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emptied and cleaned my diesel fuel tanks , ( they were clean with no sign of the dreaded bug ) now looking for a good de - bugger to add when i refill them ,, can anyone recommend a good one , trade / brand name if possible ,, ty R
 
Its funny that I can get additive in 1000ltr IBC's for work, rarely called for though so not kept in stock ..... so for personal use I am back to off the shelf additives.

This is not a recommendation for one against others - but purely that Startron is the easiest to get where I am. Regardless of clean tank or not - a small dose every now and then is not a bad idea.

Regardless of the hype and sales pitch ... ANY Enzyme based is good enough, especially if includes capability to break up any possible suspended water content as well.

Note : For those NOT in the know .... Water is basically in 3 forms in oil products : 1. Free Water that you see at bottom of container, 2. suspended water carried by product which centrifuges out, 3. Moisture content that is distilled out.

Additives that sort 2 + 3 so it can pass and be burnt with the fuel is OK ... #1 of course should be avoided as far as possible.
 
For years, I used Soltron, an enzyme product. Then I became suspicious at the way it was sold by lots of different people in lots of different containers with lots of different label designs, and decided it was untrustworthy. So I switched to Marine 16, which has (touch wood) kept my boats bug-free for many years. Soltron was supposedly sold to Starbrite and re-emerged as Startron.
 
Soltron was supposedly sold to Starbrite and re-emerged as Startron.
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I was approached as a Fuel Blender and owner of Petrochem labs to test Soltron by the 'agent' in Channel Isles. I declined because I was aware of commercial issues of Starbrite with Soltron. Starbrite were contesting Soltron and its 'supposed' rebranding of their product. Soltron then of course disappeared.
 
Our club fuel 15000 Litre Diesel tank is dosed with Grotamar. We have been using it for years. About 90 boats on our moorings. No problems reported so far. ?
 
Premier diesel sold in Gosport includes an additive already in the fuel... So whats the consequences of people adding their own as some are emulysifiers and some are demulsifiers?
 
Interesting, isn't it, how maybe 30% of cars on the road are diesels, most live in the open and diesel bug is all but unknown - to the extent that the average motorist has probably never even heard of it.

I wonder if the anticipation of the bug among boaters isn't vastly more serious and prevalent than it's reality...
 
Slowboat35 said:
Interesting, isn't it, how maybe 30% of cars on the road are diesels, most live in the open and diesel bug is all but unknown - to the extent that the average motorist has probably never even heard of it.

I wonder if the anticipation of the bug among boaters isn't vastly more serious and prevalent than it's reality...
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Generally attributed to the much higher turnover of diesel in a car than a leisure yacht.
At my work we go through thousands of litres of diesel a month in various boats and machinery- no additives needed, nobody has heard of bug there.
But bug does exist, I've had it in my yacht. I probably burn about 100l in a year.
 
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Kelpie said:
Generally attributed to the much higher turnover of diesel in a car than a leisure yacht.
At my work we go through thousands of litres of diesel a month in various boats and machinery- no additives needed, nobody has heard of bug there.
But bug does exist, I've had it in my yacht. I probably burn about 100l in a year.
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Yes, it's all to do with turnover in the tank.
 
m16 is not available in my locality , alternatives are , undecided . my tanks were both clean after 4 years of little activity , maybe use 10 gal in that time , two engines with their own 5 gal tanks , my cars must have used hundreds of galls .
 
Rappey said:
Premier diesel sold in Gosport includes an additive already in the fuel... So whats the consequences of people adding their own as some are emulysifiers and some are demulsifiers?
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Any effect is literally of no consequence .... don't worry about it.

Also be aware that most additives are subject to time ..... that after a time their action slows and finally stops. The time to do this basically depends on the fuel and level of action it takes. They are not indefinite once added to the fuel.
 
Refueler said:
Any effect is literally of no consequence .... don't worry about it.

Also be aware that most additives are subject to time ..... that after a time their action slows and finally stops. The time to do this basically depends on the fuel and level of action it takes. They are not indefinite once added to the fuel.
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So do you dose with more additives (M16 in my case) every year (say)? Boat has been static for 18 months.
 
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