diesel fuel question

[Mike Elmore]

All,I just had a depressed realiazation yesterday while staring at the diesel tank when running some wiring. I don't remember if I put stable in the tank before laying up for the winter in mid-October.Any ideas? Do I have a tank full of varnish now? Do I have to pump the tank dry? ...or is there something chemically I can do?Mike ElmoreWindward HullCatalina 28-Hull #7

 

[Bob]

I wouldn't worry

I wouldn't worry about it. You might want to draw off a sample to see if it looks bad, but I'd just add some Redline for future protection and see if it runs OK. We don't lay up here, but our boats don't get used much over the winter and I've never had a problem.

 

[Walt]

Nah

You're not dead in the water yet. Give the tank a dose of biocide. There is a product called Biobor JF (commonly available at West or Boat US, etc) that kills the fungus that can spoil fuel. You should use it regularly and change the filters each season anyhow . The other best thing to do is just run the engine-not in the slip- but take it out and motor around. Burn up some fuel and get the engine oil good and hot. Diesels need to be run. We all like to sail but you've got to do a little motoring to keep the engine healthy.Walt

 

[Mike Elmore]

thank you!

Thanks!You made my day. I know that the fuel and oil filters were changed in the fall by the yard. Spring engine commissioning was $75 from the yard and I'm having them do it, but I didn't want to pay one of their people for the time to drain the tank.I'll add the stuff and see what happens!The big reason I was worried (besides not wanting to do perminant harm to the diesel) is that the engine has to run for about 4 hours straight on my launch day. From my yard, I have to motor out the Chicago river through downtown to lake michigan where my slip is. The bridges are only raised 3 times per week. If the engine cut out on me in the middle, I'd be stuck there until the next scheduled bridge raising (2 days away) in a place where it's not ok to tie up. That would be a huge mess.=)Mike ElmoreWindward HullCatalina 28-Hull #7

 

[Walt]

Good Luck

Good luck, you've got quite a test for the shake down. Can you just go out and run around for 20 minutes or so before you have go go for 4 hours? One of theings that can happen when you add that bio stuff is that it kills all of the fungus at once and can clog your filters - that is if your fuel is really dirty. I don't want to scare you but want you to know the possibilities of what can happen. Especially if you've never used that product before. Think about it and good luck.Walt

 

[Ernie April]

Not a problem unless...

...your tank wasn't topped off. Hey, Mike--Diesel is actually more stable than you might think, so thick oil usually is not a problem over a single layup. Problems occur when the tank is less than full over the winter. Changes in temp cause the air in the tank to breath. Moisture drawn in with the outside air condenses on the colder tank cieling and sides. The condensate slides down the tank walls to the bottom so that the diesel oil floats on it. Algae live in the water and at the interface feed off the diesel. Stirred up by a bit of chop, enough algae will clog a fuel filter and even it's replacement real quick. Avoiding water avoids algae. Ernie AprilWindCatcher, C42)