Diesel temperature gelling chart?

[fidowanttobe]

Don't want to start a thread that's been beat to death so, can someone point me to an accurate chart that tells me at what temps #1, 50/50, and #2 is suggested? With -20 to +30 degree temperature fluctuations and only a 5 gallon tank on the tractor I'm always nervous about having too much #1 in it. Thanks.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

We just went through a cold snap, the two diesel tractors I started and ran here, worked perfectly on the premium diesel I bought at the local gas station, no additives added or needed. I really don't understand everyone in here running around worrying about diesel fuel??

BUT, if you are really worried that much, put some of your fuel in a jar, and set it in your freezer over night, and see what it does... That way you will know if it gells in below zero temps.

SR

 

[The Fred]

Just use power service with straight #2. I add 3 qts to a 300 gallon tank and use for shop heat and tractors. Never a problem and yes -35 f on occasion and wind plenty.

Make it easy on yourself sir and the first time you have an issue simply repost that the fred was wrong and should be banned for life!

Good luck whatever you choose.

 

[RNeumann]

Not a straight forward answer as the USA has no mandated standard.
However this link will get you started. You are thinking correctly...small tank, exposed fuel lines, intermittent running etc has the deck stacked against tractors. Run a little additive in the winter and sleep well- as you will see from the wiki pages the fuel stations are free to sell what they want...

Winter diesel fuel - Wikipedia

 

[mykleh]

In northern WI and the UP of MI this is what the gas stations sell by date.. having had my 1620 gel up twice on me in bitter cold I always let it warm up and if it starts hesitating or loosing power head for the shed.. it is no fun taking all the lines and filters off cleaning and re-priming in below zero weather with it snowing outside. in fall I run down as much as I can and wait till December to top of tanks.. I also always add Diesel Service fuel supplement when adding fuel and have a bottle of 911 on the shelf as well.

 

[Looking4new]

My old B model Mack froze up on me many years ago in Kingston, ON. The temp was -30F. I yanked the fuel filter (canister type) out , closed it up and carried on after putting some anti-gel into it. Ran it the rest of the winter with no fuel filter.

 

[RNeumann]

In northern WI and the UP of MI this is what the gas stations sell by date.. having had my 1620 gel up twice on me in bitter cold I always let it warm up and if it starts hesitating or loosing power head for the shed.. it is no fun taking all the lines and filters off cleaning and re-priming in below zero weather with it snowing outside. in fall I run down as much as I can and wait till December to top of tanks.. I also always add Diesel Service fuel supplement when adding fuel and have a bottle of 911 on the shelf as well.

View attachment 492484

Wow good for that station to disclose a standard!

 

[KWentling]

I'm in the #2 with Power Service camp. Never had a problem and we have seen -30s F here. Just experienced -28 last week. It's important to have clean fuel filters at the beginning of the cold season.

 

[ModMech]

This information is TOUGH to find that is documented, "well documented" examples are nearly impossible.

The bio-content of the fuel, both in terms of percentage and make-up of the bio fraction have a HUGE influence on the pour point.

One example I found: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF MICROALGAE BIODIESEL PRODUCTION IN COLOMBIA: COMPARISON OF THREE OIL EXTRACTION SYSTEMS
http://www.scielo.org.co/img/revistas/ctyf/v5n2/v5n2a07t2.jpg

Another source: Optimization and Fuel Properties of Water Degummed Linseed Biodiesel
from Transesterification Process | Open Access Journals

Another source: Ideal injection temp - Topic
Data: http://www.brevardbiodiesel.org/viscosity.gif
http://i40.tinypic.com/2roi29x.jpg

In general, neat diesel (ULSD#2) will give you trouble somewhere south of 20*F, my experience is you need to modify ULSD#2 at temps below 15*F. In the case of neat ULSD#1, you can push that fuel to about -5*F without serious concerns and potentially colder.

When you thro BIO into the mix, all bets are off because if the "bio" is animal you might be at +40*F!!!!!

 

[crazyal]

I'm in the power service group. It's not the best lubricant but it does a good job to prevent gelling. Just follow the directions. I use to have a hard time finding off road diesel but a couple places just started selling it on my daily commute so I don't fill a 55 gallon drum anymore when the fuel oil guy fills the tanks for the house. If I think I'm going to burn off a lot in a short time I'll fill the drum and mix in power service.