I have a 25 gallon diesel tank. I received different recommendations concerning what is best for my tank. Some say to keep it topped off in order to keep condensation out. Some say to not top it off in order to burn the fuel up before adding fresh fuel so that the fuel will not sit in the tank as long. Some say to use an additive in the tank for fungus and some say not to because it will create debris from the dead fungus. Some say to add a water absorber to the tank. Some say that you should not top off the tank but, that you should not let the level drop below 1/3 because when the boat heals if the engine is on that air may go through the fuel line. Some say to be sure and run the engine on a regular basis(in the slip if I need to) Any comments will be welcome. At this point, I beleive, that I should put the water absorber and the fungus killer in a full tank and keep the tank relatively full but not always topped off and monitor the fuel water separator and drain off any water and change the filter if needed.
Diesel Tank Issues
- Thread starter JohnEh
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John, you're going to get too many opinions to
keep track of. But as far as water absorbers go, a short time ago, a post here said to never use it with a diesel. The reason is that removing water is the function of the separator. You don't want that system bypassed to let the water get to the pump and injectors. That made a lot of sense. Who wrote that?
keep track of. But as far as water absorbers go, a short time ago, a post here said to never use it with a diesel. The reason is that removing water is the function of the separator. You don't want that system bypassed to let the water get to the pump and injectors. That made a lot of sense. Who wrote that?
Keep it full and use biocide!
John: I believe that conventional wisdom says that you SHOULD keep the tank full and use a biocide. There are a couple of ways to contaminate a tank. The first is your fuel source. Many times these filling stations do not have filters and seperators on there tanks. They can also have bugs in their tanks so you need to do what you can about keeping your fuel algae free. If you leave you tank low, then you can get condensation which will promote algae from growing in your tank if you do not use a biocide. You need a good filter like a racor and having two of them would not be a bad idea based on where you live. If they are properly plumbed you can set them up with a bypass incase the primary filter plugs up too.
John: I believe that conventional wisdom says that you SHOULD keep the tank full and use a biocide. There are a couple of ways to contaminate a tank. The first is your fuel source. Many times these filling stations do not have filters and seperators on there tanks. They can also have bugs in their tanks so you need to do what you can about keeping your fuel algae free. If you leave you tank low, then you can get condensation which will promote algae from growing in your tank if you do not use a biocide. You need a good filter like a racor and having two of them would not be a bad idea based on where you live. If they are properly plumbed you can set them up with a bypass incase the primary filter plugs up too.
They are all correct!
John, All your opinions are correct to a lesser or greater degree - fun isn't it. So I just use Fuel Set - made in Australia. It dissolves diesel bug so it can be passed through the system and burned in the engine and it also copes with limited amounts of condensation. Hence I don't bother to fill the tank full over the winter.
John, All your opinions are correct to a lesser or greater degree - fun isn't it. So I just use Fuel Set - made in Australia. It dissolves diesel bug so it can be passed through the system and burned in the engine and it also copes with limited amounts of condensation. Hence I don't bother to fill the tank full over the winter.
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