Diesel Treatment/Algaecide Recommendations

NHSleddog

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I may be storing a quantity of fuel in the future and was wondering what to worry about as far as long term storage and diesel went.

What do you guys recommend. My primary concern it storage time, not performance. Northeast hot and cold.

Thanks
 

SidecarFlip

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I use Power Service Bio-Kleen algacide in my storage tanks. Works excellent for me. No issue with long term storage.

The trick, if you want to call it that, is, when storing diesel for a long period, make sure the storage tank is full as the unfilled air space will have condensation issues and the condensed water causes the algae to grow.

I use Bio-Kleen algacide according to bottle directions and add it to the fuel tank prior to filling to insure a complete mix.

It isn't cheap (no algacide is) but sure beats red slime growing and clogging up filters and destroying pumps.

As a rule, I don't 'hoard' fuel anyway. I buy in the early spring and it lasts me until the next spring.

Years back, I had the algae issue. Cost me over a grand to repair.

Finally, don't buy B20 bio and expect to store that for a long period. That crap grows algae, biocide or not. But then Kubota cautions against it's use anyway.
 

Captain13

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Also be careful on how you store it. Galvanized tanks and pipes are a no-no for diesel.
 

B737

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For my little 5 gallon can, I use 1.3oz of Stanadyne (anit gel) and 2 ml of Biobore Jr. (algicide) each time its filled.

here is an interesting video comparing several types of anitgel treatments.
https://youtu.be/n8gDN_6esfs
 

SidecarFlip

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Only time I use a 5 gallon container is for an emergency field fuel. Any other time, I pump from one of my 2 bulk tanks One tank stays full until I need it. The other fuels the tractors and the standby genset.
 

B737

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Only time I use a 5 gallon container is for an emergency field fuel. Any other time, I pump from one of my 2 bulk tanks One tank stays full until I need it. The other fuels the tractors and the standby genset.
thats great for your little farm, but for those of us on an even more microscopic few acres, 5 gallons could last 3 months.
YMMV.
 

SidecarFlip

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Just use biocide at the required amount like I do (gasoline and Marine Stabil) for my gas powered equipment.

Different people, different needs. I believe the OP's question pertained to long term storage as a hedge in increasing fuel prices. Diesel is as cheap here as it's gonna get, I suspect.

If the Saudi's and Russia come to terms, motor fuel, in general will start going up. The cheap fuel is bankrupting domestic producers. It needs to be about 55 bucks USD per barrel for a break even, not 23.

The end user benefits but only the end user. No one else profits from the glut.
 

GeoHorn

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Also be careful on how you store it. Galvanized tanks and pipes are a no-no for diesel.
This applies only to long term storage of high-sulfur diesel in small containers.

Galvanized/zinc tanks and pipes are fine for ultra-low sulfur diesel and is preferred for long term storage. (It’s a shame that ignorant people who like to pretend they know everything about anything work at some tractor dealers and Big Orange Box stores.)

Here’s a link to the galvanizing industry on this subject: https://galvanizeit.org/knowledgebase/article/hdg-and-fuel-storage-tanks
 

SidecarFlip

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Leave it to George to get technical. I prefer Terne plated or electrogalvanized, medium spangle myself.
 

SDT

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Just use biocide at the required amount like I do (gasoline and Marine Stabil) for my gas powered equipment.

Different people, different needs. I believe the OP's question pertained to long term storage as a hedge in increasing fuel prices. Diesel is as cheap here as it's gonna get, I suspect.

If the Saudi's and Russia come to terms, motor fuel, in general will start going up. The cheap fuel is bankrupting domestic producers. It needs to be about 55 bucks USD per barrel for a break even, not 23.

The end user benefits but only the end user. No one else profits from the glut.
Allow me to disagree.

Low energy costs benefit EVERYONE in the US aside from those in the energy industry (certainly in the short term and arguably in the long term).

SDT
 

Captain13

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This applies only to long term storage of high-sulfur diesel in small containers.

Galvanized/zinc tanks and pipes are fine for ultra-low sulfur diesel and is preferred for long term storage. (It’s a shame that ignorant people who like to pretend they know everything about anything work at some tractor dealers and Big Orange Box stores.)

Here’s a link to the galvanizing industry on this subject: https://galvanizeit.org/knowledgebase/article/hdg-and-fuel-storage-tanks
I read the article and it is interesting. According to the article, there is not as much concern when storing diesel in large tanks because the particles created from the reaction between the zinc and sulphuric sink to to the bottom of the tank. In smaller storage systems, it is a bigger problem and a good filtration system is required for fuel being used out of a smaller storage system. ULSD will just make fewer particles but they will still be in the fuel.

I don’t work at a dealer but I am an engineer that worked for a major fuel pipeline operation for several years.

Caterpillar and Cummins both have warnings against using galvanized material in a diesel fuel system.

Here’s a link to one of Cat’s manuals. See page 22, Materials and the Caution statement.

https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/content/Caterpillar/CM20160713-53120-36634


Material
Black iron pipe is best suited for diesel fuel lines. Steel or cast iron valves and fittings are preffered.
CAUTION: Copper and Zinc, either in the form of plating or as a major alloying component, should not be used with diesel fuels. Zinc is unstable in the presence of sulfur, particularly if moisture is present in the fuel. The sludge formed by chemical action is extremely harmful to the engine’s internal components.
Pipes, hoses and fittings must be mechanically strong and resistant to deterioration due to age or environmental conditions. They must also be airtight to avoid entry of air into the suction side of the fuel system. A joint, which is leak-tight to fuel, can sometimes allow air to enter the fuel system, causing erratic running and loss of power.

I’m pretty sure Kubota would feel the same way as Cat and Cummins.
 

D2Cat

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So Geo. it seems after Captain 13 gave you his source of his data, maybe you were looking in the mirror when you said, " (It’s a shame that ignorant people who like to pretend they know everything about anything work at some tractor dealers and Big Orange Box stores.)"
 

SidecarFlip

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So Geo. it seems after Captain 13 gave you his source of his data, maybe you were looking in the mirror when you said, " (It’s a shame that ignorant people who like to pretend they know everything about anything work at some tractor dealers and Big Orange Box stores.)"
.......................smoked like a cheap cigar.......:eek:
 

GeoHorn

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So Geo. it seems after Captain 13 gave you his source of his data, maybe you were looking in the mirror when you said, " (It’s a shame that ignorant people who like to pretend they know everything about anything work at some tractor dealers and Big Orange Box stores.)"
You have a strange way of interpreting what you read. Nothing in the other article disagrees with the link I provided.

As for my comment regarding ignorant people at big box stores and dealers: I suppose you believe everything hook-line-and-sinker they tell you down there? :rolleyes:

I just spent our days hand-digging out a french-drain because some ignormus at Home Despot told me 10 years ago that galvanized pipe was prohibited with propane. Pure B.S. The black-iron pipe buried in that french-drain was holed in so many places it’s amazing it didn’t explode. It’s now replaced with galvanized, asphaltic-coated pipe as it should have been previously.
 

SidecarFlip

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Not following that George. Why would you put any pipe in a French Drain when a French Drain's primary purpose is to provide a conduit for water drainage in a low spot.. Maybe I'm missing something?????
 

GeoHorn

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This should probably be split off by the moderators as it’s a hijack of the thread:

The answer to your question FLip is that it is not an ideal situation. I built a hangar 20 years ago on top of an unknown LPG line. That hangar is at the west end of my residence, and both are on the top of a hill but on edge of the beginning down-slope. This means that in downpours when the ground is already soaked quite a bit of water builds up, and once every other year a virtual river 2-inches deep would run through the breezeway of my house.
So I ran an east-west french drain across the front of my house which solved the problem by taking the water around both ends of the house, but after building the hangar, water would build up over at the west corner of the house because the hangar acted as a “dam” and channelled increased flow at that juncture. To alleviate that, I hired a guy with a backhoe to dig a french drain between the house and hangar, with perforated pipe inside it, and filled with river-rock, ... that drain connects to the previous east-west drain.
But while digging that trench he hit the hidden LPG line which ran from my 500 gal tank (NW of my house and behind the hangar). That line ran from the tank due south, then at a point beneath the new hangar, turned 90-degrees east along the front of my east-west house.
With the tank where it is NW of the house and N of the hangar, the only way to get the house re-connected to that tank was to run the line between the house and hangar, at the bottom of that new french drain, and connect it to the original line along the front of the house.
The Home Despot guru insisted that only black iron pipe should be used for propane and that it should be fine within that drain, after-all (he pointed out) the original line we hit was black-iron and was just fine after 60 years. (This house was built as a corporate hunting-lodge in 1950.)
Consulting with a civil engineer has resulted in replacing the line with HDG coated with asphaltic tar, designed for submergence. He also pointed out that galvanized pipe is fine for propane as long as modern flame-flue devices are used (heaters, stoves, etc.). The original steam radiators were removed when we remodeled in 1995 so the early-days concerns of “flaking” zinc blocking burners no longer exists, not only for the modern appliances but also because of modern galvanizing methods reduce flaking.
This discussion of zinc and high-sulfur diesel brought this to mind, and while on the subject I notice that virtually every diesel-fuel tank setups seen in the back of pickups and on top of gravity-tanks on the ranches around here use galvanized pipe fixtures. My diesel setup (using an old propane tank) does as well, but these days it’s only ULSD and has a good filter on the tank outlet and another on my tractor fuel system. I doubt it will ever be an issue.
 

GeoHorn

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I tried to upload a couple pics but keep getting an error msg about a “token” and to notify the admin. I’ve tried to do that twice (notify the admin) but those msgs won’t post either. :confused::confused:
 

Captain13

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Geohorn, the following came from your article. I totally agree with the article. That’s why I said that using galvanized tanks and pipes with diesel is a no-no. From your link:
“The concern is small particulates that may form in the diesel fuel due to the interaction between the zinc and fuel occurring within the tank. These particulates may end up clogging injectors or filters when the stored fuel is used in diesel engines. However, this problem does not seem to be too alarming and is only noticeable with smaller tanks. When large tanks typical of what is used in practice are used, the clogging problem becomes negligible. This is due to the weight of the particulates. Heavier than the fuel, they tend to rest undisturbed near the bottom of the tank. Regular cleaning of an in-line fuel filter may also be an option if the clogging problem seems to persist.”

I doubt that the OP is going to be storing fuel in large tanks. The zinc contamination could become a problem.

https://dieselnet.com/tech/engine_fi_nozzle_deposits.php provides a little more info on this subject including a couple of pictures of fouled injectors from diesel containing 6 ppm zinc.

My only point in this whole discussion was regarding the storage of the fuel and a recommendation not to use galvanized parts. The original question was about algaecide. My final point is that water gets in the fuel. With zinc in the system through the galvanization process, algae actually feed on the zinc. Lower sulfur increases the chances of algae in fuel, once water gets into the tanks. Use algaecide. The recommendation for Power Service is a good one.

There’s a lot of accurate information available regarding short and long term fuel storage. Following the recommendations of professionals who have studied this issue is a good idea.
 

GeoHorn

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Captain you don’t need to quote the article to which I pointed everyone, as I thoroughly read it before I posted it.
Yes, I agree with the small tank problem. I don’t know what anyone means by “small” or “large” as those are subjective terms. I consider anything more than 100 gals as not-small. The gravity-tanks common to farms/ranches are 300 gals or +.

I think gravity-tanks (stored up on scaffold) would best not be galvanized and cannot recall ever seeing one galvanized. Certainly a gravity-tank would allow particulate matter to readily drain...but I also have never seen a gravity tank without a filter on the outlet. I guess it could be, however.

Anyway, my thoughts on this were toward all the different fuel storage methods I’ve observed on the ranches and farms and pickup trucks around here and they virtually ALL use galvanized pipe-fittings in their plumbing circuits. I don’t think zinc flakes are causing a problem or we’d have heard of it before now and no one would be using galvanized plumbing.