Mixing red & green diesel

Dyflin

Dyflin

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I recently came across a Dutch sailing school yacht that had just crossed the Irish Sea and had refuelled on both sides. He reported having problems with the fuel after refueling on the Irish side. The fuel became quite viscous and he wouldn't chance using it. Apparently it has to do with the filtration process at the oil terminal, the green diesel is filtered to a higher standard and it's not a good idea to mix the two? Just wondering if this is an old sea dogs tale or if there is some truth in it?
 
I've mixed ordinary car diesel from the garage with red (in the boat) without any problem. I am told some people have even put red in their cars, mixing it, without any problem either.
 
On trips from wales to ireland have refuelled on both sides, the irish usually have a green dye in their diesel compared to red in uk.

(Very patriotic these customs and excise people on both sides of the irish sea)

but have had no adverse problems with fuel, maybe an old sea dogs tale!!!!!
 
No problem ...

I would hazard a guess that he had other problems - not the mixing of two different fuel grades.

Red diesel is a higher sulphur content - typically 200ppm level or 0.2%. Green or road diesel is typically 40 - 50ppm, with max at this time at 50ppm. Soon to reduce to 35ppm - which will make diesel even dryer ..... so I shall be adding more lubricity additives to shipments .... luvly !

Anyway - there should be no problem at all mixing gasoil like these ... and I cannot understand why he says more viscous ??

As to filtered fuel - they are all filtered the same and to consider that red is treated any less strictly by oil co's supplying is wrong. It may only suffer poorer storage by last supplier in chain ie. some grotty tank in corner of boat yard etc. and by the end user - you the yachtie ....

As I often say on here ..... red is dyed gasoil - that is the only difference really apart from sulphur content.

And please do not ever think of putting it in a car tank - it will run well - but Customs and Excise will have a field day with you when they find the marker ... which incidentally is yellow ! That stays in your tank for months - even years ....

OK ??
 
Re: No problem ...

Well done Nige.
I was waiting for someone to give the definative view.

As far as usage goes either will run as well in any diesel engine the prob comes when HM C&E dip the tank and woe betide anyone that has the marker in the tank. Their view is you have been fiddling them for years and years and have to pay sqillions of dosh to make up for your indiscreation, even though you only put a gallon in to get you home!

BTW
Don't know if it's true but apparently the reason why the Irish went from red to green was that the more creative amongst the Irish found that if you filter "red" though charcoal it goes clear, just like "normal" diesel /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Trust the Irish to come up with a Plan!
 
Re: No problem ...

Ok - I know I am not to use red in my car - but what am I meant to so with a 5 litre can of unknown age and slightly brown, cloudy colour that I found in my new boat? I dont fancy using it, as I have just cleaned the whole fuel system from one end to the other.

My local tip are not very helpful.

Now my boat has a 7 gallon clean tank etc. I need to put some fuel in to get her going - Should I fill with road fuel, put a couple of gallons in and then get red or not worry and just fill with road? Is it going to damage anything (apart from my pocket!)?

Thanks
 
Quid\'s worth of crud ....

For 5 litres it's not worth it ....

I would filter and use it as cleaner when you do those horrible grease laden jobs ... Keep it in shed ready.

Yes you can stick a few ml's of bio and filter it - but the risk as you say it is cloudy etc. is too great.

Brown cloudy - could be stirred up bugs or just plain crap.... is the can plastic or metal ? If metal then the tinning could have come of the inside of the can and basically rusting. Way to find that out is transfer it to a plastic clear container and let it stand. If it drops out to bottom and you pass a bit between fingers - it will feel gritty.

My advice .... filter and use it as a cleaner .....

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Re: Quid\'s worth of crud ....

Thanks Nigel

I do that with the old fuel. Cheaper than Gunk. It is in a very old plastic tank - that feels like it has gone brittle. I was going to move it over to a new tank.

How fine a filter does fuel need to pass through to be safe? are we talking microns or old tights!
 
Re: Quid\'s worth of crud ....

Just spoke to an engineer who worked on the boat. He said the fuel had the consistancy of jam. He says that it's down to the purification process. The boat had Dutch, English and Irish fuel mixed into the one tank. He reckons the purification process differs in the three countries; the Dutch purify it twice, the British three times and the Irish six. This means that there's plenty of bugs in the continental stuff and mixed in with the British and Irish it turns to "jam".

The colour of the diesel matter, just different colours in different countries...
 
Re: Quid\'s worth of crud ....

You wont get it safe by filtering .... as we don't know what the crud is. If mechanical impurities a Coffee filter is good enough !! If chemical or biological - then forget it you are talking micron decimals and you wont get it out.

Best if you really want to do it - is to add drops of bio to it. Leave it to stand perfectly still in warm place for about 6 months. VERY VERY gently then siphon off to clean container with a few drops of bio in .... of course filtering all the time.

Is it worth it ????
 
Blimey ..... !!!!!

I have heard it all now ....

Let me put a simple fact across .... A large amount of diesel available across EU pumps is actually blended - with large %age of Russian Gasoil .... The constitution of Gasoil - Diesel to you lot - is literally flat across the board ....

EVEN to the good ol' Bio-Diesel' which happens to have a large amount of 50ppm straight run gasoil ex Russia / Belarus in it ....

So where does this engineer get this story from ??? I would like to know and be educated .... I am always ready to learn and increase my knowledge store - especially in my fields of work ....

So as I see it ..... SIBNEFT, YUKOS / Petroval, BP, Shell won't be supplying Eire then ... their diesel is just not good enough ....

OK seriously - I haven't heard such story before - buyt what I will tell you is that UK diesel has kero in it ... similar to most EU markets ... just a little bit more !! Why ? It alters the smoke and cloud point to be more acceptable to the public eye. It also breaks up parafins and allows a bit more energy release .... etc. etc.

I now have a picture in my head of Leprechauns filtering diesel now and Dutchmen in clogs watching and laughing !!!
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Re: Quid\'s worth of crud ....

I wasnt thinking of doing it - i was more wondering whether the filtering will make any difference. it seems to be seen as a fix all to some people in the yard. Thanks for the advice - if you ever need to know about aqautic ecology feel free to ask....!
 
All This Over 5 Gallons of Diesel.

My advice is use it for cleaning things and go out and (blow the expense) buy a new can and 5 galls. DERV if you want to really splash out or gasoil if you want to save a couple of bob.

Peter. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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