Heating oil that's been in tank for awhile

Keith Molden · Jul 11, 2015

neighbor of mine converted his mobile home to electric from fuel oil & gave me the 2/3 of a tank of oil. It appears to be a lot darker than the diesel that I get from my dealer. I can't find any dirt (still has the filter on it) or water in it. Since it is so dark, I'm wondering if it's still good to mix with my diesel. He's pretty sure it's #2 fuel oil. He only uses it on the week ends and during hunting seasons so it's been in the tank for quite a while. Keith

mattwillson · Jul 11, 2015

Treat it with a biocide before use, it'll probably have algae. Bio-con is a good product.

tim s · Jul 11, 2015

If it does have algae in it don't use it,,keep it for burning brush..it will make you miserable..the algae will look dark and almost like soot in it, it will contaminate your existing storage and clog filters ...even if you treat it..nasty stuff..

jimg.allentown · Jul 11, 2015

Just an observation.......
For whatever reason, most mobile home applications use KEROSENE for heating. I would presume that the reason for this is to deal with gelling in colder weather. Most mobile home oil tanks are outside, hence the problem. Kerosene does not gel as much as No. 2, and stays liquid to much lower temperatures. Back in the old days, trucking companies would cut their diesel fuel with kerosene to reduce gelling problems.

47fivewindow · Jul 11, 2015

I would avoid it for a motor. BTDT The furnace has large enough jets and filters use slightly dirty fuel without problems. Injectors are a lot pickier. Once contaminated tanks take a lot of filters to be clean again.

redtom · Jul 11, 2015

Went through that about 20 yrs ago. At the time we had an oil furnace from a mobile home in the shop. We tried multiple filters, inline and had a whole pile of nozzles for the furnace that we cleaned and changed out often. The fuel had algea in it and we used it but came in the house with fuel oil smelling hands from cleaning and changing filters and nozzles every night.

mattwillson · Jul 11, 2015

All of my stored fuel gets filtered before use. Nothin fancy, just a Cummins fuel/water seperator filter on the outlet of my tranfer pump. I haven't had a problem yet whether it's in the old bmc or Perkins Detroit 2stroke or n14 Cummins. Extra bonus if it kerosene, higher sulphur content helps lube things too.

Mark - IN. · Jul 11, 2015

I spent years as a kid living in a mobile home, and back then they were all fuel oil fed furnaces. Between the tank and the furnace, generally at the tank were inline fuel filters that were cartridge types about the size of oil filters on vehicle engines. They did good jobs overall, but needed to be changed every year before temperatures dropped to freezing or below because tanks tended to develop condensation in them, and that moisture would get into the filters and clog them with ice as temperatures dropped to freezing, or below.

Run it through a filter, and I'll bet that it will clean up well. My only question is whether or not newer fuel oil or diesel that sets will go bad like antipollution gasoline does now with all of the additives that it comes with.
Heres an example right here, try one of these

Keith Molden · Jul 12, 2015

Thanks guys for the replys. I think I'll just use it for brush burning, no point in maybe creating problems for the tractors that are at this time running good (knock on wood LOL). Kinda thought it was algie, hadn't seen diesel that was that dark, you couldn't see through it in a clear glass container. Keith

Geo-TH,In · Jul 12, 2015

My first place was a 50's model Richmand Tailer. Mobile homes were called trailers before they called them mobile homes. I remember -25 below and my filter froze up. I drained it, but it would ice up again. So I piled snow around filter to keep the wind off it and put a 100w light under filter and aluminum foil over it. Stayed up all night keeping the furnace going.

Did I mention Just how much I hate working of oil furnaces and smelling like oil for days?

showcrop · Jul 12, 2015

You must have a lot of brush to burn. If it comes through a filter it will go through a filter.

tim s · Jul 12, 2015

Ooh yes Kieth if it was that dark in a glass it is real bad...

Davidj · Jul 13, 2015

BTDT.. Got a sweet deal a couple of years ago. A local company was switching tanks at the local hospital for their generators and they had to get rid of the fuel. $2.00 a gallon (imperial). Bought 800 gallons of the dang stuff. Fuel was dark like you say. Been nothing but trouble with plugged inlet screens ever since. Hasn't been so bad lately but still have to blow out the lines every 10 or so hours of use. No trouble at the furnace end though, just have to change the filter more often. I'll never run old stuff through a tractor again.

Heating oil that's been in tank for awhile

Keith Molden

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mattwillson

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tim s

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jimg.allentown

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47fivewindow

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redtom

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mattwillson

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Mark - IN.

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Keith Molden

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Geo-TH,In

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showcrop

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tim s

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Davidj

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