RayMich
Well-Known Member
Looking at the aftermaths of the earthquake in Haiti and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans has demonstrated the fact that a time may come when one may need to "bug out" in a hurry.
In the event of a SHTF scenario (earthquake, hurricane, flood, civil unrest, etc.), it may be necessary that you evacuate quickly. This will require, in most cases, that your vehicle should be fueled and ready to go in a short notice. Obviously, keeping a full fuel tank will ensure your ability to leave quickly. But what if your fuel tank is NOT full and local service stations are either out of fuel or they may not have any electrical power to pump the fuel? This became a reality here in Michigan during the power blackout of 2003, when service stations did not have electricity for several days, so the fuel in their tanks was useless to us. Such possibilities then dictates that we should have some fuel safely stored in order to cover such a contingency.
Generally 10 gallons of diesel fuel will take you a long ways (120 to 200 miles or more depending on the vehicle and how you drive), but how do you store your diesel fuel to ensure that it will still be good when you need it?
I know that long term storage of diesel fuel is possible. I remember four years ago, while attending a Fire Suppression Pumps seminar, the instructor who is a Fire Protection Engineer spoke about being called to inspect the fire suppression system at a rural school in Wyoming and he had to test their diesel powered emergency fire pump. It turns out that the school had installed a state-of-the-art fire suppression system when it was originally built 10 years earlier, but even though fire safety regulations require that the emergency fire pumps be run and tested periodically, there had been several changes in school administration and they had never run the diesel-powered emergency fire pump since the system was originally installed.
Fully expecting a total failure of the emergency fire suppression system, the engineer reluctantly decided to test the pump to see if it would run. He threw on the test switch and lo and behold, the diesel engine cranked, farted and sputtered for about 8 to 10 seconds and suddenly came to life and ran perfectly well allowing him to run his tests and re-certify the school's fire suppression system. Obviously he then ordered that the diesel engine be thoroughly inspected and serviced by a qualified technician; he also ordered that the fuel system be flushed, fuel filters changed and new fuel with fuel stabilizers be added to the tank. He also left strict instructions that the fire pump MUST be tested periodically.
It is quite possible that the diesel fuel in that school's tanks was the old high sulfur diesel fuel which is more stable than today's ultra low sulfur fuel and they may have added some fuel stabilizers when the pump was originally installed. Also, the diesel engine was of the older mechanical injection design, which is less sensitive to fuel quality.
So, my question is, Does anyone have experience and/or suggestions about long term storage of diesel fuel? What fuel treatments are recommended? Is something like Sta-Bil for diesel fuel a good additive? Is there something better?
In the event of a SHTF scenario (earthquake, hurricane, flood, civil unrest, etc.), it may be necessary that you evacuate quickly. This will require, in most cases, that your vehicle should be fueled and ready to go in a short notice. Obviously, keeping a full fuel tank will ensure your ability to leave quickly. But what if your fuel tank is NOT full and local service stations are either out of fuel or they may not have any electrical power to pump the fuel? This became a reality here in Michigan during the power blackout of 2003, when service stations did not have electricity for several days, so the fuel in their tanks was useless to us. Such possibilities then dictates that we should have some fuel safely stored in order to cover such a contingency.
Generally 10 gallons of diesel fuel will take you a long ways (120 to 200 miles or more depending on the vehicle and how you drive), but how do you store your diesel fuel to ensure that it will still be good when you need it?
I know that long term storage of diesel fuel is possible. I remember four years ago, while attending a Fire Suppression Pumps seminar, the instructor who is a Fire Protection Engineer spoke about being called to inspect the fire suppression system at a rural school in Wyoming and he had to test their diesel powered emergency fire pump. It turns out that the school had installed a state-of-the-art fire suppression system when it was originally built 10 years earlier, but even though fire safety regulations require that the emergency fire pumps be run and tested periodically, there had been several changes in school administration and they had never run the diesel-powered emergency fire pump since the system was originally installed.
Fully expecting a total failure of the emergency fire suppression system, the engineer reluctantly decided to test the pump to see if it would run. He threw on the test switch and lo and behold, the diesel engine cranked, farted and sputtered for about 8 to 10 seconds and suddenly came to life and ran perfectly well allowing him to run his tests and re-certify the school's fire suppression system. Obviously he then ordered that the diesel engine be thoroughly inspected and serviced by a qualified technician; he also ordered that the fuel system be flushed, fuel filters changed and new fuel with fuel stabilizers be added to the tank. He also left strict instructions that the fire pump MUST be tested periodically.
It is quite possible that the diesel fuel in that school's tanks was the old high sulfur diesel fuel which is more stable than today's ultra low sulfur fuel and they may have added some fuel stabilizers when the pump was originally installed. Also, the diesel engine was of the older mechanical injection design, which is less sensitive to fuel quality.
So, my question is, Does anyone have experience and/or suggestions about long term storage of diesel fuel? What fuel treatments are recommended? Is something like Sta-Bil for diesel fuel a good additive? Is there something better?
