De-Bugging Diesel

[dpex]

Does anyone have a handle on de-bugging diesel?

There's a gizmo called Diesel De-Bug, made here in NZ...I think. Which claims a set of magnets kill the bugs as the fuel passes by.

Has anyone any knowledge of such devices or, better yet, advice on how to protect diesel from bugs?

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by dpex

Does anyone have a handle on de-bugging diesel?

There's a gizmo called Diesel De-Bug, made here in NZ...I think. Which claims a set of magnets kill the bugs as the fuel passes by.

Has anyone any knowledge of such devices or, better yet, advice on how to protect diesel from bugs?

In every magazine or real third party review they have shown zero effect.

Practical Sailor did a piece a few months back on biocides for diesel. Lots of good information. All of the biocide products proved to be very effective, in the right application.
1. There are several groups of biocides, just as there are several groups of antibiotics; you need the right one.
2. Killing the bugs leads to having to remove the dead bodies; you will likely need to clean the tank.
3. Prevention is best. Keep your fuel VERY dry by all possible means.

[Stillraining]

I would be suspect of the magnet thing..and it wont do anything to cure a bloom going on in your tank which can clog things up beyond what killing off passing bugs through the lines will handle.

As far as protecting your diesel the best way is to start with clean diesel and tanks to begin with...baring that there are several biocides manufactured you can periodically add to your fuel...they work

[dpex]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

I would be suspect of the magnet thing..and it wont do anything to cure a bloom going on in your tank which can clog things up beyond what killing off passing bugs through the lines will handle.

As far as protecting your diesel the best way is to start with clean diesel and tanks to begin with...baring that there are several biocides manufactured you can periodically add to your fuel...they work

Okay. I start with brand new tanks. GRP lined. Total storage will be 500Ltrs (125 US Gallons). This volume should last me for at least 18 months, if not 24.

So the diesel sits there and the colonies of microbes go to work. How do I keep the microbes at bay?

[delmarrey]

I seen the same thing here a few years ago at the boat show. Don't know if it really works, or not. Here's the link.........

Diesel Fuel Doctor, Algae-x diesel fuel cleaning

[Stillraining]

Interesting Del....Notice it is not for treating bugs though only mentions the residual waxes and thing left from refining.

I just don't get it....my ongoing research with diesel just does not follow all this shelf life and deterioration baloney...We must just be supper fortunate to have a couple good refineries in our back yard or something....I never see this problum.

[dpex]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

Interesting Del....Notice it is not for treating bugs though only mentions the residual waxes and thing left from refining.

I just don't get it....my ongoing research with diesel just does not follow all this shelf life and deterioration baloney...We must just be supper fortunate to have a couple good refineries in our back yard or something....I never see this problum.

I have to admit, I've never seen it either. But what I don't want is to get caught short. Having spent say three months at sea then hove into some Asian harbour, full of junks and junk, only to find my motor throws a sicky due to bug-contaminated fuel.

I've seen these dudes on motorbikes. I can but presume harbour traffic is equally necessary to avoid.

Imagine rocking up to Quy Nhon, In Vietnam with a thousand vessels all going in their own direction, and running out of motive power because the sodding motor gets a dose of diesel bug!!!!

Nah. I have to get this one sorted. Good advice, please.

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by dpex

Okay. I start with brand new tanks. GRP lined. Total storage will be 500Ltrs (125 US Gallons). This volume should last me for at least 18 months, if not 24.

So the diesel sits there and the colonies of microbes go to work. How do I keep the microbes at bay?

Hi Dpex:

Well if you know you started with clean and dry tanks because you pulled the inspection ports and visually checked behind and around every single baffle and cook and cranny , then there is only one way they got in there and that is you pumped them in..

Even condensation will stay clean from my experience and just remain water which will sort of mix with a small amount of diesel in a seaway and become milky but they separate out if left undisturbed and can bee drained off with no ill affect on the tank or the fuel.

Once bugs are in a system...a shock treatment is required to effectively kill them and then as stated by others it can be a job to filter or clean out the after math.

You warmer climate boys seem to have a far greater problem with all of this then we do...and knowing that I would do two things.

1) Filter all fuel taken aboard before it enter my tanks
2) Add biocide as per the manufacturers directions of the product I chose or could get at the time....each and every time and per directions as to additional treatment on time schedules...as it does wear off after awhile.

http://www.powerservice.com/bk/

You can also add stabilizers to the fuel to keep it up to snuff...although I have never had to do that with any diesel fuel kept for 2 years.


I have a video filtering bulk fuel comming in a couple days.

[delmarrey]

I've seen this junk before working on Seattles fuel sites. It is nearly impossible to clean off. And this is why I run two fuel filters, a 10 micron to catch the big stuff and 3 micron before it gets to the motor.

And biodiesel, I would never run in the boat knowingly. It separates too easily. It would cost a fortune in filters. The City didn't care about $$$ very much. Hummm! Maybe more so now though.

.

[Blue Stocking]

How about a 3/4" pipe plug fitting in the access port. A piece of 1/4" copper tube in the bottom of my brass oil change pump allows me to draw off a sample of fuel, and any sludge from the low point in the tank
Delmarrey has the best answer--2 filters.
I would bet that for the price of these exotic cleaning systems, one could probably set up a paralleled filtration system.

[mesquaukee]

Gasoline prevents bugs from growing.
A retired commercial fisherman that I know filled his tanks (65 ft trawler) in Venezuela and 5 years later was still using the fuel in Panama. No growth of any kind.
He adds a couple gallons of gas per 100 gals of diesel.

[dixonwj]

A retired Texaco enigineer I know added a gallon of"Mystery Oil" to his 100 gallons of diesel. I use clean tanks, filter the diesel, add biobor, remove the water annually or so, and change the racor filters when the vacuum gauge needle moves off the base reading. You can kill the bugs as mentioned above, you cannot stop the tars and waxes from precipitating out of the diesel. Emergency back up diesel generators used to run on kerosene. More highly refined, purer, no bugs, no water. not many kerosene fill up stations out there now.

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by mesquaukee

Gasoline prevents bugs from growing.
A retired commercial fisherman that I know filled his tanks (65 ft trawler) in Venezuela and 5 years later was still using the fuel in Panama. No growth of any kind.
He adds a couple gallons of gas per 100 gals of diesel.

So I guess the specific gravities are closer enough to blend. Just curious.

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by mesquaukee

Gasoline prevents bugs from growing.
A retired commercial fisherman that I know filled his tanks (65 ft trawler) in Venezuela and 5 years later was still using the fuel in Panama. No growth of any kind.
He adds a couple gallons of gas per 100 gals of diesel.

I am going to do this on my boat....Simple cheap and IMO if that's all it take will not even be noticed by the engine.

I know a little diesel in gas or a little gas in diesel does no harm to either...as we sometimes use 5gal cans to bucket fuel to a machine and there has been times when a quart or two of gas has been poured into along with diesel.


Here is a story for you.

Before I got my diesel service truck I had a 350 powered gas one...Always having 80 gal of diesel on board in my bulk tank for daily equipment fill ups on the job site, there were MANY times I would get low on gas on the highway and just pull over and add 1 or 2 gals of diesel to my trucks fuel tank to make it to a gas station. I could hardly tell the difference in performance as it mixed with the gal or two of gas left in the tank.

The only time I ever had an issue was one day I pulled into a gas station I had never been at before...I just grabbed the black hose and started pumping and filled my tank full..Payed for my gas and left. Well I didn't make it but about 10 blocks and my truck died...Ironically across the street from an auto parts store. Well It didn't take me long after a couple diagnostic tests to figure out what the problem was...My newly purchased fuel was Diesel!

I was hot mad... Diesel is supposed to be marked with a Green gas pump nozzle cover at fuel pumps here in Washington not a Black one!

Well I had to buy 4 5gal gas cans from that auto parts store and siphon out all that diesel fuel and then go back and buy one more to walk back to that gas station and buy 5 gal of actual gas...I gave the Manager a piece of my mind as well..

I poured in 4 1/2 gallons into the tank and used the remaining to pour directly into the carburetor to keep the engine running long enough to flush all the Diesel through the system and get gas flowing again..The truck needed some spark plugs after that and i got around to changing those about a week later but other then that I put 10s of thousands of miles on the engine with out missing a beat....Still continuing with my practice of adding a couple gallons here and there when Id get caught short on the road somewhere.

[mesquaukee]

Up in the Great White North at -40 F or more below up to 20% gasoline is added to diesel to keep it flowing.
Never harmed my engine, didn't notice anything different.