PnrFab
Registered User
curious how long does it take diesel to go bad when sitting in the tanks? and what happens, does it start to seperate?
-josh
-josh
how long b4 diesel goes bad
- Thread starter PnrFab
- Start date
EvergreenRanch
In Transition
well couple answers to that question and alot has to do with the conditions it is being stored in.....temperature cycle and range, humdity, above ground or below, alot varies. keep a biocide in it to keep out the critters, dont leave it open to air, sunlight, or moisture, minimize the temperature swings that it will have to endure, and it will last you a long time. i know more about the chemistry of biodiesel (which differs alot) but i can tell you that over time the carbon carbon bonds (the breaking of which under compression in the engine is what makes it a fuel source) start to weaken and the bond sites break, essentially lowering the centane rating of the fuel (read: less bang for the $3.30 a gallon).
I have a 130gal transfer tank that was filled shortly after 9/11. Spiked it with biocide too. Tapped into it Feb of this year. It's not smelling very fresh at all but compared to the other garbage i've been throwing into the truck...it still burns. Oh yea, the transfer tank is in the back of a PU and has a camper shell over it.
82F100SWB
Full Access Member
Right now, I'm running the fuel in my truck that was in it when it was last on the road before I got it... The last plates were 2000... it's been filtered, and i"m running about a 50/50 mix of it and new fuel, but, no issues whatsoever.
dbarilow
over worked
I notice old fuel more in tractors there wont be as much power and it will use more per hour.... but it runs
EvergreenRanch
In Transition
stiesel, just for further educational uses......what problems did happen after a year?
EvergreenRanch said:
i didn't notice any change in performance. the diesel did look darker, and smelled a little like kerosene or like oil that had been stored for 30 or 40 years. and now that i think about it i believe it was stored for closer to two years. i did cross my fingers while putting it in the truck.
I don't drive the truck a lot so I often go a couple months before re-fueling, no issues at all that I can tell (I do use powerservice, don't know if it makes a difference for storage or not). If you are going to leave it sitting for a while fill the tanks up all the way to help prevent condensation and subsequent water in fuel
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