Heating oil gelling. No addys work.

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Nayov

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I have tried both Howes and Lucas  anti-gel additives for my outdoor 275 heating oil tank (#2). They are designed for Diesel fuel , yes, but #2 and Diesel are kissing cousins, unless there  is an important difference I'm not aware  (actually Howes says OK for heating oil). They are both 100 per cent ineffective, even after following the directions exactly. The fuel still gels at about a bit below 20 F.

So I've given up, and had them deliver K1 (kerosine) but they could only squeeze in 64 gallons (supposed to be 50/50 to make it a winter blend).

For those of you with outdoor tanks, what do you do?
Surely something must work, or theses are simply snake oils.
 
I bought an el cheapo magnetic block heater for my outdoor tank, hooked it up to a timer so it ran for about 3 hours and shut off for 1-2. Worked for a year til the heater rusted away. You can try double dosing, have you tried the 8 in 1 additive? Ive been using Wurth Anti-gel, my supplier had them for a steal by the case so Ive been adding one with each fill. Any anti gel will work as long as theres enough in the bottle to cover the fuel, most say 250-300 gallons per quart. Redline also makes a potent Anti Gel.
 
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Sounds like your tank has a lot of water. Howe's directions say to double dose it for the first three tanks.

When I drove long haul, Howe's never did let me down while other trucks were shutting down.
 
Dump some kerosene in there. They used to sell and surely still do sell 50/50 mix for outside tanks. Thinning it with kerosene will take care of your furnace issues . Also check your filter. Those are also far better located inside. An old installer once told me that going from a 3/8 to half inch line helped as well.
 
Gelling at 20 is unsat, you have some sort of contamination that's catalyzing this reaction. Water? Try switching oil dealers, maybe to some of that famous CN Brown "Red Shield".

Of course you have to thaw out this tank to burn through it.
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How'd you get through previous winters? This one is comparatively mild.
 
I got through by thawing out the line and the filter housing with hot water.The tank never gells up.For water, I tested it by using a water detecting paste and dipped it. But like I said, I've given up and had them deliver K1. It's just that's it's a bitter pill to swallow going to K1 because it is substantially more expensive and has a lower BTU output and was hoping one of these potions would work.
 
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Originally Posted by Nayov
I got through by thawing out the line and the filter housing with hot water. The tank never gells up


Wouldn't heat tape and insulation work for this? Could you move the filter inside?
 
What Driz said. But you already knew that.

What you are most likely dealing with is Biodiesel. This is mostly destined for use in vehicles, so I have no idea how it got into your heating oil tank. Maybe some left in tanker from previous delivery. Make sure your dye concentration is correct, that actually helps a little to keep the fuel from gelling.

Truck stops may sell a different additive that you could try, but we've always relied on Kero as the most effective.
And heat tapes of course.

Diesel trucks have fuel heaters these days, so it's a known issue.
 
Add some #1 diesel (Kerosene) to your #2 diesel. You can find out the percentage from your fuel supplier - internet, etc.

At one time before moving south lived several years in Wisconsin and my grandmother had an outside fuel tank. This solved her problems and as I remember, the fuel company may have actually added #1 to their fuel upon delivery?
 
From Amazon: Easy Heat AHB 112 or equivalent. Place the thermostat against the filter and wrap the line with aluminized insulation. Any excess line tape against the front of the tank and cover with insulation. Snug as a bug in a rug.
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Is your Fuel Oil company delivering "Bio" Fuel..........if they are, the gelling point for bio fuel is a lot higher than standard home heating oil ( don't quote me but I think bio gels at 30 degrees as opposed to 15 degrees for regular oil.). You can still continue to use HOWES and LUCAS anti gel, but you have to double the dosage. So two bottles per every 320 gallons of fuel.
 
Originally Posted by Nayov

So I've given up, and had them deliver K1 (kerosene) but they could only squeeze in 64 gallons (supposed to be 50/50 to make it a winter blend).
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64 gallons should be enough. Maybe adding Power Service additive will help?

Also - make SURE the fuel filter is inside the house. Filter outside is always a disaster.

A bigger filter (or 2-3 filters in parallel) will give you more surface area
 
Double dose the Howes for the lowest temperature recommendation. Insulate the lines coming off the tank and if your filter is outside by the tank move it inside.

That's pretty warm for regular fuel to gel up at. Water will cause the same problem and it doesn't take much to make enough ice to stop the line up.
 
My 20 yr old outside tank is now an inside tank. I enclosed it in a lean-to made of ply wood and a shingled roof. That and a new oil company solved my gelling at 20' problem. The filter is inside and when the heat tape wore out, I re-routed the 3/8 copper line so that it is entirely in-doors.
 
They are either delivering bio or there is some contamination. Lots of good suggestions so far. But try doubling the treatment. Should never gel in the upper teens.
 
As said you either have a large amount of bio or water. Bio has issues around 40-50 degrees. We keep the bio tank and lines at 70 year round at the terminals.

Do some research on cloud point of diesel or heating oil(if anyone publishes that). Find a supplier that has a lower cloud point. In my area the stations that get diesel from the BP Whiting refinery have a -20 cloud point. We don't even have cold flow additive at our terminals supplied by that refinery.
 
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