Long Term Diesel Storage

[bluemountaingun]

I am interested in storing several gallons of diesel fuel for the long haul and am curious about how to stabilize it. They make multiple additives for gasoline, but I have not had much luck with an additive for diesel. Any help would be much appreciated. God Bless, Jerry

[Hick Industries]

Wal mart sells a diesel additive in the automotive section. It is supposed to disperse and denature any water that gets into your fuel to keep algea from growing. Diesel stores very well in metal containers and at modest temps, but water condensation from air trapped in the tank is the enemy.

[bluemountaingun]

I read somewhere that degradation due to a naturally occurring organic solvent already present in the fuel is an issue. Is this true and is there a way to prevent that from happening? God Bless, Jerry

[homesteader1]

I use Sea Foam in my 1650 gallons of stored home heating oil that I use in my tractors. There is also a product called PRI-D. It is supposed to be good. I have not found a source in my ares.

[Saftman]

Pri D is one of the better ones.

[Gear Grinder]

Diesel Treat works for us at work, although we crank through fuel pretty fast. It just keeps it from gelling in cold weather.

[AKpredator]

We have barrels of deisel stored and haven't noticed any real problems with them when we run the generators mid-winter. I know one of the barrels has been there two years. We keep them tilted on their sides, filter them and so on. Somewhere around you, there should be a tank welder and you can ask them about long term storage. They usually know everything. these guys do almost everything around here. I personally have 4 of their steel tanks.

http://greertank.com/

[bluemountaingun]

AKpredator, A generator is exactly what I'm going to be storing the fuel for. We just moved from Utah where we had a wind/solar backup system so the generator thing is new to me. I have contacted a local welder/generator installation guy from our church who is going to come and wire this into a transfer switch, new box, etc... I'm sure he'll have a few options for solutions, but I figured I get some advice from folks here as well. Thanks so much and God Bless, Jerry

[Lowdown3]

Going on 12 years with off road diesel put up with PRI-D. It still chugs away fine in a diesel genset, tractor and heavy equipment. And you'll love this- the fuel was $.55 cents a gallon.....

[1dirtyducker]

Do you have a desiel vehicle to where you could rotate your fuel stock? We do gasoline that way, using up and refilling a drum every 6- 9 months.

[MikeK]

PRI-D is about the best preservative on the market. It also allows for retreatments. Combined with an algeacide, it's a good system for long term storage. Another thing to think about is reducing the fuel's exposure to the air. Bladder tanks are especially good for this as they follow the fuel level down, rather than increasing the head gas space like a hard tank does. In storage, a full tank will have less air exposure, so that's something to consider.

[AKpredator]

Originally Posted by bluemountaingun

AKpredator, A generator is exactly what I'm going to be storing the fuel for. We just moved from Utah where we had a wind/solar backup system so the generator thing is new to me. I have contacted a local welder/generator installation guy from our church who is going to come and wire this into a transfer switch, new box, etc... I'm sure he'll have a few options for solutions, but I figured I get some advice from folks here as well. Thanks so much and God Bless, Jerry

Well that ought to be quite nice for you. Church is always a good place to find some folks with useful skills. Reciprocate if they did it for free.

I have been very, very lucky with generators, probably because I don't use them much. I prefer a nice fire and a good book by candlelight.

Dryers, microwaves, toasters and grills tax a small generator pretty good so use them sparingly. 300 gallons of diesel should last you 2 years or more with good use on an 8kw. Ventillate them properly, change the oil/filter and they will last a good while.