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The fuel filter bowl in my boat had some and the diesel fuel filter in my truck has always had some sediment at the bottom of the filter. Not much, but it was there.
Where does sediment come from in the gas tank?
- Thread starter The motor guy
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Bacteria grow in diesel fuel and home heating oil tanks and the bacteria poop. That is some of it. Maybe not all.
I pulled the gas tank of my 1993 Suburban to change the fuel pump and the inside of the fuel tank was pristine. My hands were the dirtiest part of that scenario.
I pulled the gas tank of my 1993 Suburban to change the fuel pump and the inside of the fuel tank was pristine. My hands were the dirtiest part of that scenario.
Originally Posted by Donald
Bacteria grow in diesel fuel and home heating oil tanks and the bacteria poop. That is some of it. Maybe not all.
I pulled the gas tank of my 1993 Suburban to change the fuel pump and the inside of the fuel tank was pristine. My hands were the dirtiest part of that scenario.
This ^^
Bacteria grow in diesel fuel and home heating oil tanks and the bacteria poop. That is some of it. Maybe not all.
I pulled the gas tank of my 1993 Suburban to change the fuel pump and the inside of the fuel tank was pristine. My hands were the dirtiest part of that scenario.
This ^^
Underground fuel tanks can be an issue as well. The old steel tanks were the worst, surface rust from condensation would settle to the bottom of the tank. Most underground tanks are fiberglass these days.
Even the event of filling the tank can be a problem if the station has a dirty/dusty parking lot, or fill caps that are subject to rain water introduction.
The whole issue can start anywhere along the supply chain, from the cleanliness of barges (if your supply is over water going vessels) to the insides of the pipelines themselves (if you are land supplied). NONE of the above ground storage tanks are fiberglass, so rust can be introduced there as well.
I can personally attest to the fact that Marathon oil has the strictest cleanliness standards that I have ever seen in the industry. This is not JUST because I have worked for them for 28 years either!
At one time, gas pumps had filters right before the fill nozzle on each gas pump. This not only became a maintenance nightmare, it was expensive and added weight to the nozzle. It was decided to do away with that idea and to attack the "problem" earlier along the supply route.
Most people have no idea how the gas/diesel supplies get from the refinery to the end user. It's a delicate and expensive "Dance" that many qualified people are involved in and all have to work together to ensure an uninterrupted supply to the public. Just think of the logistics involved trying to schedule a batch of gasoline or fuel into a tank in Michigan that originates in Texas! And remember, it is not pushed by air or water, but other fuels from Jet to Diesel!
Sorry for the rant. Just happened to hit on a subject that I am passionate about.
Even the event of filling the tank can be a problem if the station has a dirty/dusty parking lot, or fill caps that are subject to rain water introduction.
The whole issue can start anywhere along the supply chain, from the cleanliness of barges (if your supply is over water going vessels) to the insides of the pipelines themselves (if you are land supplied). NONE of the above ground storage tanks are fiberglass, so rust can be introduced there as well.
I can personally attest to the fact that Marathon oil has the strictest cleanliness standards that I have ever seen in the industry. This is not JUST because I have worked for them for 28 years either!
At one time, gas pumps had filters right before the fill nozzle on each gas pump. This not only became a maintenance nightmare, it was expensive and added weight to the nozzle. It was decided to do away with that idea and to attack the "problem" earlier along the supply route.
Most people have no idea how the gas/diesel supplies get from the refinery to the end user. It's a delicate and expensive "Dance" that many qualified people are involved in and all have to work together to ensure an uninterrupted supply to the public. Just think of the logistics involved trying to schedule a batch of gasoline or fuel into a tank in Michigan that originates in Texas! And remember, it is not pushed by air or water, but other fuels from Jet to Diesel!
Sorry for the rant. Just happened to hit on a subject that I am passionate about.
Originally Posted by Donald
I pulled the gas tank of my 1993 Suburban to change the fuel pump and the inside of the fuel tank was pristine. My hands were the dirtiest part of that scenario.
Same experience with me. I had to open the tank on my old BMW a while back (mine has an access panel in the trunk) and I was shocked as to how clean it was inside. I saw no visible sediment nor dirt and there was only a very tiny amount of "stuff" on the pump sock. My conclusion was that fuel is a whole lot cleaner than I imagined it to be.
I pulled the gas tank of my 1993 Suburban to change the fuel pump and the inside of the fuel tank was pristine. My hands were the dirtiest part of that scenario.
Same experience with me. I had to open the tank on my old BMW a while back (mine has an access panel in the trunk) and I was shocked as to how clean it was inside. I saw no visible sediment nor dirt and there was only a very tiny amount of "stuff" on the pump sock. My conclusion was that fuel is a whole lot cleaner than I imagined it to be.
Kestas
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Most of the reports I hear talk about how clean the gas is delivered to your car. Some say you don't really need to change your fuel filter for the life of the car unless you have a contamination event.
I see many models now use non-serviceable filters for the fuel system.
I see many models now use non-serviceable filters for the fuel system.
Not sure about other states, but CA requires double-walled USTs with secondary containment - when the old steel USTs leaked MTBE was found in the water table. The new USTs are FRP fiberglass-epoxy but unlike steel they hold up to EtOH. I think that greatly helps with fuel quality.
I don't see in the in-pump filters get changed too often but once I saw a tech work on a pump at Costco. They use Champ's dispenser filters that will slow flow down if excessive phase separation happens. These are what they use: https://petroclear.com/products/spin-on-filters/green/filter-selection-green.php
I don't see in the in-pump filters get changed too often but once I saw a tech work on a pump at Costco. They use Champ's dispenser filters that will slow flow down if excessive phase separation happens. These are what they use: https://petroclear.com/products/spin-on-filters/green/filter-selection-green.php
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If I remember right the tanker trucks just put the hoses along side the truck, so anything can get in them.
^ Nowadays the fuel truck's dump hoses are kept in metal tubes alongside the main fuel tank, and the tubes have caps on them. This won't prevent road grime from getting in, but it sure helps.
Originally Posted by DGXR
^ Nowadays the fuel truck's dump hoses are kept in metal tubes alongside the main fuel tank, and the tubes have caps on them. This won't prevent road grime from getting in, but it sure helps.
Maybe in California...but not the case in 90% of the rest of the country.
^ Nowadays the fuel truck's dump hoses are kept in metal tubes alongside the main fuel tank, and the tubes have caps on them. This won't prevent road grime from getting in, but it sure helps.
Maybe in California...but not the case in 90% of the rest of the country.
Worked in oil delivery terminals since 1973. The tubes on the trailers were present then just as they are now, and I'm not just talking California. Pennsylvania, Ohio, WV, MD they were all the same. We are talking trailers though, maybe the small trucks would vary a bit, but stations are not normally delivered by trucks smaller than 8000 gallon tankers.
I thought the fuel pumps at gas stations also had a fuel filter as well. When ExxonMobil introduced their Synergy fuel they had a whole page on their website dedicated to the fuels ingredients and how they distribute the fuel to branded retailers. They mentioned the importance of fuel purity and that the gas pumps have filtration before the gas is pumped into your vehicles tank.
Originally Posted by JohnG
Worked in oil delivery terminals since 1973. The tubes on the trailers were present then just as they are now, and I'm not just talking California. Pennsylvania, Ohio, WV, MD they were all the same. We are talking trailers though, maybe the small trucks would vary a bit, but stations are not normally delivered by trucks smaller than 8000 gallon tankers.
Not sure what you mean by smaller than 8000 tankers. A typical 18-wheeler fuel tanker trailer has between 9000 and 9600 gallon capacity. 10-wheeler straight trucks are closer to 5000 gallon capacity. Those trucks occasionally do gravity drops with the 4in diameter hose, but mostly use an on-board pump with a hose on a reel.
Dedicated oil delivery tankers would obviously need to cap their hoses and even isolate them from the environment...hence why most of them would have tubes on the sides. Whenever fuel tanker drivers make a diesel delivery, we just cap the hose that was used due to the residue diesel leaves behind in the hose. Road grime, etc obviously would stick to the "wet" residue like you would expect. If the delivery was gasoline, it simply gets tossed onto the hose tray.
Every fuel tanker trailer I've ever seen has open trays we sit the hoses in that are strapped down via a common bungie strap. Gasoline residue is often evaporated before I even get the paperwork signed and pull out of the store lot. Of the hundreds and/or thousands of fuel tankers I am around every day...I've NEVER seen one with tubes to store hoses in. Dedicated tankers for AVGas, jet fuel, kerosene, oil and other specific petroleum products often DO use trailers with those tubes. Not gasoline/diesel tankers.
Worked in oil delivery terminals since 1973. The tubes on the trailers were present then just as they are now, and I'm not just talking California. Pennsylvania, Ohio, WV, MD they were all the same. We are talking trailers though, maybe the small trucks would vary a bit, but stations are not normally delivered by trucks smaller than 8000 gallon tankers.
Not sure what you mean by smaller than 8000 tankers. A typical 18-wheeler fuel tanker trailer has between 9000 and 9600 gallon capacity. 10-wheeler straight trucks are closer to 5000 gallon capacity. Those trucks occasionally do gravity drops with the 4in diameter hose, but mostly use an on-board pump with a hose on a reel.
Dedicated oil delivery tankers would obviously need to cap their hoses and even isolate them from the environment...hence why most of them would have tubes on the sides. Whenever fuel tanker drivers make a diesel delivery, we just cap the hose that was used due to the residue diesel leaves behind in the hose. Road grime, etc obviously would stick to the "wet" residue like you would expect. If the delivery was gasoline, it simply gets tossed onto the hose tray.
Every fuel tanker trailer I've ever seen has open trays we sit the hoses in that are strapped down via a common bungie strap. Gasoline residue is often evaporated before I even get the paperwork signed and pull out of the store lot. Of the hundreds and/or thousands of fuel tankers I am around every day...I've NEVER seen one with tubes to store hoses in. Dedicated tankers for AVGas, jet fuel, kerosene, oil and other specific petroleum products often DO use trailers with those tubes. Not gasoline/diesel tankers.
Originally Posted by buddylpal
I thought the fuel pumps at gas stations also had a fuel filter as well. When ExxonMobil introduced their Synergy fuel they had a whole page on their website dedicated to the fuels ingredients and how they distribute the fuel to branded retailers. They mentioned the importance of fuel purity and that the gas pumps have filtration before the gas is pumped into your vehicles tank.
Most retail pumps DO have filters that are changed routinely. Some don't. Most large chain retailers use pumps with filters.
I thought the fuel pumps at gas stations also had a fuel filter as well. When ExxonMobil introduced their Synergy fuel they had a whole page on their website dedicated to the fuels ingredients and how they distribute the fuel to branded retailers. They mentioned the importance of fuel purity and that the gas pumps have filtration before the gas is pumped into your vehicles tank.
Most retail pumps DO have filters that are changed routinely. Some don't. Most large chain retailers use pumps with filters.
They do at the Shell I visit, I've seen them change them out, just a spin on and look similar to an oil filter.
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