How long can you realistically keep diesel fuel for even if you add additives to it over the winter? I think I'm going on about two years with the same tank but am contemplating pumping out all old stuff and adding new. Does old stuff gum up your engine? Thanks!
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I only use about 6 gallons a year and just
top up my tank each fall. I have been doing this since 1999 and keeping a close eye on the filters. So far I have had no problems either with spring start-up or with the running all summer. Others will probably have had different experience than I. My tank is ten gallon.
top up my tank each fall. I have been doing this since 1999 and keeping a close eye on the filters. So far I have had no problems either with spring start-up or with the running all summer. Others will probably have had different experience than I. My tank is ten gallon.
use it
I keep my tank about 1/4 full which is about 6 gallons and at 2 quarts/hour is enough to motor about 12 hours. This way my fuel is relatively fresh. I do add biocides and cetane booster. No water and no gunk in the last 3 1/2 years. People get into trouble by having a tank that holds enough fuel for several years and then keeping it full. This is silly as when will you ever need to keep an emergency supply of fuel to motor 200 miles??? Actually at 2 quarts /hour and 5 kts and 6 gallons I have a motoring range of only a little over 50 miles. Of course lately I have never been more than 12 miles from my marina. Last spring we motored about 450 miles and flushed out the tank pretty well. I actually do a little better than 10 miles/gallon but use that figure for planning purposes. I'd rather arrive with fuel to spare than need a tow.
I keep my tank about 1/4 full which is about 6 gallons and at 2 quarts/hour is enough to motor about 12 hours. This way my fuel is relatively fresh. I do add biocides and cetane booster. No water and no gunk in the last 3 1/2 years. People get into trouble by having a tank that holds enough fuel for several years and then keeping it full. This is silly as when will you ever need to keep an emergency supply of fuel to motor 200 miles??? Actually at 2 quarts /hour and 5 kts and 6 gallons I have a motoring range of only a little over 50 miles. Of course lately I have never been more than 12 miles from my marina. Last spring we motored about 450 miles and flushed out the tank pretty well. I actually do a little better than 10 miles/gallon but use that figure for planning purposes. I'd rather arrive with fuel to spare than need a tow.
keep it full
every diesel engine article/manual i have read says keep it topped off. yes, do use anti-microbials. space in the tank will allow for much more condensation. put in the fuel and motor a bit more just to keep things moving, don't want your engine to sit idle that long and sludge up either.
every diesel engine article/manual i have read says keep it topped off. yes, do use anti-microbials. space in the tank will allow for much more condensation. put in the fuel and motor a bit more just to keep things moving, don't want your engine to sit idle that long and sludge up either.
My boat
has an 11.5 gal tank that I keep full most of the time. I use the engine for about 50-60 hrs per season and typically will use about 12 gal of diesel. I tend to refill the tank when it down 2 gal or so. I do this thinking that I keep "refreshing" the older diesel in there with new diesel. I also use "Pri-D" as a fuel stabilizer/conditioner and add a dash of anti-algae stuff too. As such, not sure what the average age of my fuel is but I have had no fuel-related problems with my Yanmar 2GM20F at all. FWIW, a friend of mine with a Catalina 27 and a Universal diesel with a 20 gal tank tells me that he has not put any fuel at all in his boat since he filled the tank 3 years ago. He, too, claims no fuel related engine problesm.... Go figure.
has an 11.5 gal tank that I keep full most of the time. I use the engine for about 50-60 hrs per season and typically will use about 12 gal of diesel. I tend to refill the tank when it down 2 gal or so. I do this thinking that I keep "refreshing" the older diesel in there with new diesel. I also use "Pri-D" as a fuel stabilizer/conditioner and add a dash of anti-algae stuff too. As such, not sure what the average age of my fuel is but I have had no fuel-related problems with my Yanmar 2GM20F at all. FWIW, a friend of mine with a Catalina 27 and a Universal diesel with a 20 gal tank tells me that he has not put any fuel at all in his boat since he filled the tank 3 years ago. He, too, claims no fuel related engine problesm.... Go figure.
clean fuel
another consideration is the purity of the fuel you are getting. Hard to tell what you are putting in the tank in the first place. I havn't done this but I am considering putting a line down to the sump of the tank and suck some out of there after refueling and letting that settle. This way I can have a look at what I just put in. I have heard of folks cruising that didn't like what they put in and pumped it all out to avoid engine trouble. Just another thought. Greg
another consideration is the purity of the fuel you are getting. Hard to tell what you are putting in the tank in the first place. I havn't done this but I am considering putting a line down to the sump of the tank and suck some out of there after refueling and letting that settle. This way I can have a look at what I just put in. I have heard of folks cruising that didn't like what they put in and pumped it all out to avoid engine trouble. Just another thought. Greg
I buy automotive diesel at the local
gas station and fill five gallon portable cans. I have fine mech bronze screens on the spout for the cans and a fine mesh screen in the funnel. These will even stop water. Then too there is the Baja filter if you are paranoid.
gas station and fill five gallon portable cans. I have fine mech bronze screens on the spout for the cans and a fine mesh screen in the funnel. These will even stop water. Then too there is the Baja filter if you are paranoid.
A Good Funnel Filter
I also buy diesel from local gas station that sells alot of fuel to truckers and put in my boat with a west marine funnel filter,it sure keeps a lot of water and dirt out of the tank. During the season I use clear gallon jugs to add fuel and I can see what stuff is collected in the funnel filter.
I also buy diesel from local gas station that sells alot of fuel to truckers and put in my boat with a west marine funnel filter,it sure keeps a lot of water and dirt out of the tank. During the season I use clear gallon jugs to add fuel and I can see what stuff is collected in the funnel filter.
Gas Station no Guarentee
I have a west marine filter with the teflon screen.Practicalsailer called it effective. I bought some diesel from a Texaco station inPanama city that was very dirty. But thankfully most of the fuel that I've filtered was clean,no dirt or water in the West marine filter. A horizontal deck mounted fuel fill is where water can get into your tank. Check and replace the O ring frequently. My tank filler is mounted vertically so that water can't pool around the cap. If you have water in your diesel tank it isn't from condensation. I guess that people who sell dirty fuel or fuel polishing services started that rumor and it has persisted. Gasoline tanks may get water from condensation. This is becasue gasoline is very volatile and goes from liquid to vapor at relatively low temperature. This is why gasoline inboard engines have to have blowers. But diesel isn't gasoline and blowers aren't required. A rational fuel management plan is to have only enough fuel that you expect to use in the next several months. That means trying to be very low on fuel in the fall and then adding fuel in the spring Most of us can probably get by with adding fuel once a year in the spring.
I have a west marine filter with the teflon screen.Practicalsailer called it effective. I bought some diesel from a Texaco station inPanama city that was very dirty. But thankfully most of the fuel that I've filtered was clean,no dirt or water in the West marine filter. A horizontal deck mounted fuel fill is where water can get into your tank. Check and replace the O ring frequently. My tank filler is mounted vertically so that water can't pool around the cap. If you have water in your diesel tank it isn't from condensation. I guess that people who sell dirty fuel or fuel polishing services started that rumor and it has persisted. Gasoline tanks may get water from condensation. This is becasue gasoline is very volatile and goes from liquid to vapor at relatively low temperature. This is why gasoline inboard engines have to have blowers. But diesel isn't gasoline and blowers aren't required. A rational fuel management plan is to have only enough fuel that you expect to use in the next several months. That means trying to be very low on fuel in the fall and then adding fuel in the spring Most of us can probably get by with adding fuel once a year in the spring.
Lots of opinions, Lots of anecdotal evidence.
Kind of like arthritis treatments. Everything that you have ever heard worked for somebody, somewhere, and at sometime. But if you ever find something that works for everybody all of the time, you will be able to afford a much bigger boat.
Kind of like arthritis treatments. Everything that you have ever heard worked for somebody, somewhere, and at sometime. But if you ever find something that works for everybody all of the time, you will be able to afford a much bigger boat.
yachtsurvey.com
David Pascoe wrote a good article on this subject. They Myth of COndensation in fuel tanks. Instead of quoting some guru who says "just do it" he uses reason and facts. He has several articles on fuel etc free on line. Snake oil venders just hate reason and facts!!! You just can't sell much snake oil to a reasonable knowledgeable person. This condensation myth has been repeated so often that it's taken as fact. Just as once it was a well established fact that the world is flat. Even after Apollo Moon Mission there is still a flat earth society. Was it Gallieo that got into big trouble with the church for saying that earth wasn't the center of the universe??? As a passing note Joshua Slocum earned money talking about his sail around the world. In South Africa it was still established fact that the world was flat. So there he had to say that he was "sailing around on the earth" instead of sailing around the earth. Myths die hard. South Africa hasn't been very enlightened to this day. Not to long ago their official government position was that Human Immunodeficency Virus doesn't cause AIDS. Unfortunately believing this myth had far more serious consequences for the believers.
David Pascoe wrote a good article on this subject. They Myth of COndensation in fuel tanks. Instead of quoting some guru who says "just do it" he uses reason and facts. He has several articles on fuel etc free on line. Snake oil venders just hate reason and facts!!! You just can't sell much snake oil to a reasonable knowledgeable person. This condensation myth has been repeated so often that it's taken as fact. Just as once it was a well established fact that the world is flat. Even after Apollo Moon Mission there is still a flat earth society. Was it Gallieo that got into big trouble with the church for saying that earth wasn't the center of the universe??? As a passing note Joshua Slocum earned money talking about his sail around the world. In South Africa it was still established fact that the world was flat. So there he had to say that he was "sailing around on the earth" instead of sailing around the earth. Myths die hard. South Africa hasn't been very enlightened to this day. Not to long ago their official government position was that Human Immunodeficency Virus doesn't cause AIDS. Unfortunately believing this myth had far more serious consequences for the believers.
Ross I broke that Rule
I forget the math but I think that 3 miles is based on 6'. So sailing my laser I probably got with 1.5 miles of the horizon and didn't even realise the danger!!!! Strange though ..I never noticed any unusual currents!!! Now you have me wondering...if I fall off the edge of the world to where do I fall??? Or will some monster eat me before I hit whereever??? These are serious questions!!! :}
I forget the math but I think that 3 miles is based on 6'. So sailing my laser I probably got with 1.5 miles of the horizon and didn't even realise the danger!!!! Strange though ..I never noticed any unusual currents!!! Now you have me wondering...if I fall off the edge of the world to where do I fall??? Or will some monster eat me before I hit whereever??? These are serious questions!!! :}
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