What diesel fuel you using?

[Industrial Toys]

I was just reading that on Wikapedia yesterday. Yes Kerosene has less lubricity. I didn't know that. I in fact knew people who used it in wire drawing as a lubricant.

 

[TheMan419]

I use the fuel from the station nearest me. It is just off the highway, but not set up for semi's. Never had a problem in winter. However last winter when we got the "polar vortex" I added Power Service from the white bottle. They had two dosing formulas depending on how cold. I used the one that added more PS to the mix. No issues. I got enough to treat 100 gallons. So I likely will treat all winter since I go through maybe 20 gallons in a winter plowing snow.

I also have a bottle of PS 911 (Red bottle) formula just in case.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Got my delivery. Now I have a real mish mash of winter/summer fuel. Something I have never seen mentioned here. Is there a test one can do? Can I stick a bottle of it in my freezer? What will I see? What of the parafin chrystals? I don't just want to add expensive stuff, making the fuel even more expensive if I don't have to, and also don't want to get caught in the cold.

 

[atsah]

I also have a bottle of PS 911 (Red bottle) formula just in case.

Me to along with an extra fuel filter..

 

[LouNY]

Got my delivery. Now I have a real mish mash of winter/summer fuel. Something I have never seen mentioned here. Is there a test one can do? Can I stick a bottle of it in my freezer? What will I see? What of the parafin chrystals? I don't just want to add expensive stuff, making the fuel even more expensive if I don't have to, and also don't want to get caught in the cold.

You certainly can place a bottle in your freezer (as long as your wife doesn't see it);
You can use your refrigerator for a first check as that would be close to 35-40 F ( 1.6-4.4 C) some fuel will begin to precipitate paraffin at that temp.
Then go to the freezer, most freezers are only close to zero or 4-5 F ( -17.7 to -20C ).
To get down to the -30 or -40 F (-34.4 to -40C )you would need an ice chest and some dry ice or an ultra low temp freezer.

I don't know how many gallons of fuel you have but I would be tempted to use the PS in the white bottle to treat it to my normal low temps,
then when a really cold snap is forecast and more to the tractor and mix it up.

 

[Industrial Toys]

MY freezer, but the lady friend did buy it for me. Not sure where that leaves the experiment.


I never thought about testing it. It would remove any guesswork or worry. I have to wait and get a couple of those little airline booze bottles sometimes around the neck of a real (party) bottle,

 

[LouNY]

I actually did check some of mine one year out of curiosity, I used pint canning jars I had filled 2/3s full with thermocouples inserted thru the lids.
That was well before I retired and I was doing industrial calibrations for a living and had access to calibrated instruments to work with.
I miss some of those tools at times, I even used to check my tire gauges and temperature senders and such.

 

[Industrial Toys]

So you checked for temperature but not viscosity?

 

[LouNY]

So you checked for temperature but not viscosity?

Yes, on the fuel I was only looking for the cloud point.
The canning jars worked good being clear, when the fuel started to cloud which is the point when the parrafin is starting to congeal it was quite visible
The colder it got the larger the parrafin particles got, then they started to settle.

The viscosimeters that I had access to where in a bio pharmaceutical and they might have gotten upset if the had any diesel contamination :laughing:

 

[Industrial Toys]

Maybe I am off target with the little booze bottles.