Gelling again

[ccsial]

Try Howes diesel treat. I've found it best for preventing gelling.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Are you useing factory filters. I have ran into issues with Fram fuel filters when it got below zero. I don't know if they were to fine or what but as soon as I switched to a Cat fuel filter the problem went away.
Bill

 

[DieselPower]

Keep changing the filter, keep adding 911 and power service. It may take 3-4 filter changes to overcome it. Been there done that, if you own a diesel you need 3-4 filters on the shelf just in case. Sometimes it just happens, no direct cause that I can ever find other than a bad batch.

It's not so much that people are getting a "bad batch" as they are getting what is know as regional fuel. Fuel can contain hundreds of different hydrocarbon chain molecules and the extra processing done to ULSD has caused some changes in some fuels. It really seems to depend on what oil it was refined from. In my area people in Maryland that get fuel that comes out of the Baltimore Port fuel depot seem to have little to no gelling problems. Some people in Pennsylvania have been having problems ever since the switch to ULSD. To add to the problems and confusion not all anti-gel additives seem to work with all fuels. One additive may work with fuel from one station but get fuel from the station down the road and treat it with the same amount of additive and they have problems.

 

[Lunk]

Try Howes diesel treat. I've found it best for preventing gelling.

I use a double dose of Howes. Been starting at 9 below with no gelling issues whatsoever (knock wood extra hard!).

 

[smfcpacfp]

The best solution is to use # 1 diesel in the winter.

#2 diesel typically has a cloud point (point at which the wax in the fuel begins to solidify) of about +40 degrees F.

#1 diesel typically has a cloud point of about -40 degrees F. Unfortunately #1 has much less energy and doesn't lubricate very well, which is why it is important to use an additive. I use Opti-Lube XPD which is kind of expensive (about $50 a gallon) but gives the best test results of any additive. It should treat around 400 gallons of diesel.

Here is another problem - what kind of fuel does the fuel dealer actually have in the #1 and #2 tank. Some dealers also sell what they call a winter blend - a mixture of #1 and #2. What does that mean? If there is a problem guess who will be out there heating up the fuel filter and blowing out the fuel lines - not the fuel dealer. If you want to do blending, do it yourself.

 

[jk96]

Another vote here for Howes. Been using it on my tractor and truck with no problem for several years now.

 

[Tom Welsh]

I have had some issues with gelling in the past, not recently. I spoke with a friend of mine who runs a fuel jobber, and he stated to just use the white bottle I believe it's power service first as a preventative, and then if that doesn't prevent the gelling, run with the red bottled 911. I am still using #2 from the summer with adding some of the white bottle, and having no problems (yet). He did tell me that more is definitely not better with either the white or red, he was pretty matter of factly stating it would go the opposite direction and cause more gelling. He told me to follow the amount to add precisely and not to deviate. So far so good in some below zero temps. In the past when I did gel, and have used the 911, it would take awhile of running my tractor for the 911 to work through the system, maybe even up to a 1/2 hour for it to completely work through.

I do have a block heater on the tractor this year which makes it start better, but I don't think that is having any effect on the temperature of the fuel, preventing gelling, but merely helping the tractor start better.

 

[Thumper & Buttercup]

We'll

It's up to -9 here, we hit -27 last night, no gelling,
fuel looks fine. I've got the 1066 warming up to blow
some snow and my mix is fine.

The only problem I ever had with gelling was last year
in the PU, I tried what they called Artic Blend, it was supposed to be good to -37, we'll at -33 it started to gell
with additives in it. Ending up adding 911 and let her run
all day, we were at a Auction and it was so cold all their
propane equipment would not run it had frozen.

I'll never run that crap again, mixing my own and doing
my pre-winter prep has worked time and time again for
us. Hope this helps, I'll take a warm up, I really tired of
doing all this cold weather testing for you guys.

 

[JoeL4330]

I've mentioned before, but there are filter units that heat ...see Racor products (I'm not affilitated in any way, and there are other mfrs ...

 

[zuiko]

Well it is really bad now... it was just plugging up the fuel filter before and now the filter bowls look like they are filled with petroleum jelly rather than fuel... never seen that before. So I guess it is full on gelled up now. I'm not sure this will be fixable until it warms up. If the bowls are like that I imagine the fuel lines are all like that too now. I might have to check into some kind of 12v fuel heater for next year. Not sure if I just got really unlucky this year (2 batches of fuel from two different stations) or if it is a sign of things to come.

I might look into buying #1 rather than the 50/50 mix next year too... if I can find a station that sells #1. The vast majority around here just sell the kero/#2 mix in winter. Not sure if that would make my problem better or worse though. Can #1 be mixed with kerosene to lower the cloud point?