11 Year Test Report - Sol Tron / Star Tron

[Maine Sail]

As promised, for those who dropped in on my post from a few weeks ago, I cut open my 31 year old fuel tank to examine the insides.

This boat & tank has had three owners. The original owner had her from 1979 until 1982, then the PO, a friend of mine, bought her and owned her until we bought her in 2007. The PO to me claims to have always used a biocide and in 1999 switched to a biocide and Sol Tron. At the time Sol Tron was not available in the US but he heard of it bought a case of it while off cruising. He claims to have used the two religiously and never had a fuel filter issue.


To his credit I have also never plugged a fuel filter either. Of course I am just now finding out that I was just plain lucky or that the Racor turbine filters ARE everything they are cracked up to be? I continued to use Star Tron, the marketing name for the US, since purchase and have even shocked the tank twice at the suggestion of the manufacturer. It basically did squat.


The claims:

This same enzyme package, cleans the fuel delivery system and combustion chambers, stabilizes fuel chemistry and reduces engine emissions.

The enzymes contained in Star Tron can actually "repair" old and fouled diesel fuel by increasing cetane and eliminating sludge, varnish & water.

Sludge / Growth:
To make a long story short I am shocked at how dirty this tank was after the "treatment" it has received. IMHO Sol Tron / Star Tron does nothing to "clean the fuel delivery system". Of course I don't know how bad it was before it began life in this tank prior to 11 years ago but if it looks like this now then it is awfully slow at cleaning the fuel delivery system.

It should also be noted that this tank was "polished" in 2003 at the time they installed the new engine. It is clear to see that with the baffles they could have only ever polished the first chamber. Even then there is NO WAY you are getting the algae and growth off the tank walls..

Grade: I give Sol Tron / Star Tron a "F" in the "cleans the fuel delivery system" department.


Water:

The tank, at 31 years old, had ZERO water in it. I was rather surprised by this to be honest. I am a believer in condensation, just not boat tank condensation and I guess this vindicates my belief. Some winters I try and leave it empty, and others, like this one, it sits at just under 1/4 full. Still, zero water in the tank and I NEVER "top it off"...

Grade: I give Sol Tron / Star Tron a hesitant "B" rating for water dispersion. I say hesitant because at 31 years old it should have been bound to have some water in it but did not. As we say in Maine "hahd tellin' nawt knowin'".... I change my o-rings yearly so I know water is not getting in through there but also not from the dreaded "condensation"..

Cutting Hole In The Tank With A Plasma Cutter:

The First Sampling From the Tank Walls:

The Tank Inside:

Why My Fuel Gauge Was Never Accurate:

This is the last bit of fuel from the tank. It is filthy because I sucked it off the bottom with a turkey baster. The metallic flakes at the bottom are just that, pieces of aluminum from the plasma cutter. The key here is no water! The fuel in the Racor bowl NEVER looked this bad, perhaps because the tank pick up was about 2" off the bottom of the tank.

Despite it's utter failure to "clean" my tank I may continue to use Star Tron on the new tank but the new tank will have a dedicated fuel polishing system from day one that will turn the tank over twice per hour. I do think much of these treatments and the claims are snake oil but some things may be true.

All in all they hype about this stuff "cleaning" your fuel system is borderline criminal false claims IMHO. After all, it had 11 solid years to clean this tank, but failed miserably.. Perhaps in another 31 years I will be able to report on how well Star Tron, in conjunction with a dedicated fuel polishing system, works....

With all that said I still believe my engine runs cleaner, less smoke, and this motor, @ 3000 hours of use, has never had an injector rebuild or replacement nor any fuel system issue.

If you want to buy this stuff to clean your tank, don't, but if you want to buy it to do other things it MAY be okay....

 

[sailingdog]

LOL... will you be taking photos of the tank each year at this time??

 

[Maine Sail]

LOL... will you be taking photos of the tank each year at this time??

NO! But this may give me a good excuse to buy one of those cool inspection cameras. I always need an excuse for a new tool...

 

[catsailor]

Star Tron Ethanol was tested in Practical Sailor for it's ability to prevent ...

As promised, for those who dropped in on my post from a few weeks ago, I cut open my 31 year old fuel tank to examine the insides.

This boat & tank has had three owners. The original owner had her from 1979 until 1982, then the PO, a friend of mine, bought her and owned her until we bought her in 2007. The PO to me claims to have always used a biocide and in 1999 switched to a biocide and Sol Tron. At the time Sol Tron was not available in the US but he got it in the carib then bought a case. He claims to have used the two religiously and never had a fuel filter issue.

To his credit I have also never plugged a fuel filter either. Of course I am just now finding out that I was plain lucky or that the Racor turbine filters ARE everything they are cracked up to be? I continued to use Star Tron, the marketing name for the US, since purchase and have even shocked the tank twice at the suggestion of the manufacturer.




Sludge / Growth:
To make a long story short I am shocked at how dirty this tank was after the "treatment" it has received. IMHO Sol Tron / Star Tron does nothing to "clean the fuel delivery system". Of course I don't know how bad it was before it began life in this tank prior to 11 years ago but if it looks like this now then it is awfully slow at cleaning the fuel delivery system.

It should also be noted that this tank was "polished" in 2003 at the time they installed the new engine. It is clear to see that with the baffles they could have only ever polished the first chamber. Even then there is NO WAY you are getting the algae and growth off the tank walls..

Grade: I give Sol Tron / Star Tron a "F" in the "cleans the fuel delivery system" department.


Water:

The tank however had ZERO water in it. I was rather surprised by this to be honest. I am a believer in condensation just not boat tank condensation. Some winters I try and leave it empty, and others, like this one, it sits half full. Still, zero water in the tank.

Grade: I give Sol Tron / Star Tron a hesitant "B" rating for water dispersion. I say hesitant because at 31 years old it should have been bound to have some water in it but did not. As we say in Maine "hahd tellin' nawt knowin'"....

Cutting Hole In The Tank With A Plasma Cutter:


The First Sampling From the Tank Walls:


The Tank Inside:


Why My Fuel Gauge Was Never Accurate:


This is the last bit of fuel from the tank. It is filthy because I sucked it off the bottom with a turkey baster. The metallic flakes at the bottom are just that, pieces of aluminum from the plasma cutter. The key here is no water! The fuel in the Racor bowl NEVER looked this bad, perhaps because the tank pick up was about 2" off the bottom of the tank.




Despite it's utter failure to "clean" my tank I will continue to use Star Tron on the new tank but the new tank will have a dedicated fuel polishing system from day one that will turn the tank over twice per hour. I do think much of these treatments and the claims are snake oil but some things are true.

All in all they hype about this stuff "cleaning" your fuel system is borderline criminal false claims IMHO. After all, it had 11 solid years to clean this tank, but failed miserably.. Perhaps in another 31 years I will be able to report on how well Star Tron, in conjunction with a dedicated fuel polishing system, works....

With all that said I still believe my engine runs cleaner and this motor, @ 3000 hours of use, has never had an injector rebuild or replacement nor any fuel system issue.

If you want to buy this stuff to clean your tank, don't, but if you want to buy it to do other things go for it..

... phase separation - the effect when a small amount of water causes ALL of the gasoline to drop when the temperature drops.

Nada. No effect. All the testers got was a string of nasty e-mails from Star Brite saying it could not be tested in the lab. They had no data to share of any kind... but they will take your money.

Actually, that's not quite true. It did produce the cleanest break of the products tested; that is to say, the water and dirt broke out and settled more quickly in the tank. That explains your dirty tank and clean engine. The article was about 1 1/2 years ago, I think.

They also advertise -200F antifreeze, when burst points below -65F are chemically impossible to achieve - just view Dow chemical data - http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2009/11/marine-winterizing-antifreeze-and.html.

I don't think much of companies that engage in blatant puffing and outright untruth.

Good post, Maine Sail.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Maine Sail...

I thought Star-Tron was supposed to just kill the algae, not clean the fuel too. The black ooze is proportedly the dead remains as a result of the treatments.

As the algae is supposed to live at the water/fuel interface, your lack of water content is a puzzle. Perhaps the residue you found was from the past when there was water/condensation present.

The last quart I sucked out of my tank (and others I have run through my fuel polisher) before I opened it and cleaned it out was as black and particulated as that in your picture. My Racor bowl never looked that bad either.

Neat tools and another one of your great documentaries!

 

[Maine Sail]

I thought Star-Tron was supposed to just kill the algae, not clean the fuel too. The black ooze is proportedly the dead remains as a result of the treatments.

I don't know but I always considered the fuel tank as part of the fuel delivery system and when you say "eliminating sludge", in a diesel specific ad, one might assume they actually mean eliminating it..?..?

I notice that they did not say "reducing" or "minimizing sludge and varnish" but they instead chose the words "eliminating sludge, varnish & water". If they are going to use bold, definitive statements in their marketing, the stuff really should do as it says, especially after 11 years of solid and religious use..

This same enzyme package, cleans the fuel delivery system and combustion chambers, stabilizes fuel chemistry and reduces engine emissions.

The enzymes contained in Star Tron can actually "repair" old and fouled diesel fuel by increasing cetane and eliminating sludge, varnish & water.

 

[Allan Frey]

A few years ago I contacted startron and told them that I was a scientist. I asked to see studies that showed that their product was effective and supported their claims. After evasiveness, they finally admitted that they had no evidence that it was effective or even safe to use.

allan

 

[Hermit Scott]

This makes me not ever want to install my aluminum tank, unless I also install a fuel polisher. I will keep using the portable tanks until I get the proper set up so I won't worry about it.

 

[sailingdog]

Like you really needed an excuse to buy more toys, umm, tools... yeah..... wait, aren't those pretty much the same thing???

NO! But this may give me a good excuse to buy one of those cool inspection cameras. I always need an excuse for a new tool...

 

[jibes138]

Real Life Diesel Study

I ran an F250 diesel pickup for the last eight years. I always carried two sealed jugs of fuel in the back of the truck in case i had trouble finding a diesel pump in some remote area or to give added range on a trip. With 10 gallons of diesel in the jugs I had a range of about 850 miles. I bought these jugs brand new filled them and sealed them. I was absolutely amazed at the amount of algae, sludge and even water that would be in the bottom of these tanks when I would use them to fill the truck, I used to rotate this fuel every three months or so to keep it fresh, At one point I was filling a mayo jar with the crud so I could see it through clear glass. So I don't think water in the fuel is a condensation issue but rather you get it at the pump. I also think the algae and bacteria is in the fuel from the pump.I really think the best move would be to start with a new tank and then FILTER THE FUEL BEFORE PUTTING IT IN THE TANK.
Here's a suggestion, I always fill my tank this way on the boat to prevent any chance of a spill. I use one of those fuel hoses with the squeeze bulb for a portable tank. Put the short end in your 5 gallon jug, the long end in your tank squeeze the bulb a few times to start the siphon, sit back and have a beer. When the jug is about 8/10 empty stop the siphon by pulling the short end out of the fule. Use a rag to wipe off the hose as you extract it and put the hose in a plastic bag . So any crud in the jug will stay on the bottom of the jug as it is sitting still and the siphon is so slow it is not stirring up the fuel in the process. Dumping the fuel into the tank by inverting the jug ensures the drud will go right in the tank.. Now add a filter to the to siphon and you should have nice clean fuel going in the tank with little to no water and particulates smaller than say 10 microns or about .000390 inches. I haven't tried the filter on my siphon yet but it seems like a good idea. Since most of us only use a tank a year or maybe less, this works well as you are usually only adding 10 to 15 gallons when you fill her up.

 

[Roger Long]

the new tank will have a dedicated fuel polishing system from day one that will turn the tank over twice per hour. I do think much of these treatments and the claims are snake oil but some things are true.

I think you'll be happy with the polishing system results. My tank has no baffles but poor access. The spring after a season of running the polishing system and leaving the tank half full all winter, I rigged up a stiff hose to a pump and a Racor filter with a brand new element and pushed the hose around all over the bottom of the tank and into the corners. After cycling the contents of most of the tank through the filter and sampling the whole tank bottom, I inspected the filter element. Not a speck on the element or in the bowl.

I then stuck an inspection mirror in the tank and could see the mill marks on the aluminum plate sides and could see right down through the fuel. There was nothing in the tank.

At the end of the first season, I had about 4 tablespoons of the same black crud you see in your pictures in the sediment bowl of my polishing filter but the Racor looked almost new. Second season, about 1 tablespoon in the polishing filter and the Racor looked even better. I covered over 1000 miles under power that season.

I agree that StarTron is over hyped but my one data point indicates that it does something. I didn't even change a fuel filter the first two seasons, being a diesel owner newbie. I put in StarTron and had my first clogged filter experience 2-3 days later, just as it says you may in the package insert.

As I understand the way StarTron works, it doesn't kill anything but promotes the clumping together of the fungi and binding of water to the clumps into particles that will settle and be picked up in the fuel line to be carried to the filters. Without doing anything, they drift over to the tank walls and form a bio film that breaks off in big, filter and pick up clogging clumps when it gets thick enough.

I note in your pictures that the tank walls look pretty clean. This makes me think that the StarTron was actually doing what it is supposed to do (as opposed to what the ads say, perhaps) but the pick up and flow characteristics of your tank were letting the clumped stuff stay in the bottom.

One aspect of polishing systems I haven't seen discussed is the higher flow rate. My system draws fuel at about 20 times the rate that the engine does alone. This leads to much higher suction and currents around the pick up that will pull stuff from the bottom of the tank into the filters. I think this will be important in your new tank. I sometimes have run under power in rough water with half full tanks when I could be sailing just to get some good agitation washing and mixing.

 

[MrBee]

Good post Mainsail,
As Roger said, IF using a polishing system it needs to circulate the fuel at a rate that will keep everything suspended so the filters can do there job. Far to often in a sailboat we don't use enough fuel and with a large tank there is lot's of time for settlement. One of the reasons i'm going with a smaller tank is because I have a small boat and would rather have a small tank with easy access and clean it each spring than take up space for the polishing system.

jibes138, I will be filling my tank as you describe along with the prefilter. Although that is not very practical for the folks that fuel up at the pump.

Clean fuel coming from the return, another reason to have the return go to the tank instead of tied into the feed line. For us without a polishing system the clean fuel from the return mixes with the tank fuel and averages down the dirty fuel, if it is dirty.

Bee

 

[catsailor]

Actually, Star Tron Diesel did kill bugs in tests

I thought Star-Tron was supposed to just kill the algae, not clean the fuel too. The black ooze is proportedly the dead remains as a result of the treatments.

As the algae is supposed to live at the water/fuel interface, your lack of water content is a puzzle. Perhaps the residue you found was from the past when there was water/condensation present.

The last quart I sucked out of my tank (and others I have run through my fuel polisher) before I opened it and cleaned it out was as black and particulated as that in your picture. My Racor bowl never looked that bad either.

Neat tools and another one of your great documentaries!

It is not registered as a biocide, but the solvents and cleaners sure do seem to have that effect in some cases. That doesn't make it a biocide and they do not represent it as one - it just does that sometimes. See the attached blog (includes the results).
http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/p/diesel-biocides.html

They also sell a biocide (EPA registerd product) that does exactly what it claims to do.

 

[Maine Sail]

They also sell a biocide (EPA registerd product) that does exactly what it claims to do.

Cat Sail,

I know you have studies this rather extensively and seen the spore samples but it is not clear which, if any, products you would recommend on a new tank? It's hard to decipher which biocide is the clear winner?

 

[Bob S]

To his credit I have also never plugged a fuel filter either. Of course I am just now finding out that I was plain lucky or that the Racor turbine filters ARE everything they are cracked up to be?

I'm going on my third season boating. I remember the first time I stumbled on this site:dance: how much I learned. I continue to learn every time I visit. I have done so much to my boat since I bought her late 2007. Most of my upgrades where necessitated out of fear. There have been many posts about fuel and filters and how rough seas can kick up contaminants and stall out your engine at the worst time. I know I'm more timid than you are sailing in heavy weather. As dirty as it looks you never had a problem. I someday would love to add a fuel polisher to my boat and cut a large access hole to see inside but until the money and time become available I just keep changing my primary and secondary filters before launching and keep the tank full over the winter. I trust the Racor because I can see the bottom of the bowl and so far she's always been surprisingly clean!

Great post Maine.

 

[Buck420]

Main Sail, Thanks For A Nice Post

I can now feel good about discontinuing the purchase and use of Star-Tron.

Has anyone done an analysis and comparison of biocides ??

 

[catsailor]

You are absolutly correct. Like antibiotics, it seems to depend.

Cat Sail,

I know you have studies this rather extensively and seen the spore samples but it is not clear which, if any, products you would recommend on a new tank? It's hard to decipher which biocide is the clear winner?

The airports use Biobor JF.

Industrially (back-up power plants for ISP, for example) it is common to alternate, every 6 months to one year, between Biobor and one of the Di-thiocarbamates (Valve-Tech, Star-Brite, FPPF - these are all the SAME product, relabeled). I believe the only difference between Star-Brite and Valve tech was experimental error, since the EPA registration indicates they are the same thing (and it would be quite illegal if they were not!).

I would alternate every 6 months, I think. Less chance of building up a resistance. I should add that the "b culture" had been conditioned to low levels of Di-thiocarbamates over a period of 10 years and had built resistance; you notice that the Di-thiocarbamates still worked, just not so well. "Culture a" was not conditioned and had never been treated.

 

[catsailor]

If you actually want to know what is in them, the EPA registers all pesticides and biocides.

I can now feel good about discontinuing the purchase and use of Star-Tron.

Has anyone done an analysis and comparison of biocides ??

Many additives are considered "proprietary." Biocides cannot be, so much information is on the MSDS sheets.

My post, above, also contains a link to some discussion and some names you can chase down.

 

[Kettlewell]

Old thread revival

I'm curious what you have been using since this report. There seem to be very few objective studies of fuel treatments, yet there are endless discussions, opinions, and products. I found this material from Dow Chemical that appears interesting and appears to be a real test comparing various products. Here's another sheet from Dow that is interesting. It appears that the product is available to consumers via John Deere stores.