesting, I was testing diesel fuel filters with a m16x1.5 thread, specifically for the Donaldson P562263 or P560382 base. Keep in mind, all test results are subjective, this is just for entertainment.
What was tested:
- Ability to filter 5 micron graphite powder (advertised as 5 micron)
- Filtering diesel with emulsified (or mixed) water
- Filtering diesel with dissolved water (same as above with added dish soap to mix the oil and water)
Filters tested
They are 3 main filters I was testing, but also added an additional 3 to compare performance. The micron rating here is to give you a rough idea on filtering capability, at efficiency at about 99% for Donaldson, and 99.5% for Baldwin filters (I think their rating of "absolute" is beta 200 (99.5%) based on other data they provided)
- Baldwin BF7608 (fuel filter, 20 micron)
- Baldwin BF7919 (fuel filter, 4 micron)
- Baldwin BF7772 (fuel/water separator, 5 micron)
- Donaldson P551615 (fuel/water separator, 3 micron)
- Donaldson P550440 (fuel filter, 16 micron)
- Donaldson P555095 (fuel filter, 9 micron)
Key takeaways
- Fuel filters and fuel/water separators are not the same, fuel filters may not separate water at all, and in my test, water that came through was unfiltered, and contaminated with particles
- The external post seal did not make any noticeable difference with or without; without it, I did not notice any difference in filtering performance in my small test
- Mixture of 0.75 gallons of diesel is mixed with about 2 table spoons of 5 micron graphite powder
- 0.5 cups of water is added to the mixture of 0.5 gallons of diesel, and heavily mixed before each test
- Additional 0.25 cups of water added to 0.25 gallons of diesel, along with 1 table spoon of dish soap
Before we get to some pictures, here is the test results:
I skipped some filters during tests, thats because they performed poorly, or I was running out of test fluid. Right away you can see the BF7772 filters dry fuel better then the P551615, even know the BF7772 is rated at 5 microns @ 99.5%, while the P551615 is 3 microns @ 99%. But the biggest difference is when water is added into the fuel, the Baldwin BF7772 fuel/water separator way out performed the Donaldson, it was really impressive to see how well it filtered.
Even know the P555095 did not filter the best, it really was not that bad, and its a compact filter at $11.00 each.
Pictures
Theres a lot of pictures, so I wont post them all, but I'll post the more interesting ones, along with the PDF for the complete test.
Control (dry)
Donaldson P555095 (dry)
Donaldson P551615 (dry)
Baldwin BF7919 (dry)
Baldwin BF7772 (dry)
Control (mixed/emulsified water) yes it really looks like this
P551615 vs BF7772 the baldwin on the right is cleaner, not visible, but the one on the left has a small amount of water in it
BF7919 the non-water separator let unfiltered water pass
Its kinda amazing the two water separators were able to take this unusable liquid and output clean fuel, the Baldwin BF7772 did better then the Donaldson P551615, not only is the liquid more clear, but the P551615 let a little water pass.
Dissolved water
This is the last and hardest test, more water and dish soap was added to the test mixture. The control looked very similar to the above picture of mixed water.
P551615 vs BF7772
The P551615 struggled on this test, it let over twice as much water pass compared to the BF7772, and it did not filter nearly as good.
Max uploads, no closeups for this last test.
Conclusion
The Baldwin BF7772 did overall the best, the Donaldson P551615 also did really good.
The P551615 is hard to get, currently Donaldson is back-ordered until Apr 23, the Baldwin filters can be picked up a FleetPride, or ordered, but they come fast.
The post seal did not make any noticeable difference, the Baldwin BF7921 (not tested) looks very similar to the BF7772, just a bit shorter, and without a post seal, so that may be a really good option as well.
