Diesel fuel and ice

[Fred Belknap]

I bought 100 gal diesel fuel 16 Dec and since then have had the fuel tank freeze twice. The first time it was froze till I had to use a hair dryer to melt the ice when I removed the drain plug from the fuel tank. I drained out all the fuel and put the plug back in and put in a gallon of alcohol and then drained that out. Yesterday it froze up again. Is there anything I can use that will help. I really don't want to just dump over $300 worth of fuel. By the way the temp has been below zero several mornings.

 

[skyhightree1]

right or wrong but I put HEET in my tank all year round and haven't had any issues yet knock on wood. It hasnt been negative temp here yet just windchill was - but yesterday at 445am it was 1 degree.

 

[snake67]

I bought 100 gal diesel fuel 16 Dec and since then have had the fuel tank freeze twice. The first time it was froze till I had to use a hair dryer to melt the ice when I removed the drain plug from the fuel tank. I drained out all the fuel and put the plug back in and put in a gallon of alcohol and then drained that out. Yesterday it froze up again. Is there anything I can use that will help. I really don't want to just dump over $300 worth of fuel. By the way the temp has been below zero several mornings.

When you buy diesel fuel in the winter, you need to ensure you buy winter weight diesel - summer weight will always gel in the winter. Your dealer did this to you in my opinion and I would kick him to the curb.

I got caught with one tank half full of summer weight in the skidsteer - had it gel up on me when the weather dropped to minus 40 - added some conditioner and got it going - if I was at home I would give you the name of the brand of conditioner we used - but there are literally several dozen different outfits that produce this conditioner - go get some and dump it into the tank - or simply wait for warmer weather.

Any responsible fuel dealer can help you as can any diesel shop if you need information on additives.

If you have room you might be able to solve this problem by dumping in another load of winter weight right on top of the summer weight fuel - it will mix and self condition - we have done that in the past.

Cheers

Bez

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Dump a couple gallons of kerosene in.

 

[dun]

I just use the stuff that is to keep diese from gelling, I think it's the silver container stuff. I can;t remember the name of the stuff and its too cold to go out and look and see what it is.

 

[Hook]

http://www.powerservice.com/default.asp

 

[MudHog]

For the record, No. 2 fuel oil does not "freeze". What most people call freezing is the the diesel fuel clouding up due to extreme low temperatures. Most people call this action "gelling". Small wax crystals will begin to develop in diesel as the temperature drops thus clogging as the crystals bond together. Think of a bowl of hog lard that is liquid and starts to solidify as it cools.

The best way to prevent waxing is to mix 15-20% of No. 1 fuel oil with the No. 2 fuel oil. Edit: make sure you MIX the tank and not just dump it in. You need aggitation. Even if you use the filler pump to just circulate the fuel back into the tank. Refineries already do the No.1 fuel oil mixture as part of their "winter" blend of diesel. Additives do not prevent clouding/waxing, but subdue clouding/waxing to a point.

If in severe cold climates, I would highly suggest wrapping the tank with insulation.

 

[dun]

http://www.powerservice.com/default.asp

That's the stuff!

 

[John SD]

Low temperature gelling and water in fuel are two seperate issues. I understand the OP states that the problem is excessive water contamination, not low temperature fuel gelling.

White bottle Power Service and other similar products are not much help in this case. Silver bottle Power Service does absolutely nothing for cold weather fuel gelling.

Red bottle Power Service 911 would be the appropriate product to use in this case, but if a gallon of alcohol hasn't solved the problem yet 911 probably won't either. Natural seperation over time in warmer temps is the best solution I see.

Obviously if there is enough water in the fuel to keep it from coming out of the tank you have a big problem. Question is was the water already present in the tank, or was the fuel from the supplier contaminated? And what should be done to prevent this happening again?

Making the best of a bad situation in this case, I think the best solution would be to let the fuel stand in the tank, let the water settle to bottom and then drain or pump it out. Borrow or if necessary buy another slip tank to use in the meantime. Be a good idea to keep some extra filters on hand and hope you don't have to use them.

Sounds like a real mess to me. If it can be proven that the water came from the supplier, IMO they should make it right.

 

[Fred Belknap]

Sounds like a real mess to me. If it can be proven that the water came from the supplier, IMO they should make it right.

The first time it froze I wasn't sure that the water had just built up over time or where it came from. But I drained the fuel tank and put alcohol in the drained tank to melt the ice then drained it again. I filled it back up and less than three weeks it freezes up again makes me think that the water came with the fuel that I had just bought. I intend to confront them about it but I doubt I can get any relief. I will make sure that my neighbors that use off road diesel know . Thanks for the information, I will try the additive suggested, I think Walmart carries it. There is a sediment bowl on the fuel lines and I will keep an eye on it and drain it if needed. I may raise the pick up on the pump and transfer to a clean tank then just waste the bottom few gallons for burning brush or what ever.

 

[Hook]

Water doesn't take that long to settle out of fuel. You either have a leak that's exposed to the elements, condensation building up, or it's gelling on you. My bet is condensation if it's less than half full of fuel. Especially if the tank is in the sun, or in a heated area where there is a large temp differential at night

 

[John SD]

This is what you are looking for in the red bottle http://powerservice.com/d911/

If you suspect a gelling, neither Power Service 911 (red bottle) or Power Service Diesel Kleen (silver bottle) do a thing for gelling fuel. Use Power Service Diesel Fuel Supplement (white bottle) for gelling.

911 contains alcohol. The others don't. Good luck.

 

[dun]

I use a gravity feed hose/nozzle, tank is 6 foot in the air. I mounted it so that the end away from the hose is about 4 inches lower then the hose end. Every couple of years when I start to notice water in the fuel I let the tank go dry then tip the low end up and drain all of the water and fuel out. I let it set then use it for starting fires or burning in the heater.

 

[John SD]

I use a gravity feed hose/nozzle, tank is 6 foot in the air. I mounted it so that the end away from the hose is about 4 inches lower then the hose end. Every couple of years when I start to notice water in the fuel I let the tank go dry then tip the low end up and drain all of the water and fuel out. I let it set then use it for starting fires or burning in the heater.

My overhead tank sets level and the outlet for the hose is on the bottom of the end of the tank. There is also a bung on the bottom of the tank with a short length of pipe with a valve on the end.

I try to remember to let a gallon or so out of this valve several times a year. Never had a problem with water yet, knock on wood.

IMO, filtering fuel at every transfer if possible is a good idea.

 

[Calhoun Farm]

http://opti-lube.com/diesel-fuel-improv ... oduct.html

I use this.

 

[Angus Cowman]

Powerservice is about the WORST supplement you can buy for fuel
you are better off with Lucas or several other brands instead of POWERSERVICE
90% of diesel mechanics will tell you not to use power service

 

[Hook]

Whys that? Because the mechanics don't get as much work? Lol

 

[dun]

Powerservice is about the WORST supplement you can buy for fuel
you are better off with Lucas or several other brands instead of POWERSERVICE
90% of diesel mechanics will tell you not to use power service

I must hacve run into the 10% because it was recommended to me by 3 different diesel mechs.

 

[Angus Cowman]

Whys that? Because the mechanics don't get as much work? Lol

mainly because it won't prevent gelling worth a crap and as dry as todays diesel is it adds NO lubricity to the fuel and is harder on the injectors
there is several additives out there that are better 2 that come to mind off the top of my head are Lucas and Howes
in comparision tests It seems powerservice always tests at the bottom even when several different brands are tested together

 

[Angus Cowman]

Whys that? Because the mechanics don't get as much work? Lol

plus I have personally seen equipment with twice the recommended levels of power service gel and seen it more than once
but I guess down in Florida you guys have to run an anti gel in your fuel 11 out of 12 months a yr so you probably know better than the rest of us