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bio fuels and ulsd problem for rigs and home heating

Will L.

Will L.

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Moderators - I'm not sure best place to put this-

There are problems with the ever changing fuel markets, and changing fuels themselves. Bio fuels and conventional fuels alike can have multiple additives and properties that can damage rubber and metal fuel lines, and other components. No surprise, I know. Making checking your fuel line condition part of your regular maintenance is no biggie.

One thing that is coming that a lot of people are not aware of is heating fuels for homes is getting pushed into ulsd, which in most cases has bio fuel mixed in. A fuel leak in a pickup truck is one thing, but in a home, that is a new realm of worry. Some of the additives in fuel causes accelerated wear in metal lines, fittings,as well as pliable hose. Please, take the time at the beginning of every autumn to examine and pressure test your fuel lines.

Brass, bronze, copper, lead, tin, and zinc all oxidize from some biofuels and additives. Replace with stainless steel, carbon steel, or aluminum. Viton is the most available flexible fuel line safe for use. Automotive hoses get upgrade by the year so a quick internet search will tell you the latest and greatest brand to get.

In my line of work I have to pay attention to changing fuels, fuel pollutants, etc. Home heating oil is non existent where I live, but I recently walk a second friend through a problem from fuel damaging their home system that called me about fuel related questions. I'm sure most everyone on this forum is aware of these issues in automobiles, just not sure if everyone knew it was coming to their home. If you live in an area where this could be prevalent, maybe post a paper on the local bulletin board and keep your neighbors warm but not on fire. :thumbsup:
 
Thank you Will for posting that. I don't heat with oil (we use gas) but I bet plenty of people on here do.

Sent from my SCH-I535
 
Thanks Will. I currently use 200-250gal per season here in heating oil. This used to be primary heat at 400-450gal per season... last few years it's been secondary to wood. I'm in a very rural location and natgas is no option. This leaves Propane, Electric or wood. I'm long overdue to give heat oil the axe. Look like this will be a good time to do so.

Interesting note, my first heating oil order and delivery here at the ranch was $1.05 +tax per gallon... This was in 2001!!! I have the receips from any/all heat oil from the past years and if I were to chart them graphically on a spreadsheet it would resemble the tallest of ski ramps. Ridiculous.

Rant off, lol.
 
Ah, one other thing for those of you missing the old school high sulfur diesel in your truck. A lot of people can still buy #2 high sulfur diesel as heating oil or off road only fuel with a red dye added for tax evasion purposes. Yes it is the same stuff you used to use in your truck. It would be illegal to run it on road as you are not paying road taxes and causing more pollution. But if you ACCIDENTALLY got some in your truck fuel tank, it wont hurt it a bit.
 
Wow you reminded me of a place we used a fuel oil heater in. Never thought about fuel problems for that! It was more being careful not to get water or dirt when sampling ummm 20+ gal for 6.2 offroad use...

Bugs growing in one of these huge tanks would be a nightmare. Biofuel without a biocide being stored for long summers or vacation cabins... The Biodiesel portion causes boaters long term storage issues.
http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/sh...wth-in-ULSD-and-Biodiesel-This-can-affect-you!
 
Any evidence of bugs being a problem in underground tanks? Better question would be, could one forsee the new *ULSD Bio added* heating oil becoming a POS in ground storage? I'm guessing there would be a greater risk..(?)
 
Yes. There will be an increase in bug problems. It will likely be a suggested additive, like adding a bacterium to a septic system. If everything were right from the get go, nothing would need to be added. However, like Alan Jackson says "Here in the real world..."
 
Oil heat around here (and the North East) is common in older homes as fuel was inexpensive at the time. Last I checked, only wood gassification had a better BTU than oil.

IIRC, there is more difference of on-road versus home-use fuel than just the red dye. As always, I defer to the better experts, but recall that on-road fuel will have at least 40 cetane where in-home can go well lower than that.

ULSD is nothing new for home-use and last I checked it was only ~5 cents more than the standard home-use fuel. Reported benefits of the ULSD for home-use are that it is less corrosive to the metal tank and flue (don't flame me, am parroting).

Whether using ULSD or standard oil in the home, I'd move all the components (especially the tank) above ground as the thought of an in-ground tank leak can quickly eat a budget from the cleanup.
 
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