Print

[Manxcat]

You must be very rich to afford £100,000 to splash out on all that petrol.

Just pointing out part of the daftness of the rules 

[Genem]

^So, If I were to connect up the 25,000 Imperial Gallon tanks on the Militant Tanker to the engines fuel supply...

25,000 gallons = roughly 113,000 litres. The Militant was a good truck but I doubt its payload was over 100 Tonnes ....

 

[Eve]

I wonder how the courts would interpret the word 'ordinarily' that appears in that clause?

[Genem]

Storing red diesel isn't a problem,,,,

Nope, we run our domestic electricity using a "red" powered genny (+ Solar), tanker delivers it 1200lt at a time.

[Robin]

Nope, we run our domestic electricity using a "red" powered genny (+ Solar), tanker delivers it 1200lt at a time.

Does it need to be in a bunded tank, like heating oil?

[Genem]

Does it need to be in a bunded tank, like heating oil?

Its certainly recommended but not enforceable below a certain limit, 3500 lt in England I believe. 

[Manxcat]

25,000 gallons = roughly 113,000 litres. The Militant was a good truck but I doubt its payload was over 100 Tonnes ....

 

Quite right, a stray 0 had broken the Covid Regulations and attached itself to the correct 2,500 gallons.   

(FV 11006 : Truck 10 ton General Service Fuel Tanker 2500 Gallon 6x4)

(Should be a bit cheaper to fill up...  )

[Uffddd]

Is it similar for petrol ? - "Diesel bug" is a bacterium, I think, which can live in diesel and forms fine black waste which blocks filters and injectors. It especially thrives in moisture, so is a big risk in boats.
Once you've got it in the tank the only solution is to pump it out and filter it. The additive does protect diesel in storage, but won't clear diesel already infected.

If I remember rightly diesel bug lives in water or at least on the threshold of the water/diesel separation in the tank. Provided there's no water in the tank you shouldn't get bug. Theres an issue with biofuels where they naturally have a fairly significant water content and so generally fuel docks in harbours only supply real diesel with no biofuel additives.

Once you've got it its an absolute *&%^$ to get rid of. Even steam cleaning won't necessarily shift it permenently, you just have to commit to using an additive that kills it every time you fill up. As you say its a major issue on boats. I think with cars the turn over of fuel in the tanks is enough to keep things fairly fresh. Also the volume of the tank in a vehicle is small enough that condensation in the tank won't produce a significant amount of water.

[Genem]

^^^^ I saw a case in an old tractor that had been left sitting for years...the entire fuel system looked like it had been filled with very sticky tar.

[Manxcat]

Anything in the regs about producing and storing your own wood alcohol to run spark ignition engines on?

Gene should be well placed to make wood alcohol;
Already has something that turns firewood into wet wood pulp and a forest at his back door.

[Malcolm R]

Anything in the regs about producing and storing your own wood alcohol to run spark ignition engines on?

Gene should be well placed to make wood alcohol;
Already has something that turns firewood into wet wood pulp and a forest at his back door.

I think producing/refining any kind of methanol or alcohol at home isn't allowed without a license in the UK. The only country I know of where home distilling is fully legal is New Zealand

[rustynuts]

Reminds me of that stupid taxi driver who went to court for storing a large quantity of petrol at home in a wheelie bin during the fuel shortage of 2001 (just found the date by googling and can't believe it was that long ago).

As for wood alcohol, why not just burn wood directly in your car using a gassifier? It was common in Scandinavia during the war as they had no oil but plenty of wood. A few enthusiasts still do it today. Have a search for "wood gas car", there are some interesting pictures. It's something I have always fancied doing; the kit would sit nicely in the rear tub of a truck cab.

[Genem]

^^^^ Cue the Dads Army van pic....

[w3526602]

Hi Gene,

Was the Militant based on an AEC chassis?

We had AEC 3000 gallon aircraft refuelling bowser lying in a palm-leaf shelter, at RAF Sharjah. It never moved during the 12 months I was there (We also had three Leyland Hippos with 3,000 gallon tanks.

I offered to drive the AEC tanker back to UK, but nobody seemed to want to listen.   

602

[chipbury]

If I remember rightly diesel bug lives in water or at least on the threshold of the water/diesel separation in the tank. Provided there's no water in the tank you shouldn't get bug. Theres an issue with biofuels where they naturally have a fairly significant water content and so generally fuel docks in harbours only supply real diesel with no biofuel additives.

Once you've got it its an absolute *&%^$ to get rid of. Even steam cleaning won't necessarily shift it permenently, you just have to commit to using an additive that kills it every time you fill up. As you say its a major issue on boats. I think with cars the turn over of fuel in the tanks is enough to keep things fairly fresh. Also the volume of the tank in a vehicle is small enough that condensation in the tank won't produce a significant amount of water.

I've seen this on ships where the fuel you receive sometimes has water in from unscrupulous suppliers.  The first sign of problems in filters is a clingfilmy/mucous like stringy mess.  To prevent any problems we dose all our loaded fuel with a Unitor product called dieselpower biocontrol, it's not cheap but if it prevents all your engines stopping whilst crossing the bay of biscay in a storm it's well worth it!