Oil & Fuel Diesel fuel?

cowboydoc · Dec 26, 2004

Just a tip for anyone that buys fuel in bulk for their tanks. Buy the unblended fuel and put in the right amount of power service. You will save average of 10 cents per gallon. It's also safer because you know your fuel has been treated and won't gel.

Rob52 · Dec 27, 2004

Thanks Bob! You've been a big help!

Keith_B · Jan 1, 2005

( Someone I know said they monitor fuel as 2 tanks of #2 and 1 tank of #1? Anyone know the reason?
What should I be using for my new 4320? And why?

Thanks
Merry Christmas
4320w/400x,hd bucket, LX6, RB1184 w/hydr. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif )

#1 is Kerosene
#2 is Fuel Oil/Diesel Fuel

Kerosene is cleaner and less oily than diesel, thus the #1 rating.

The only difference in Fuel Oil and Diesel Fuel in most areas of the country is the additives, to keep the fuel from gelling, and dye to indicate level of taxation.

Some of the level of junk you find in the fuels is more dependent upon the delivery system than the type of fuel. Dirty tanks and tanker trucks is gonna get you dirty fuel.

We get our diesel at a distributor, which is referred to as a bulk plant. Because it is for off road use we do not pay the highway taxes, making it 40-45 cents cheaper than at the filling station pumps.

I gotta agree with Richard, you are better off depending on yourself for additives, and not the diesel suppliers. In the late fall they will go ahead and give you warm weather fuel that is left and your fuel could gel. In late winter/early spring they may stop producing the cold weather fuel too early, and it could also gel.

Fuel stabilizers are good for gas and diesel that is apt to sit for a while.

TMcD_in_MI · Jan 1, 2005

( The only difference in Fuel Oil and Diesel Fuel in most areas of the country is the additives, to keep the fuel from gelling, and dye to indicate level of taxation. )

This may be a dumb question, but why wouldn't fuel oil need anti-gel protection too? Wouldn't an oil furnace shut down if the oil gelled in the supply line?

Tom

Cliff_Johns · Jan 1, 2005

[quote
This may be a dumb question, but why wouldn't fuel oil need anti-gel protection too? Wouldn't an oil furnace shut down if the oil gelled in the supply line? )

Just guessing, but I imagine it's because heating oil is usually not stored outside above ground.

Cliff

cowboydoc · Jan 2, 2005

The fuel in vehicles gels because it is brought down to a finite amount for the injectors. The fuel doesn't gel in the tanks, the fuel gels in the fuel supply system. A heating system has 20-100 times larger fuel nozzles than a typical injector system.

TMcD_in_MI · Jan 2, 2005

( The fuel in vehicles gels because it is brought down to a finite amount for the injectors. The fuel doesn't gel in the tanks, the fuel gels in the fuel supply system. A heating system has 20-100 times larger fuel nozzles than a typical injector system. )

Thanks for your answer, cowboydoc. Let's see if I have this right. If I understand you, the gelling would happen in the high pressure fuel lines leading to the injectors, not in the line supplying the fuel pump? Interesting. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Cliff,
Thanks to you too. I thought about the furnace oil being stored underground, but I wasn't sure everyone did that. I can remember when I was a kid our oil tank sat right outside the kitchen. Of course that was a few decades ago.

Tom

cowboydoc · Jan 3, 2005

Depending on the size of the lines to the pump it's possible but usually it has to be very, very cold for the fuel to gel in the supply lines.

Dutch445 · Jan 3, 2005

Straight Diesel will gel if cold enough, have seen it gelled in filters also. I would assume all northern areas cut the diesel with kero for winter anyway.. at least around here they do.

As far as fuel oil for home heating, outside tanks, for mobile homes etc,, use straight kerosene instead of fuel oil.

We recommend Stanadyne fuel conditioner for all diesel applications, and actually recommend it for year-round usage. I know there are other similar products also, and other threads pertaining to additives.

Where's the snow????
/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

MikePA · Jan 3, 2005

Just guessing, but I imagine it's because heating oil is usually not stored outside above ground. 
Our home, built around 1900, had an outside oil tank from the time the furnace was first installed and for the first 20 years we owned the home. When we needed to replace the furnace, we had the tank moved into the basement. There was about one foot of line from the bottom of the tank before it entered the foundation. In 20 years, we only had the line 'freeze' once.