My father has stockpiled about 40 litres of diesel (he was expecting another fuel demo/shortage). This stuff has been in his garage for over a year now, so I told him that it would be advisable to get it used because it would 'go off'.
He didn't believe me and asked one of his mates (not an engineer but a farmer) who told him he didn't think diesel deteriorated.
Which one of us is in the right?
Thanks
Paul
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The farmer. I have a motor that has been standing for over 2yrs and it still runs on what went in at the filling station.
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diesel is ok in a sealed container but its a bit hydroscopic and will absorb moisture over time, if sealed it's fine
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I doubt that hygroscopicity is a problem with either petrol or diesel - hydrocarbons cannot absorb a significant amount of moisture compared with what will already be in a filling-station stock tank or a car's fuel tank.
The problem with storing fuel is evaporation of its more volatile components. Petrol 'goes off' much sooner than diesel because it is much more volatile. I would guess that diesel in a well-sealed non-rusting container should remain usable for years.
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No problem at all if dirt and water kept out. The MOD have had rather a lot of this fuel stashed away for years. Not so with petrol however.
659.
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I have seen some with either an algal or bacterial bloom in the bottom, looked like snot, quite common apparently, additives are added by the oil company to prevent this, you can also buy it separately, this was about half a litre which was 5 years old in a proper fuel sample tin.
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With diesel, its a different problem...
Microbes in the form of bacteria and fungus are present in all diesel fuels. Long periods of fuel storage can create ideal opportunities for microbes to grow in fuel tanks. The first indication of microbial contamination is mucous-like accumulations on fuel-filters.
You can get biocide to kill it off if its a problem (very unlikely in this case).
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Oops = posted at the same time as Sooty, both making the same point :-)
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At least you said 'mucous-like' !
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Thanks for all your responses. I must have been thinking about petrol.
I stand corrected!
Cheers
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