Which Diesel Fuel Biocide Treatment

A) I only fill up with non bio diesel
B) I add Grotamar

Crystal clear fuel! The whole story got worse when ( imho Germany ) started the bio fuel diesel campaign and subsequent legislation. I rather feed some needy in Africa with the seed oil than contaminating my diesel tank
 
How can you "only fill up with non bio diesel" on an extended cruise in foreign parts? You have to take what comes out of the pump.
To kill bacteria etc, a slug of cheap bleach, diluted many times in water, works to disinfect kitchen floors, toilets etc.
Why can't I add a slug of bleach to my diesel tanks? It would be added in a suitable concentration to prevent life growing, but obviously not enough to dissolve seals etc in the fuel system.
Since all we want to do is stop life occurring, why not? I appreciate that folk feel the need to justify spending large amounts on snake oil, so I fully expect to be ripped to pieces with that suggestion ;)
Of course it wouldn't clean your injectors or any of the other 'claims' but bleach kills all micro organisms, even well diluted.
Why not?
 
How can you "only fill up with non bio diesel" on an extended cruise in foreign parts? You have to take what comes out of the pump.
To kill bacteria etc, a slug of cheap bleach, diluted many times in water, works to disinfect kitchen floors, toilets etc.
Why can't I add a slug of bleach to my diesel tanks? It would be added in a suitable concentration to prevent life growing, but obviously not enough to dissolve seals etc in the fuel system.
Since all we want to do is stop life occurring, why not? I appreciate that folk feel the need to justify spending large amounts on snake oil, so I fully expect to be ripped to pieces with that suggestion ;)
Of course it wouldn't clean your injectors or any of the other 'claims' but bleach kills all micro organisms, even well diluted.
Why not?

Errrr .... bleach is not miscible with diesel! :confused:

Richard
 
Errrr .... bleach is not miscible with diesel! :confused:

Richard

The bugs are supposed to live in the air/water film on the surface so perhaps a non miscible biocide might work and indeed, would be concentrated in it rather than throughout the whole volume of diesel.
 
The bugs are supposed to live in the air/water film on the surface so perhaps a non miscible biocide might work and indeed, would be concentrated in it rather than throughout the whole volume of diesel.

But once the chlorine has vapourised off you're left with a layer of water which you would then have to drain off.

It's easier to do it in one step.

Richard
 
Marine-16 costs about £70 for a one litre bottle, which is of course 1,000ml.

100ml treats 2,000L of fuel, so one litre treats 20,000L of fuel - that's just over 1p for 3 litres!

Both my tanks filled to the brim will just about hold 1136 litres, so say just under £4 - I can handle that.

Snake oil: All I can say is that two boats that berth directly behind me that had not treated their fuel tanks both contracted the fuel bug at some stage, I accept they got away with it for years. I have always treated my tanks and have not. Coincidence? Who knows I'll let you know if I do get it!

If I go on a long trip expecting to burn several tanks I sometimes don't bother treating between fills until the last fill. That save me enough to buy a beer or two :-)
 
The bugs are supposed to live in the air/water film on the surface so perhaps a non miscible biocide might work and indeed, would be concentrated in it rather than throughout the whole volume of diesel.

Diesel's lighter than water, the bugs live in the water/oil interface, I believe.
 
I used Fuel Set first in my 10l Wallas cooker tank which is plastic. The diesel was turbid, with loads of black flakes. 10ml of fuel set (big overdose) within 12 hours it was clear and the flakes had disappeared. For me that says it works, if other people think it's snake oil, then you're entitled to your opinion, I will continue to use Fuel Set
 
I've just found Coval Aquasolve online, which claims to eliminate this problem. I'm waiting for delivery of some and will try it with my next fill.

http://www.covalaquasolve.co.uk/

That looks very interesting. If it actually does what it says, then it's the whole answer to the problem. My chemical knowledge is zero, so I don't know anything about the following:
Two non- ionic surfactants, one a polymer. Index xi. , Diethanolamine, 2-butoxyethanol, index xn. The claim is that these chemicals 'break down water at a molecular level' and 'combine the hydrogen and oxygen with the fuel'. Perhaps a little paraphrasing there. I'm sure there's someone here with knowledge of these things.
 
I use Soltron, but only use about a tank full of fuel a year (40l), so fill and dose the tank at the end of the season.
 
I've just found Coval Aquasolve online, which claims to eliminate this problem. I'm waiting for delivery of some and will try it with my next fill.

http://www.covalaquasolve.co.uk/

I'm thinking "snake oil" I'm afraid.

Use of surfactants to form a stable emulsion is elementary chemistry and would work if the two-phase layer could be agitated sufficiently. Chemical breakdown of the water into hydrogen and oxygen at room temperature sounds very unlikely to me. Hydrogen H-H bonds easily can be broken but that still leaves H2O molecules and the breaking of the H-O bond is a different order of magnitude.

Either way, how this can give up to 10% lower fuel consumption when the volume of water actually being emulsified/absorbed by the fuel is likely to be a fraction of a percent is beyond me.

Richard
 
If it looks too good to be true, it probably is, I suppose. Hopefully, NornaBiron will give us some feedback, but it wouldn't be easy to tell if it worked on my boat, as I can't see into the fuel tank. I suppose a siphoned 'before and after' sample might do it.
 
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