diesel additive

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Dec 30, 2009
680
jeanneau 38 gin fizz sloop Summer- Keyport Yacht Club, Raritan Bay, NJ, Winter Viking Marina Verplanck, NY
Hi all, where did the summer go... I picked up 3 - 55 gal barrels of red dye #2 diesel and I am storing them behind my garage. It will probably take a while to use all, should I install a treatment. This fuel came from on of my diesels at work and is not old. The barrels are sealed and I will always be taking the fuel off the top, probably a good idea to leave the last 3 inches........ Red
 

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Red; You can make a cheap "drum thief" with a proper length of poly tube - push it to the bottom of your barrel, put your thumb over the top end and withdraw. You will get a cross-section of your contents, including any water and sediment. That will get you a read on water and sediment, if you keep it long enough, cetane testing will assure you it still meets a minimum 40 cetane.

Pickle it with a measured dose of biocide (Biobor), cap it tight, keep it shaded and drums dry. When you transfer it out, pump it thru a filter and amend the cetane as necessary.

Drums should be up on supports, not on ground or concrete. Your state may require secondary containment.
 
Sep 26, 2008
566
- - Noank CT.
Hi all, where did the summer go... I picked up 3 - 55 gal barrels of red dye #2 diesel and I am storing them behind my garage. It will probably take a while to use all, should I install a treatment. This fuel came from on of my diesels at work and is not old. The barrels are sealed and I will always be taking the fuel off the top, probably a good idea to leave the last 3 inches........ Red
OK............. no on every said I was an optimist so take what I say in that view. Personally I would never have taken this deal even if it were free and delivered to me free. UNLESS maybe I was going to use it in my home fuel oil furnace. Given that it will take you years to go thru all that fuel unless you do an awful lot of engine time(how much fuel do you use a year ?). Then even when you go thru it you are still going to have 9 inches of fuel (10 maybe 15 gallons) of fuel to get rid off and three metal drums. Then you have to add cost of additives,filters etc etc I don't really see a deal here. Plus I would not not want 165 gallons of fuel sitting out behind my garage(would you want you next door neighbor doing this ? ). You may want to rethink this and use it in your (if you have one) oil burner furnace or somehow get rid of this. Maybe another way to look at this is would you buy this fuel and put it in you boat knowing that by time you get to the third barrel it is two or three (maybe more) years old and has been "doctored up" ? ? how long is treated fuel go for anyhow ? Got to ask why the shop was so willing to get rid of this fuel rather then put it back in there own vehicles ?? Just saying.............
 

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
5,075
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
I highly recommend that you store these drums on their side. If they are upright, the temp changes will allow the tanks to suck in water no matter how well sealed you think they are. I know this for a fact; I once got a couple of hundred gallons of jet fuel (kerosene) for free because they were stored vertically. I took 1/2 out of each drum and just added 4 gallons of motor oil and voila; diesel, free.
As for additives, I have found Star*Tron products to do exactly as advertised. Good stuff.
 
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