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MEP003 Fuel Additives

SteveH

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Connecticut
Having got my 003a installed, I've spent the last couple of evenings browsing here trying to work out what fuel additives I should be using if running on regular pump diesel. Though there's a number of threads on additives, but I couldn't find anything conclusive

What do you recommend for a standby generator where the fuel is probably going to sit for a couple of years, and the coldest winter nights get down to around 0'F? I was trying to find a single additive that provided anti-gelling, stabilization and brocade but couldn't find anything. Looking on Amazon nothing really seems to have more than a few reviews (I'm considering Howes or Power Services.

Thanks in advance!

Steve
 

Isaac-1

Well-known member
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SW, Louisiana
There really are multiple factors at play here and I doubt you will find an all in one solution

In no particular order you have:

Lubrication issues using modern Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel in and older engine

Anti-Gel Issues in the winter time

Corrosion potential for moisture / water in diesel

Potential for needing biocides in diesel if there is water / moisture in the tank

The two topics related to moisture / water in fuel depend a great down on how the diesel is stored, if stored in sealed containers like 55 gallon drums these issues can be avoided assuming the fuel was water free when stored. There are also other concerns about use of biocide, etc. For example its use makes the exhaust fumes far more toxic, which is something anyone using biocide should be aware of and they should take measures to minimize exposure....

Ike
 

doghead

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but I couldn't find anything conclusive
Starting a new thread almost never provides a conclusion to this type of topic.
 

steelypip

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Charlottesville, VA
Ike covers the high points well. Like him, I've decided that the best way to avoid moisture (and thus biology) related problems in fuel is to store it in airtight containers. This is a little trickier than it seems because of thermal expansion and contraction of the fuel and particularly the head space above the fuel.

It's not impossible though. The low-tech and simple way out is to bury a (plastic) tank in the ground and let the earth do your temperature regulation. This has the added advantage of keeping the fuel above freezing (and thus gel point) in really nasty weather. As long as you keep the tank full, do the normal moisture control things, and burn through the supply annually or so, you're probably going to be fine.

Water in a fuel tank always ends up at the bottom. If you arrange the tank a little off-plumb it will have a low side. Make sure that one of your two dip tubes goes all the way down to the bottom of the low side of the tank. Hook the generator up to the other (higher) dip tube. You now have the ability to do an aviation-style sump drain of the tank to get all the water out through the low-side dip tube.

No water means no biology. Oxidation is still a concern, however. And once the fuel begins to oxidize it gets more interesting to microbes. The way you avoid this is to minimize head space in the tank above the fuel. Have a look at how wine or beer is commonly fermented. The idea there is to minimize the head space to minimize the surface area of the fluid possibly exposed to oxygen. An airlock on top works well, as might some sort of clear remote header tank with a high dip tube and a sump drain. Modifying a truck overflow tank would probably work well, and it being translucent you could easily see when more fuel was needed.

You can add some EDTA (Sta-Bil) to retard oxidation of the fuel. It does work, and there is no difference that I know of between the common, cheap 'gasoline' and the rarer 'diesel' fuel stabilizer unless the ingredient list says so. I use it in my fuel mostly to deal with the day tank being kept full and the fuel's attendant exposure to moisture.

No matter what you do, there's going to be a certain amount of inspection and top up involved.

Corrosion is mostly dealt with by managing water and biology. There can be acidic fuel or acidic decomposition products in the fuel, but if you're keeping the fuel away from water and oxygen it shouldn't turn acidic and start eating your generator's fuel system.

Lubrication of older injection pumps with ULSD is a real concern. The studies I've seen showed that simplest, cheapest, and most-effective way to deal with this was to add some B-100 biodiesel to the distillate diesel fuel. I think the stated ratio was something like 1:20. Two stroke oil and appropriately filtered WMO would also seem to be appropriate additives, but will likely be more expensive or time consuming. WMO probably will need to be added in higher ratios as well.
 

Captaincarrier

Active member
231
241
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Location
St Pete, FL
Being in the business of cleaning fuel tanks and most recently the DeSoto County Florida back up generators. What I recommend for long term storage of diesel fuel is Sentry Diesel Plus. Wish I could add more to the product and service require to maintain proper fuel quality.
 
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