Patent ID: 7368060

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting contaminant in a fuel system, the apparatus comprising: (a) a fuel filter comprising: (i) an upper unit having a fuel inlet port, a fuel outlet port, and a closeable vent port; and (ii) a lower unit releasably mounted to the upper unit and comprising a contaminant collection zone adapted for holding collected contaminant and a closeable contaminant outlet port adapted for draining the collected contaminant; (b) a programmable low-voltage variable contaminant detection sensor formed integrally within the upper unit of the fuel filter and comprising detection probes extending into the lower unit of the fuel filter for sensing contaminant levels within the contaminant collection zone, the sensor being adapted for generating a signal upon detection of a predetermined level of contaminant in the contaminant collection zone, wherein the sensor includes a microprocessor disposed within the upper unit and capable of varying the predetermined level to enable use with differently sized engines; and (c) at least one indicator for producing an alarm condition in response to receiving the signal from the contaminant detection sensor.