Water in diesel

[Slowpoke Slim]

No diesel engine should be without a water seperator. Without one,you are asking for trouble because sooner or later you WILL buy diesel that has water in it.

This.

OP, do you have a water separator on your tractor?

 

[John0829]

If I'm reading this correctly, you might just be letting your tank get too low. The best way to avoid condensation is to keep your tank topped off.

That ain't always true, my 1025R is ALWAYS topped off before it is put away in a garage. Fuel is transported and stored in Eagle cans and all fuel going into the tractor is through a Mr Funnel. A couple of months ago while using it the engine started cutting out, losing power, just the usual things you expect from contaminated fuel. New fuel filters that had less than 10 hours on them but I changed them anyway and it again ran normally for about 45 minutes. The new filters were now loaded with water. Full flush and refill plus additive for anything I might have missed and all is well now.

As I said this tractor has NEVER been put to bed without a full tank and always inside a semi controlled environment. I have no idea HOW the water got in the tank, checked the Eagle cans and there was none in any of them, verified the Mr Funnel does separate water from fuel and has no holes in the screens. Keeping the tank topped off has got to help but is not a guarantee of condensation prevention.

 

[hube2]

No diesel engine should be without a water seperator. Without one,you are asking for trouble because sooner or later you WILL buy diesel that has water in it.

All my fuel goes through Mr. Funnel.

 

[hube2]

So I have a related question, something that confuses me.

If I keep my diesel in a 5 gallon container and I top of my tank thus leaving my 5 gallon container 3/4 full, does this mean that I will get water condensation in my storage container because it's not topped off?

Don't know about anyone else, but I have never seen any of my properly sealed fuel storage cans get a build up of water due to condensation when I leave them sitting half full for an extended time, so the question is, why would the tank on my tractor be any different?

This is about boating, but an interesting read The Myth of Condensation in Fuel Tanks by David Pascoe: Boat Maintenance, Repairs and Troubleshooting

This is also about boating and I wish I could find the article quoted by the OP Keeping diesel tanks full stops condensation T or F? - Fix It Anarchy - Sailing Anarchy Forums

After some research, my opinion is that if there is a lot of water in the fuel that water came from some other source than condensation. Either it came in the fuel or got in there some other way.

So, here is a way that I can see water getting into the tank. I have seen a considerable amount of condensation on the outside of my tank. This happens when the night is cold, below freezing and the air temp rises quickly. Let's say that your tank is full and the fuel is touching the top of the tank, this will cause the top of the tank to sweat. If you have any depressions in the top of the tank the water will pool in these locations. Now if there is something in that location, for example a fuel sending unit, whose seal has degraded, water will drip into the tank.

To the OP. Get a Mr. Funnel and ensure that the water is not coming from the supplier. Then I would be inspecting my tank, lines and the rest of my fuel system to see if I can discover any possible locations where water could be getting in.

 

[Rebeldad1]

you probably got the water when you filled up your cans. their tank was probably close to empty.

 

[ruffdog]

So I have a related question, something that confuses me.

If I keep my diesel in a 5 gallon container and I top of my tank thus leaving my 5 gallon container 3/4 full, does this mean that I will get water condensation in my storage container because it's not topped off?

Don't know about anyone else, but I have never seen any of my properly sealed fuel storage cans get a build up of water due to condensation when I leave them sitting half full for an extended time, so the question is, why would the tank on my tractor be any different?

Same here...no condensation and I don't worry if tanks are full or not. My fuel storage is in 5 gallon jugs sitting on wood that is on concrete. I don't know if the wood helps as I have always done it. Even years ago with all the motorcycles, snowmobiles, mowers, ultralights, etc., no water problem. :confused3:

 

[jaxs]

So I have a related question, something that confuses me.

If I keep my diesel in a 5 gallon container and I top of my tank thus leaving my 5 gallon container 3/4 full, does this mean that I will get water condensation in my storage container because it's not topped off?

Don't know about anyone else, but I have never seen any of my properly sealed fuel storage cans get a build up of water due to condensation when I leave them sitting half full for an extended time, so the question is, why would the tank on my tractor be any different?

This is about boating, but an interesting read The Myth of Condensation in Fuel Tanks by David Pascoe: Boat Maintenance, Repairs and Troubleshooting

This is also about boating and I wish I could find the article quoted by the OP Keeping diesel tanks full stops condensation T or F? - Fix It Anarchy - Sailing Anarchy Forums

After some research, my opinion is that if there is a lot of water in the fuel that water came from some other source than condensation. Either it came in the fuel or got in there some other way.

So, here is a way that I can see water getting into the tank. I have seen a considerable amount of condensation on the outside of my tank. This happens when the night is cold, below freezing and the air temp rises quickly. Let's say that your tank is full and the fuel is touching the top of the tank, this will cause the top of the tank to sweat. If you have any depressions in the top of the tank the water will pool in these locations. Now if there is something in that location, for example a fuel sending unit, whose seal has degraded, water will drip into the tank.

To the OP. Get a Mr. Funnel and ensure that the water is not coming from the supplier. Then I would be inspecting my tank, lines and the rest of my fuel system to see if I can discover any possible locations where water could be getting in.

Same here...no condensation and I don't worry if tanks are full or not. My fuel storage is in 5 gallon jugs sitting on wood that is on concrete. I don't know if the wood helps as I have always done it. Even years ago with all the motorcycles, snowmobiles, mowers, ultralights, etc., no water problem. :confused3:

Both of you have valid questions and I hope this help's understand why you never have water invade storage cans. First and foremost there's a world of difference in stored gasoline and diesel. To demonstrate,put 1 pint gasoline in a 1 gallon metal can such as paint thinner is sold in. Do the same with 1 pint diesel. Leave cap off and sit cans in sun for 1 hour on a hot day or sit cans in a warm room for 4 hours. Slosh fuel around in cans,dump and quickly replace caps tightly. Sit cans in a fridge for a couple of hours. Gas can will crumple and diesel will only suck sides in a little. To a degree,water or atosmoferic air will do the same. The lower boiling point of contents are,the more dramatic the effect. That tell's us diesel stored in cans/fuel tank,"exhale and inhale" less than gasoline. Condensate form's when warm,moisture laden air contact's a cool surface. As can/tank inhale's & exhales,aditional water stay's inside can. Needless to say,humidity level of ambient air has a great influnce,just as degrees of fluxiation from warm to cool. The quinity of air entering tank rule's amount of moisture available. That being true,a full tank leave's little or no air space. Does that help understand why some people have more problem than others?

 

[CobyRupert]

Good explanation Jaxs.
I’d add not only does amount of air space in tank above fuel, temperature swing when tank “breathes”, and air humidity, effect the amount of bwater being condensed; but so do the number of “breathes” (I.e. how many heat/cool cycles, # of days/weeks) the tank goes through before engine is run again.
Also, what was the humidity and temp on the last day you filled tank and then ran tank down to 1/4 full before parking (I.e. the day the tank sucked in the majority of the air that’s going these cycles)?

 

[user.69169]

Might help a whole lot you understand #2 distillate is an emulsion like mayonnaise. Lot of parrefin and some water in it coming out de pipeline. Plenty more gets into underground tanks at filling station via de vent pipe. Depends on where you located you can also be buying juice took a boat ride from tanker to depot. Plenty of ways water got in. Don't make a whole lot of difference where & how if you got water on bottom of tank you got a problem even on a circulating fuel system.

Water ain't a problem long as the juice is in motion staying stirred up.
Becomes a problem when the juice sits and settles. Worst thing a driver can do is fuel at end of day and park, gives the water & paraffin time to settle.

Whole encyclopedia of what somebody does or did don't make a lick of difference till you confirm you got water. Paste does dat in under a minute.
You got water, suck it out, start machine and roll.

 

[dadiehl]

Ok. In the dead of winter it gets to zero here from time to time. Are you better off storing your diesel cans inside a heated garage or out in the cold. The tractor sleeps in whatever the temp is outside. In a shed but no heat. Does it matter one way or the other if the fuel is warm or cold ?