What additives do you add to your diesel tanks? I have a 13 gallon tank that I put no additives in. I think its getting some water in it, and I was told that there is stuff I can add to the tank to "break up" the water. Also, should I be adding stuff to kill micro-organisms?
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Helios
Scampi 30 MK-IV
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Lots of people think fuel additives are the best thing since sliced bread - usually because they buy them and don't have fuel problems so they equate no problem to efficacy of whatever additive they used. I've always wanted to ask someone who writes - "have used brand x additive for 20 years and never had a fuel problem" - do you know all you prove is that this stuff doesn't hurt anything?
If you keep your fuel fresh and keep water out, you need nothing more - the refineries already include additives. If you don't keep your fuel fresh or allow water to enter, no additive will cure the resultant problems.
I'd also point out that adding biocide to a tank that has never had biocide added can result in severe filter fouling due to killing off the stuff living in the tank...
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Sailingdog
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"If you keep your fuel fresh and keep water out, you need nothing more "
Bear in mind that "pump gas" including diesel, is mixed and intended for use within 60-90 days. Many of us have had diesel in the tank, topped up or not, for a full season.
So adding fuel stabilizer and biocides to accomodate the extra long storage in the tank is not only logical--it is recommended by the fuel companies!
If you fill your tank and then (subtantially) burn it all out, replacing at least 3/4 of the tank every 30-60 days, you may not need anything. But if you have a reasonably large tank and just use it once in a while...you can't expect the stuff from the fuel pumps to work well in it, without additives.
"If you keep your fuel fresh and keep water out, you need nothing more "
Bear in mind that "pump gas" including diesel, is mixed and intended for use within 60-90 days. Many of us have had diesel in the tank, topped up or not, for a full season.
So adding fuel stabilizer and biocides to accomodate the extra long storage in the tank is not only logical--it is recommended by the fuel companies!
If you fill your tank and then (subtantially) burn it all out, replacing at least 3/4 of the tank every 30-60 days, you may not need anything. But if you have a reasonably large tank and just use it once in a while...you can't expect the stuff from the fuel pumps to work well in it, without additives.
Gasoline and diesel alike.
I agree completely. If you can't keep fresh fuel, it may be wise to add stabilizers as well as cetane booster which many engine mfgs recommend.
Avoiding keeping more fuel in the tank than can reasonably expected to be consumed in a few months is the primary cause of fuel problems.
The great debate is whether keeping the tank full (presumably to avoid condensation concerns) is worth the unintended consequence of having old fuel all the time.
A stabilizer like Sta-Bil for diesel is usually good. This keeps fuel fresh. It's only needed if you don't use it up very quickly.
Cetane boosters can actually shorten the shelf life of fuel. They are free radical reaction initiators, which is basically the opposite of a stabilizer. Only use it if you do go through the fuel quickly and it doesn't sit in your tank.
I have a 13 gallon tank and right now its pretty full. I use almost none of it. I doubt I'll go through it before its time to come out. There may be a lot of crap at the bottom of the tank, so after I come out I may have to siphon out whats left, pull the tank, clean it out and put it back.
In fact, if the fuel is only good for 60 to 90 days, then I'm probably already in trouble because much of the fuel went in last season. The engine still runs on it though.
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Helios
Scampi 30 MK-IV
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I have a 13 gallon tank and right now its pretty full. I use almost none of it. I doubt I'll go through it before its time to come out. There may be a lot of crap at the bottom of the tank, so after I come out I may have to siphon out whats left, pull the tank, clean it out and put it back.
In fact, if the fuel is only good for 60 to 90 days, then I'm probably already in trouble because much of the fuel went in last season. The engine still runs on it though.
It is not like diesel has an expiration date. We have an advantage because the tank is in the hull next to the water so the fuel doesn't see radical temperature changes and doesn't really get a chance to get hot. So it degrades much slower than a in a tank above ground subject to air temperature extremes.
Gene
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"It is not like diesel has an expiration date"
Neither does a dinner roll. Still, at some point it either gets that tasty green rim growing on it, or it becomes so hard that you can't bite into it anymore.
Pretty much the same with fuel. It is "good today, bad tuesday" but a case of getting worse, running worse, and also doing harm as it ages. In the case of gasoline, doing harm by leaving varnish and gum behind, to clog carbs and injectors.
"to avoid condensation concerns" Which is also a valid concern. Either you separate the water out, or try to combine it and burn it, or keep a full tank to prevent it. Apparently the actual water-diesel interface is a particularly hopistable environment for bacteria and algae, so any water sitting in a diesel tank will encourage "gunk" to grow, and that story never ends well. Unless you're a SeaTow captain.
Diesel does have an expiration date of sort. Not that BP's web site is very popular these days but if anyone cares to investigate some of their tech reports, you will find some studies on the subject, the conclusions of which were that diesel does degrade naturally even in the absence of light, water vapor, etc. As I recall, the data indicated a marked decrease in some of the lighter fractions by reaction with aliphatics and some other "stuff" not worth quoting in as little as 2 months.
Additives including stabilizers are arguably useless in this scenario.
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