old diesel question

[robkiller]

So I added opti to my deisel fuel witch I dont think has a bacteria stopper. My question is before I start my mep003a witch has this diesel from about a year ago what should I do?

Think it will be ok? Any way to tell? Can I add anti bacterial additive to reverse the effects of bio growth? Is bacteria growth a problem even? Winters get cold will that stip the bacteria? Any ideas?

 

[MtnSnow]

toss in some diesel kleen and stir it best you can and then run it...year old diesel should burn just fine.

 

[rustystud]

You can also add some "Pri-D " diesel fuel additive. It will help even with old fuel. Though 1 year old diesel isn't really that old.

 

[Ray70]

You should be fine. 1 year is nothing for diesel. Bacteria growth is much more common in marine applications and other high moisture situations. Most likely you won't have anything to worry about.

 

[robkiller]

Thanks for the input. I just got some pri d so I will add that and fire her uo soon.

 

[Keith_J]

Diesel with biodiesel in it can absorb and hold more water than ordinary petroleum diesel. When the hybrid diesel has appreciable water content, it becomes cloudy when chilled, if it is cloudy at room temperatures, it should not be used until decanted from water sediment and diluted with fresh diesel.

What I have done is drained the tank and after decanting, put it in my M1031 with at least a half tank of fresh. Then I mopped the tank with paper towels until clean. I had overhauled the tank in 2011, using a tank sealing polyurethane coating which being a light gray color, helps in keeping the tank clean. I also modified the drain into a sump by carefully pulling on the drain boss with a slide hammer. This creates a low spot to catch all water and sediment.

Fuel tanks for these are hard to come by, these steps will assure my tank will never rust again. It took me a week to clean and weld every hole shut.

 

[Glockfan]

Just FYI - I ran 15 year old diesel that looked like sweet tea in an MEP-802a last year and it chugged that stuff for four straight days. The exhaust was a little pungent but that was all I noticed... I hear diesel will keep 50+ years and still burn.

 

[m16ty]

I've also ran some very old diesel before.

I bought a old White road tractor from a neighbor that had been sitting for I know 20 years. I put some fresh batteries on it and it fired right up on the diesel that was still in the tank from when it was parked. I ran that tank out (it was almost full) without any problems.

 

[jdknech]

i bought a M1009 blazer a couple weeks ago out of a field that had been sitting since 1999, it had a full tank of diesel from when it had been parked, and it fired up and ran on it fine... so I would say go for it! 1 year is nothing on (older) diesel's

 

[m16ty]

There's probably not telling how old the diesel is in some of the GL trucks we buy. I bet it's pretty safe to say most of them have at least year old diesel in them.

 

[Jeepsinker]

I'm not sure about diesel, but kerosine (Jp is said to keep for at least 100 years if stored properly.

 

[rustystud]

Diesel will last a long time if kept in a clean moisture free environment. The problem here in the Pacific Northwest is the bacteria growth. In a couple of years, untreated diesel will look like a lab experiment gone bad ! Once your tanks get infected, it is a royal pain to get rid of the crap ! At work one of our 20,000 gallons tanks became infected with bacteria. It took thousands of dollars and a year and a half to get rid of it ! We had to replace fuel filters every 2 days ! Thankfully this was our smallest base with only 200 busses.
I treat every gallon I buy with a anti-bacteria fungal treatment and also add "Pri-D" . I have never had any problems since. It is also best to keep the fuel in metal cans with a good seal.

 

[Glockfan]

I'm trying to work out a reliable storage solution for the diesel I want to keep on hand for my 803 and have decided that two drums will carry me through any outage we are likely to face (and then some). I'm not sure if I should go with the blue poly drums or the metal drums.

 

[Jeepsinker]

If you use blue poly drums, make sure that you keep them out of the sun. Also make sure the ones you get were not out in the sun for a long period of time. I had one crack on me a few weeks ago and spill probably ten gallons of fuel before I got it pumped into something else. I'm going over to all aluminum tanks for everything.

 

[porkysplace]

If you use blue poly drums, make sure that you keep them out of the sun. Also make sure the ones you get were not out in the sun for a long period of time. I had one crack on me a few weeks ago and spill probably ten gallons of fuel before I got it pumped into something else. I'm going over to all aluminum tanks for everything.

That's why the E.P.A. requires double walled tanks or a seamless concrete containment pits for any bulk stored oil or fuel products .

 

[Jeepsinker]

Yeah it was temporary storage but it cracked just as I got it full. No more plastic storage drums outside for me. I may use one inside my shop for the generator though. That drum had been outside for a long time. As far as the EPA is concerned... Yeah I'm not even going to say anything I want to say because it'll just get me banned.

 

[m16ty]

That's why the E.P.A. requires double walled tanks or a seamless concrete containment pits for any bulk stored oil or fuel products .

That's only required over a certain amount. I know our 250 gal farm tanks are exempt.

The blue plastic barrels will hold up better than the white ones.

If I were to have bulk storage I would use out of it and just keep it topped off. That way it always stays fresh.

 

[rustystud]

If your going to use plastic then use the "High Density Polyethylene" barrels. Usually they are the blue color or black. But for real long term storage metal is best.

 

[Glockfan]

I have now settled on a 90 gallon aluminum fuel tank as my means of long term storage based on the recommendations from you guys. It's a little investment but worth it in the long run. It's already plumbed to feed my MEP-803a via the aux connection. All I need is another filter in between and I'm good to go.