Clump of snow fell in my fuel tank!

[Tony H]

10" of snow equals 1" of rain. You basically drop 1 droplet into the tank. Even with only 1 gallon of fuel, the engine won't feel that drop of water.

 

[ArlyA]

10" of snow equals 1" of rain. You basically drop 1 droplet into the tank. Even with only 1 gallon of fuel, the engine won't feel that drop of water.

You might want to check your water vs rain math again. Our average snowfall is about 230" which has about 6" of moisture in it. Our friends in west Yellowstone see about 400" but there's only 5" of moisture in that. Who gets more snow? Neither of us worry about a little snow that falls into our fuel tanks.

 

[rogerson]

When fueling up about 3 weeks ago at the corner station, a clump of snow fell into my fuel tank. The clump must've been somewhere on the handle above the nozzle. I didn't see it until it fell. It sat before my amazed eyes for an instant between the nozzle and the rim of the tank opening. The clump was about 2/3 the size of a fifty cent piece, I'd say.

How big a problem do I have!?

I was and am using Hot Shot's winter treatment/anti-gell, which I think has water dispersers too. I have filled up twice since then. No problems with running. I use highway diesel because they sell a lot of that at this station but seem to move comparatively little off-road diesel.

My tractor has about 85 hours and I have not changed the fuel filter yet. Filter looks good, per a Kubota technician who was here helping fix a loader issue. I plan to change it soon but maybe I should move that up?

You should be fine, just empty and bleed the fuel separator (the bowl the fuel filter sits in) Fuel filters are inexpensive, so change it out at the same time.

Keep in mind, just the simple emptying of the fuel tank by consumption introduces moisture to the tank (humidity in the air), so the service the fuel separator often. It’s a simple process and will pay dividends with longer fuel pimp and injector life.

 

[ArlyA]

You should be fine, just empty and bleed the fuel separator (the bowl the fuel filter sits in) Fuel filters are inexpensive, so change it out at the same time.

Keep in mind, just the simple emptying of the fuel tank by consumption introduces moisture to the tank (humidity in the air), so the service the fuel separator often. It’s a simple process and will pay dividends with longer fuel pimp and injector life.

Why would you drain the bowl and change the filter for just a little snow falling in. We'd be doing that with every fill up.

 

[MossRoad]

You might want to check your water vs rain math again. Our average snowfall is about 230" which has about 6" of moisture in it. Our friends in west Yellowstone see about 400" but there's only 5" of moisture in that. Who gets more snow? Neither of us worry about a little snow that falls into our fuel tanks.

That's some dry snow.

Here, we usually average about 1 inch of water for every 10" of snow. If we get a foot of snow and it melts fast, we're in for a flood.

 

[Jstpssng]

That's some dry snow.

Here, we usually average about 1 inch of water for every 10" of snow. If we get a foot of snow and it melts fast, we're in for a flood.

An inch and a quarter of water will cause a flood? Wow!

 

[MossRoad]

An inch and a quarter of water will cause a flood? Wow!

Yes, when all the street drains are plugged with slush, the ground is frozen, and there's no place for the water to go, it's quit different then summer when it can soak in.

 

[RjCorazza]

Yes, when all the street drains are plugged with slush, the ground is frozen, and there's no place for the water to go, it's quit different then summer when it can soak in.

Yup. The only time my basement flooded was after a 12" snow on frozen ground, followed by warm temps. Water came down our backyard hill and into the basement below grade windows. I have since added an angled 200' swale (sp?) to take the water around the house.

 

[Hay Dude]

Why would you drain the bowl and change the filter for just a little snow falling in. We'd be doing that with every fill up.

Because a clump of snow is more than a few flakes from the sky.

 

[Smokeydog]

My MF tractors had multiple fuel filters and glass sediment bowl. Bottom had thumb screw for easy draining of water. MFs were not all made that way. Maybe since they were sold for high humid areas they came with upgraded fuel filtering option? The Kubota fuel filters, while adequate, are much smaller and not easy to drain. The owners manual allows you check and clean the the filter element when removing and dumping the bowl for water.
Do get a little water in the sediment bowls over winter probably from condensation. I would not use any fuel additives that claim to disperse water. Alcohols can carry water thru your filter. Filter media is treated hydrophobicly to repel water so it can collect in the sediment bowl. Use Stanadyne performance additive that helps coalesce water to be removed by sediment bowl and filter. Service the filters in the spring and good to go for a year. Always good to check the sediment bowl periodically.