White diesel, goes off in storage.

[jerrytug]

I am beginning to get P'd off with this issue. Relating to my drip-feed diesel heater in particular. White diesel, from the petrol station, goes off when stored in jerrycans for a few months.
It loses a lot of calorific value (chemical energy) and even stops smelling like diesel. It smells more like varnish, is hard to light, and burns with an audible crackle and pop. (Not water contamination). In my well maintained heater, I have the knob turned up to 4-5, when usually a setting of 1 or 2 makes the boat roasting hot.
I would be very careful using old diesel in new expensive diesel engines, judging by this experience. Never had this problem back in the days with old school gas oil, or traditional cherry. In fact I have run tug and trawler engines on 10-15 year oil gas oil from the bunkers, with zero issues.
Presumably today's garage diesel is contaminated with carp to 'save the planet' etc. Rollocks to the 'planet' and Greta Thunberg.

 

[octo0072000]

you can buy diesel stabiliser for that problem

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[Ubique]

It could be the Jerry cans have algae in them, if not, personally i'd add a bit of cetane booster or kerosene to get its ignitability a bit higher.

 

[masleeve]

Diesel can grow bacteria , were I have worked with stored diesel they used filter plants to keep it clean and tested for bacteria. The smell of varnish shows it is going off.

have a read here

Shell publish some quite good technical info

 

[Melvyn Best]

Diesel bug ! common when diesel is stored for too long

 

[aesmith]

The fuel in our boat hasn't been topped up for at least two years. That's normal supermarket road Diesel, we're not allowed to use Red any more. It's a plastic fuel tank, maybe that's the difference. Or maybe a marine engine is less fussy.

 

[Onthespotwelding]

In my youth I used to run my car on waste veg oil (it was free!!)

After a few months Car started playing up, algee destroyed the injector pump….. car was scrap

 

[Kram]

In my youth I used to run my car on waste veg oil (it was free!!)

After a few months Car started playing up, algee destroyed the injector pump….. car was scrap

I once had a renualt diesel. I decided to risk veg oil, I never found out if it was any good, as a week later but only a few miles, the gearbox went pop when selecting reverse. French POS... Common problem apparently.

 

[Onthespotwelding]

I once had a renualt diesel. I decided to risk veg oil, I never found out if it was any good, as a week later but only a few miles, the gearbox went pop when selecting reverse. French POS... Common problem apparently.

Mine was a 1998 Peugeot 306 d turbo with a boosh injection pump

‘Twas a good car. Bloody algae!!

 

[Bornfree]

My central heating runs on diesel. Never had a problem with it going off. And I have two large tanks 2500l and 1800l so it's there for quite some time.

 

[jerrytug]

Thanks for the suggestions chaps. I have dismantled the 'carburettor' on the heater and cleaned some varnish types deposits

out of it, and (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME...) chucked a cup of petrol in the decomposed diesel , and it is burning although a bit oddly but putting out heat, anyway!

 

[jerrytug]

Diesel bug ! common when diesel is stored for too long

Having been towed into harbour once or twice with blocked fuel filters like an idiot, I always put in a slug of Diesel bug preventer/killer, Grotamar or similar product, on boats. It did cross my mind that I should put in the recomended dose, not half a teacup and a bit extra for mother, and possibly an overdose of the diesel bug killer itself could be the cause of my problems?

 

[jerrytug]

My central heating runs on diesel. Never had a problem with it going off. And I have two large tanks 2500l and 1800l so it's there for quite some time.

Not white DERV though I presume? Probly gas oil?

 

[jerrytug]

Mine was a 1998 Peugeot 306 d turbo with a boosh injection pump

‘Twas a good car. Bloody algae!!

I have a Pug 205 turbo diesel with the Lucas pump, best to not muck about with veg oil I am told.

 

[Onthespotwelding]

I have a Pug 205 turbo diesel with the Lucas pump, best to not muck about with veg oil I am told.

Great little car

 

[8ob]

Thats really odd, there are a few bits of old kit that have not been used in anger for many years, all have the same fuel in them from the day they were parked up. Sold one of them the other day and it fired straight up and drove out of the gate.

Bob

 

[tom2207]

used to keep a thousand gallons on my boat , and never had any issues , I did add two or three gallons of two stroke oil to the tanks and ran dipetane in the tanks too , no bother with diesel bug . My lorry had bug in it and it was a pita , I added a twin agglomeration set up to it and while it wasnt perfect it made life easier , but my truck could sit for weeks and not move , Major difference was that the boat got red diesel and the lorry occasionally got white.

 

[anto]

I have a Pug 205 turbo diesel with the Lucas pump, best to not muck about with veg oil I am told.

Lucas pump tends to snap the pulley shaft on veggy oil unless you have a diesel heater on it for the cold mornings.

Very surprised a Bosch pump went kaput on them though. I sold my Bosch pumped 306 last year and deeply regret it. Needed the money tho and it was really just an ornament at that stage

 

[Bornfree]

Not white DERV though I presume? Probly gas oil?

Yes gas oil or red

 

[Mikes]

On large standby generating sets with huge storage tanks I always try to have a fuel conditioning set-up which continually removes a very small volume of diesel cleans, filters and conditions it and returns it to the tank. Seem to work. Normally provided as part of the generator package. Probably a bit too expensive for small tanks but well worth it on larger installations. Had one job where the whole bulk storage tank had to be pumped out and cleaned due to the formation of algae. Very expensive at the time.