Oil & Fuel bx23 fuel consumption

[GaryE]

<font color="blue"> I DONT REALLY KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE AT THIS POINT. </font>

Escavader,

I know many of the oldtimers up here like to mix diesel and kerosine and it will work. Here is my take on it and I admit I am NOT an expert.

Kerosine does not offer the same lubrication properties as diesel. In fact as a lubricant it sucks. But there was a time when that was just about all one could do to stop gelling. But if your engine relies on the fuel to lubricate your injector pump or injectors you are only going to increase wear and tear with kerosine.

I have never had a problem with the winter mix of either Irving's or Dysart's deisel, you should have either dealer near you. If it is going to be cold, I will add some anti gel additive such as Stanadyn or even Napa's diesel additives. (Any big truck stop will offer other options) And they offer the added advantage of adding extra lubricants to your fuel.

I am sure I am in the minority on this, but I have run diesel up here for many years with zero problems. Even my pickup is a diesel and it has never seen gelled fuel. I have been involve in running some pretty big Onan generators in some pretty cold places with Zero fuel problems and I can tell you I have NEVER used Kerosine.

Hope this does not confuse the issue any more than it already is!!!!!!


Gary

 

[bugstruck]

Gary, I'm wondering if/what they add to the regular diesel to get to the winter blend? Perhaps they've found a way to get the wax out? I haven't had any problems in several years but I had to mix in kero here in Maryland thru 94 on my F250. The antigel additives back then didn't always work as touted even at the higher concentrations. However, it appears that whatever they are doing now is working. Haven't had a fuel line freeze or a fuel filter suffer from wax clog in some time.

 

[GaryE]

Chris,

Good question, I have never seen a good explanation of how this is handled. I have seen many semi explanations like this:

Anti Gel

But I have yet to find a detailed explanation. My F250 hates cold!!! If ALL glow plugs are not working it will spit and sputter for what seems like forever. But I have never had gelling problems. I swear by Stynadyn, but my guess is most of the additives are about the same.


Gary

 

[MadReferee]

Kero is commonly used by fuel suppliers to cut summer blend on-road diesel to make it winter blend. This is typically done just before the supply change over in late fall. The mix ratio is anywhere from 25% kero / 75% diesel to a 50/50 split. It will depend on when the next delivery is scheduled and the lateness of the delivery and projected temperatures.

When I had my station back in the mid 1990's some years my ratio was 50/50 and another years it was 40/60.

 

[GaryE]

<font color="blue"> The mix ratio is anywhere from 25% kero / 75% diesel to a 50/50 split. </font>


Mad,

If what you are saying is still true, then the dealer is asking Escavader to cut his winter mix fuel which is potentially already a 50 / 50 mix with 50% kero? To me it sounds like bad advice. I will stick to the anti gelling additives!

Gary

 

[MadReferee]

Check with your station and find out their volume. The kero cut happens only once in late fall just before the winter blend is available. It is a stopgap measure to insure no gelling takes place. Once winter blend is available, no kero cutting is necessary. I had a moderately high volume station with anywhere from 5000-8000 gallons of diesel per month and usually got a delivery every three weeks or so.

 

[bugstruck]

Gary, You may be right on that but it looks like the 50% cut we all were wondering about is and/or was in fact done by the suppliers themselves as needed. So the guys in Maine who are recommending this aren't in left field. They've seen it as necessary in the past. Maybe Mad knows how long winter blending has been done in the area he supplied fuel in.

Mad, At the change of seasons they cut your remaining on-site supply to create a pseudo winter blend. The reason I posted earlier is I was suspicious that a kero cut is all that the touted winter blend actually is. Is that what you are saying or thinking?

I doubt there is a special refining process for winter blend diesel but rather just a mixing of available products and perhaps a few additives.

 

[GaryE]

Chris,

I guess my point is, the fuels are already winterized, either by adding kerosine or some other additive. If there is any chance that the suppliers are already cutting their mix by 50% with kerosine, why take the chance on cutting it any further. Why not use a anti gelling additive that will add to the fuels lubrication properties instead of decreasing them any further?

I think there was a time when kerosine was the only solution, but I think things have changed / improved. Unless I am really missing something here, I see no advantage to adding kerosine to stop gelling over some of the other options. In fact it even cost more.

Gary

 

[MadReferee]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Mad, At the change of seasons they cut your remaining on-site supply to create a pseudo winter blend. )</font>

Correct. The mixture is usually determined by your sales volume, how much you still have underground, and what the temp will be until you can get more.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The reason I posted earlier is I was suspicious that a kero cut is all that the touted winter blend actually is. )</font>

I doubt that it is simply summer blend with kero. I never asked. I believe someone in the know answered this question in the Oil, Fuel & Lubricants forum a while back. I am just too lazy to search for it.

 

[GaryE]

<font color="blue"> In fact it even cost more.
</font>

I take that back.... Not sure what I was thinking /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif