Diesel Fuel Confusion
John Kinney
So our acting guilde was performing at the Roanoke Island Festival Park in
Manteo on the coast of NC this past weekend. Since we have the F-550
hauler, the guilde asked us to tow the properties trailer down to the
coast for them, which seemed like a fun adventure.
Along the way there and back, we saw diesel fuel being dispensed as
"Highway Diesel", "No. 2 Diesel", "Automobile Diesel", "Truck Diesel",
"Low Sulfur Diesel", and just plain "Diesel."
One station, I think called Trademart, had 4 different diesel pumps with 4
different names on them.
Earlier tonight, I googled a thread from this NG back in June that talked
about "No. 1 Diesel", "No. 2 Diesel", and "Farm Diesel."
What I gathered from all this is that I can burn just about anything
labeled "Diesel" in the hauler, so long as the weather isn't really really
cold, and so long as the Diesel fuel isn't colored red. Looked like I
could even burn kerosene in a pinch if I put in 5 percent 30 weight motor
oil.
Do I have it right? Do all those names actually mean much of anything?
Regards, John Kinney
HHamp5246
<richatpa*nospam*@epix.net> writes:
>>Do I have it right? Do all those names actually mean much of anything?
Hi John,
If you have a light truck..... a pickup IOW, what you want to look for is the
diesel pump with the small nozzle.... some pickups can take the big fat nozzle
that 18 wheelers use, but many can't.
Tom J
"John Kinney" <jwki...@smoke-island.com> wrote in message
news:pan.2003.11.12....@www.smoke-island.com...
> Folks,
>
> So our acting guilde was performing at the Roanoke Island Festival Park in
> Manteo on the coast of NC this past weekend. Since we have the F-550
> hauler, the guilde asked us to tow the properties trailer down to the
> coast for them, which seemed like a fun adventure.
>
> Along the way there and back, we saw diesel fuel being dispensed as
> "Highway Diesel", "No. 2 Diesel", "Automobile Diesel", "Truck Diesel",
> "Low Sulfur Diesel", and just plain "Diesel."
All that is just so much advertising. The only thing you have to be concerned
with is, if you live in the northern states where it gets down in the teens or
lower regularly, is you may want to use No 1 diesel then because it will go to
a lower temp before it jells. That is especially true if the truck is not
driven 20 or 30 miles daily to warm the fuel in the tank.
I was sent to pick up a rig the driver abandoned in Buffalo one winter, and I
had to rent 2 kerosene heaters and a generator to un-jell the tanks and lines.
The heaters blowing under the truck and the generator to plug the block
heaters and battery charger into. Finally cranked after about 3 hours of the
hot air blast.
Tom J
EJGroth
>From: RichA richatpa*nospam*@epix.net
>Date: 11/11/2003 5:26 PM Pacific Standard Time
>Message-id: <qv03rv4r3u9ls3rck...@4ax.com>
>
>On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 19:37:48 -0500, "John Kinney"
><jwki...@smoke-island.com> wrote:
>
>>Folks,
>>
>>So our acting guilde was performing at the Roanoke Island Festival Park in
>>Manteo on the coast of NC this past weekend. Since we have the F-550
>>hauler, the guilde asked us to tow the properties trailer down to the
>>coast for them, which seemed like a fun adventure.
>>
>>Along the way there and back, we saw diesel fuel being dispensed as
>>"Highway Diesel", "No. 2 Diesel", "Automobile Diesel", "Truck Diesel",
>>"Low Sulfur Diesel", and just plain "Diesel."
>>
>>different names on them.
>>
>>Earlier tonight, I googled a thread from this NG back in June that talked
>>about "No. 1 Diesel", "No. 2 Diesel", and "Farm Diesel."
>>
>>What I gathered from all this is that I can burn just about anything
>>labeled "Diesel" in the hauler, so long as the weather isn't really really
>>cold, and so long as the Diesel fuel isn't colored red. Looked like I
>>could even burn kerosene in a pinch if I put in 5 percent 30 weight motor
>>oil.
>>
>>
>>
>Hi,
> You got it. Only difference is some diesel fuel has a little higher
>Cetane number, which is like a higher grade of gasoline. A cetane of
>40 is as low as you should go. High grade diesel is usually listed as
>45 cetane. All those different names you mentioned in the beginning
>are just different names for #2 diesel fuel.
>
Is home heating fuel also considered #2 diesel? I've heard it can be used in a
pinch - (although it's untaxed and illegal.) I've thought about adding an extra
oil tank in my home and keeping it filled just in case there is another oil
embargo some day.
Mara
hham...@aol.comnojunk (HHamp5246) wrote:
> If you have a light truck..... a pickup >IOW, what you want to look for
is >the diesel pump with the small >nozzle....
And mind the fact that just because a nozzle is green (as at BP/Amoco), doesn't
mean it's diesel. Our welder's ditzy wife found that out the hard way, after
putting $25 worth of unleaded gasoline into his almost-new diesel truck.
Mara
Neon John
>Is home heating fuel also considered #2 diesel? I've heard it can be used in a
>pinch - (although it's untaxed and illegal.) I've thought about adding an extra
>oil tank in my home and keeping it filled just in case there is another oil
>embargo some day.
You might want to look here:
http://www.deutzusa.com/Technical/applications.html
The "Fuel type/requirements" paper is an excellent treatise on diesel fuels.
On storing fuel, you'll probably find it more trouble than it's worth. Long
term storage of diesel fuel requires some effort to keep it dry, keep it from
waxing and keep the fungus from growing in it. Nuclear plants have to store
fuel for the emergency diesel generators - thousands of gallons of it. Most
plants punt and pay to have the old fuel hauled off after about 5 years and
new fuel delivered. Even 5 years requires serious conditioning, both
physically and chemically. I believe that the Bureau of Reclamation has
published its standby generator procedures which should address fuel storage.
You might look here:
http://www.usbr.gov/power/data/fist_pub.htm
If I was going to bunker some sort of fuel, it would be propane. AFAK,
propane can be stored forever in a tank.
John
---
John De Armond
johngdDO...@bellsouth.net
http://bellsouthpwp.net/j/o/johngd/
Cleveland, Occupied TN
John Kinney
> If you have a light truck..... a pickup IOW, what you want to look for
> is the diesel pump with the small nozzle.... some pickups can take the
> big fat nozzle that 18 wheelers use, but many can't.
I think the F-550 hauler will accept the big nozzle, but the operating
manual warns about the high fuel delivery rate. I haven't had to try it as
yet.
Regards, John
HHamp5246
<domfr...@earthyslinky.net> writes:
>And mind the fact that just because a nozzle is green (as at BP/Amoco),
doesn't mean it's diesel. Our welder's ditzy wife found that out the hard
way, after putting $25 worth of unleaded gasoline into his almost-new diesel
truck. >
Yeah, that something I have nightmares about. I worry about losing fingers to
my power saw and putting gas in Bruiser.
The least expensive diesel place in town has green handles at the gas pumps.
Fortunately the diesel pumps are around the side, it would be an easy mistake
to make.
What did they have to do to fix the truck?
Mara
hham...@aol.comnojunk (HHamp5246) wrote:
> What did they have to do to fix the >truck?
Luckily, she was less than a quarter mile from the campgroud. She drove it
home and he siphoned it all out. Can't remember what else he did, but the
truck had no lasting effects.
Mara
HHamp5246
<domfr...@earthyslinky.net> writes:
>Luckily, she was less than a quarter mile from the campgroud. She drove it
>home and he siphoned it all out. Can't remember what else he did, but the
>truck had no lasting effects.
She drove it? I didn't think you could.
Tom J
"HHamp5246" <hham...@aol.comnojunk> wrote in message
news:20031112115614...@mb-m17.aol.com...
> In article <5Dssb.25178$9M3....@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net>, "Mara"
> <domfr...@earthyslinky.net> writes:
>
> >Luckily, she was less than a quarter mile from the campgroud. She drove it
> >home and he siphoned it all out. Can't remember what else he did, but the
> >truck had no lasting effects.
>
> She drove it? I didn't think you could.
For that distance, there was enough diesel in the filters & fuel lines.
Tom J
CruzMastr
use in off-road equipment and does not carry the road use taxes in the
price. It is illegal to use this in any vehicle licensed for highway use.
The others advertised may actually be different - low sulphur dirsel is not
the same as the others.
CruzMastr
"John Kinney" <jwki...@smoke-island.com> wrote in message
news:pan.2003.11.12....@www.smoke-island.com...
Wade
"RichA" <richatpa*nospam*@epix.net> wrote in message
news:n1p5rv0b24hablsfn...@4ax.com...
> Hi,
> While what constitutes low sulphur diesel is changing right now. I
> believe that all diesel fuel is now low sulphur, 500 PPM. However it
> will be called ultra low sulphur diesel as the new EPA laws go into
> effect in 2006 I think.
>
> Low sulphur diesel is 500 parts per million, Ultra low sulphur diesel
> will be 15 parts per million. Ultra low sulphur diesel is available
> in some areas. For example it was required at the 911 site during
> reconstruction, though I don't know if it actually was used. Most
> newer diesels don't have a problem with low sulphur diesel and from
> what I read probably not with ultra low sulphur diesel as the
> refineries will put in more additives to replace the sulphur. Just as
> they did when low sulphur diesel first came out. When the new
> standard goes into effect I don't know what it will be called maybe
> just diesel :)
>
> RichA
> "We Get To Soon Olde and To Late Smart"
We have the same 500 parts per million here, and I have noticed that the oil
companies in the states do not necessarily adhere to that, on several
outings I have notices particularly in the central states that the fuel
contains much larger quantities of sulfur, one time when filling up in
central Nevada the engine started to smoke badly shortly after refueling I
thought I lost the turbo, however I was subsequently assured by Cummins in
Las Vegas that it was only high sulfur content.
Wade