Storage life of todays on-road & off-road diesel and heating oil.

[90cummins]

Years ago diesel fuel had an indefinite storage life now I知 hearing otherwise because the sulfur content has been reduced.
What are the facts about today痴 on-road diesel, off-road diesel and heating oil storage life?
I burn so little heating oil now due to other heat sources that I知 starting to think I may need to treat it!
90cummins

 

[bdog]

I have about a dozen things with Diesel engines. Some of them haven't moved in about two years. I start them about once a month and let them run for 15 min or so. The fuel seems to be fine.

 

[RjCorazza]

I do not believe the ultra low sulphur diesel stores any different than the old 500ppm fuel. Stored properly, I would think diesel could be used many years, or decades later. Indefinite ? Nothing is indefinite!
I have seen large diesel storage tanks that routinely cycle the fuel through filters and water separators, mostly for industrial power standby systems where the fuel would otherwise sit stagnant.
Several years ago I "salvaged" 300g of fuel oil that was 4 years old, by filtering multiple times through a water separator / particulate filter. Other than one dumb mistake using the last 20g (water contaminated), the rest of the fuel powered my stuff for 2 years.

 

[buickanddeere]

An imagined crisis. Gasoline and diesel stores better now than it did 40 years ago.

 

[AxleHub]

An imagined crisis. Gasoline and diesel stores better now than it did 40 years ago.

While diesel oil stores well today . . Gasoline with ethanol in it stores horribly in comparison to 20 or 40 years ago. Ethanol attracts water and ethanol has corrosive properties. Service centers talk regularly of "green gas" . . not "green as in environment" but green as the coating and buildup in color on small engine carburetors especially. And then there are the regulated additives now required by a few states or regional metropolitan areas that require refinery transfer pipelines be scrubbed between repository locations and local distribution tank farms when metro additive laden fuel is sent. (Chicago area and lower Eastern WI/Milwaukee metro areas as examples of others.

And leaded gas included additional lubricant properties that no-lead also doesn't have.

Personally any fuel can over time leave a buildup on tank walls and bottoms . . so home heating oil tanks can benefit by including a small quantity of fuel oil treatment during the summer which helps keep furnace injectors and lines clean and tank buildup reduced or eliminated. And gasoline now is recommended to be only fresh for 30 dats or less unless treated with a "stabil" type product.

I now use "non-ethanol" gas in my truck with good results and off road "non ethanol" gas for any and all small engine gas units. Starting is much improved . . maintenance reduced . . and better uniform performance.