Diesel Fuel Cleaning

[Northern Eyes]

I just posted a reply to another thread regarding diesel fuel tank cleaning.
I was educated by the guys( www.perfectfuel.ca )that cleaned my tanks on my 41 ft. Grand Banks.
I was changing filters at least every 30 hours, and no amount of tank treatment was helping. Finally I cut open one of my filters to see what was going on. There was a wax build-up on the filter element and a very distinct sludge on the bottom of the canister. I keep my boat at my residence on the St. Lawrence so I called Perfect Fuel. They came to the boat, took some fuel samples, showed me the crud in the tank, and proceeded to clean the tanks.
I won't get into the technical aspects (that can be found at their web site) but needless to say, it was a learning experence. They took enough crud out of my tanks to fill 20 filters. There was signs of water, sludge, and actual hard dirt in the tanks. They cleaned about 400 gallons of fuel. The job took all day, but in the end, my fuel went from a black mess to clean and clear. The filters no longer clog and we run to Quebec City and back without the engines giving a hint of black smoke or making a mess of the transom.
Moral of this story, maintain your fuel properly, forget about all the junk fuel additives out there and find a good one. I use Algae-X AFC 705 mixed at 5000 to 1. My diesels run much better now, my generator run's better, and my diesel consumption has decreased. Best thing is my wife no longer complains about the smell of diesel.

[Northern Eyes]

I can't figure out how to add a picture to my original thread so here is a before and after of my fuel. The black bottle is before cleaning. I can't believe my engines even ran on this stuff. Actualy the generator liked it even less. It was a bear to start before I got the fuel cleaned. Now it works like brand new. Perfect Fuel Preservation did the work. Their site is www.perfectfuel.ca

[speedoo]

Great thread, thanks for sharing your experience. The difference in those jars is unbelievable.

[Cheechako]

I had mine cleaned years ago and have to say it is really worth it on an older boat. similar before and after colors of fuel as above. you could see the color change over time as they used a clear hose...

[cabo_sailor]

I regard this as a necessity, especially with sailboats. I'm still running on the fuel I put in a couple of years ago.

There is nothing like trying to motor in rough weather and have the engine quit at 2 a.m. because of sludge in the tank. Been there, done that, and have the T-shirt. My own tank is now overdue but I guarantee that before I take my next trip I'll have the fuel and tank cleaned.

Beware of services that will polish the fuel but not the tank because most of the crud is sitting at the bottom of the tank. Not cheap, around $300 around here. Well worth it, IMO for the peace of mind and it's not something that I do every year. Kinda like get the liferaft serviced.

When I next get it done I'll also take my two Racor filters completely apart for cleaning as well.

Rich