Marine 16 shelf life?

mrangry

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I have stopped using it since cutting inspection holes in my tank and seeing the mass of diesel bug crud. I used it religiously prior to this
 

thinwater

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Isn't dead diesel bug preferable to live ? provided your prefilter can cope.
If his tank is full of dead bug, isn't that prima facie evidence it didn't work. He said he had used it religiously, and he could not have gotten a lot through the pump station's prefilter either. Interesting. I've tested a lot of diesel biocides (lab), and all of them have strains that are resistant.
 

Bav32

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If his tank is full of dead bug, isn't that prima facie evidence it didn't work. He said he had used it religiously, and he could not have gotten a lot through the pump station's prefilter either. Interesting. I've tested a lot of diesel biocides (lab), and all of them have strains that are resistant.
Or maybe it was there before the first application
 

thinwater

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Did you intend to write ''evidence it did work'' ?
No. Where did the bugs come from, if they did not grow in the tank? They could not of come as a mass through the pump filters. They grew in tank.

Yes, they could have been there to start. Also, dead bugs are a part of having bugs; you always have both, and there are typically die-offs as the season change etc. Perhaps the Marine 16 killed some of them.

Also, he did not say which Marine 16 product he had used religiously. Only one is a biocide. Rather like people saying they used "Sika," when Sika makes about 100 products. They usually mean Sika 291, but they should say that.

Just sayin' the origin is a mystery and it's not a great endorsement for Marine 16. It isn't not an endorsement either. It is unclear.
 

Dellquay13

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If his tank is full of dead bug, isn't that prima facie evidence it didn't work. He said he had used it religiously, and he could not have gotten a lot through the pump station's prefilter either. Interesting. I've tested a lot of diesel biocides (lab), and all of them have strains that are resistant.
Isn’t that a good argument for using 2 very different treatments at once? As well as keeping water out of the system.
 

geem

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We have used Marine 16 for the last 12 years. A small amount of dead bugs in that time. We have now run out of Marine 16 so we are into a new biocide. I hope it is as successful at keeping the bug at bay
 

Refueler

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I read posts on threads like this and I am always amazed at the lack of real understanding .... sorry to be blunt.

Petroleum products can carry Micro-organism .. lets just take GasOil ... Diesel to you guys and gals .... Lets use words Bugs for Micro-organism and Diesel for GasOil ..

You fill up with Diesel .... it can often carry Bugs ..

You dose with a Biocide. Caught early - the Bugs will only be a small amount of dead crud / sludge in bottom of tank. If lucky - then barely noticeable. But if not dosed early enough or relying on insufficient Biocide already in tank .. Bugs can increase and then when you dose - you can have noticeable or significant amount of dead crud / sludge deposited in tank bottom.

It is NOT the LIVE bugs that shut down your engine - blocking filters etc. Its the dead crud / sludge and deposits from the Bugs ..

It may start to dawn on some that a way to dispose of that gunge in tank bottom is needed .. or better still - a means that as you kill the Bugs - the resulting gunge is burnt in the engine BEFORE it builds up in tank bottom. How ? It needs to be broken up by Enzymic action.

The point is - Biocide alone is fine if you use it with fill ups to prevent the build up of LIVE bugs .. to kill the small amount that may be in the fuel you fill up with.
But if you are not in the habit of such action - then use of Enzyme based Biocide is recc'd to not only kill the Bugs - but to also break up the gunge - so it passes into engine and gets burnt ...
You can of course marry a Biocide with using a filtering system to remove the gunge ... or if a really bad infestation - a combo of Enzyme based Biocide with external filtering.
 

Momac

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I am not using a biocide the last two years but I do use a fuel additive which is claimed to keep the fuel system clean.
No idea if that helps protect against bug but it certainly smells toxic .
 

thinwater

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I read posts on threads like this and I am always amazed at the lack of real understanding .... sorry to be blunt.

Petroleum products can carry Micro-organism .. lets just take GasOil ... Diesel to you guys and gals .... Lets use words Bugs for Micro-organism and Diesel for GasOil ..

You fill up with Diesel .... it can often carry Bugs ..

You dose with a Biocide. Caught early - the Bugs will only be a small amount of dead crud / sludge in bottom of tank. If lucky - then barely noticeable. But if not dosed early enough or relying on insufficient Biocide already in tank .. Bugs can increase and then when you dose - you can have noticeable or significant amount of dead crud / sludge deposited in tank bottom.

It is NOT the LIVE bugs that shut down your engine - blocking filters etc. Its the dead crud / sludge and deposits from the Bugs ..

It may start to dawn on some that a way to dispose of that gunge in tank bottom is needed .. or better still - a means that as you kill the Bugs - the resulting gunge is burnt in the engine BEFORE it builds up in tank bottom. How ? It needs to be broken up by Enzymic action.

The point is - Biocide alone is fine if you use it with fill ups to prevent the build up of LIVE bugs .. to kill the small amount that may be in the fuel you fill up with.
But if you are not in the habit of such action - then use of Enzyme based Biocide is recc'd to not only kill the Bugs - but to also break up the gunge - so it passes into engine and gets burnt ...
You can of course marry a Biocide with using a filtering system to remove the gunge ... or if a really bad infestation - a combo of Enzyme based Biocide with external filtering.
Yes, all that. It could be that not enough was used.

That said, there are resistant strains, and a different brand biocide may be better. Then there is the argument that using not-quite-enough biocide can breed resistant bugs, just as can happen with human and live stock antibiotics. But very hard to know that was the case.
 

Sianna

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my Marine 16 is 18 months old and still being used, it will probably do most of this year too, I've just done a service and the fuel pre-filters were immaculate without any sign of DB
 

geem

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my Marine 16 is 18 months old and still being used, it will probably do most of this year too, I've just done a service and the fuel pre-filters were immaculate without any sign of DB
My bottle of Marine 16 was over 12 years old. Still worked fine
 

Refueler

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Yes, all that. It could be that not enough was used.

That said, there are resistant strains, and a different brand biocide may be better. Then there is the argument that using not-quite-enough biocide can breed resistant bugs, just as can happen with human and live stock antibiotics. But very hard to know that was the case.

What can happen with Human Medications .. is use as 'preventative use' can lead to the 'virus / bacteria' becoming resistant ... Penicillin is a good example where P was taken to prevent STD's ... but in fact created a problem where STD's were not there - when they did - the P was weakened and then a stronger form was needed.
 

Refueler

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On my travels I used Biobor JF. Never had a problem - even with diesel bought in remote and dubious places.
Marine – Biobor Fuel Additives
Couldn’t buy it in UK on my return so used Starbrite Startron and then Marine 16 both of which have been effective so far 🫰.

Edit: I see startron is an enzyme.

Startron is one of such and easily obtained.
 
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