#2 diesel

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Jan 9, 2014 | 03:59 PM

#16

white Buffalo

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Joined: Sep 2006

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From: Sioux Falls, SD

Quote:

Originally Posted by socks262

Diesel #1 is the "regular" fuel. There's a whole sliding scale up here involving time of year and temperature that decides if/when you get a #1/#2 blend or straight #2. It's been -20 in the last month.

Thanks, Tom. I know the refineries here make the #2 as well, but I didn't know kerosene was in there. I suppose that makes sense. When it comes to which fuel you get, there's no choices. With that in mind, I'm trusting a refinery not to put something more corrosive into my truck. #2 is also about 60 cents more a gallon.

I think you have it backwards socks262. Diesel #2 is what you get during the spring & summer months. Don't want to hear about you stranded in Montana at -20F!!

During the winter months you'll see:

Diesel#2 treated with an anti-gel,
Diesel #1 (kerosene) or
a mix/blend of the two.

When you get below -10F it's best to fill up with #1 if the truck will be parked outside. When you use an additive be sure to add it in before the fuel hits it's cloud point - For #1 diesel the winter cloud point will typically be around -30°F to -40F. # 2 diesel fuel, the winter cloud point will typically be +15°F to +20F.

You will see a drop in MPG when you run #1 for two reasons. #1 has a lower BTU rating and we tend to let the truck idle/warm up much longer during the winter.

Jan 9, 2014 | 04:06 PM

#17

white Buffalo

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Joined: Sep 2006

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From: Sioux Falls, SD

Here are a few pics so you can get an idea what happens to diesel fuel in the winter:

#2 Diesel when the temps dropped to -27, the paraffin wax crystals become large enough to drop out of the fuel and clog/gel your fuel.

in the center of this pic is #1 diesel at -5F, not even cloudy.

A 50/50 mix of #1 and #@ without any additive still showed som wax drop out at the bottom of the jar.......

Jan 9, 2014 | 04:13 PM

#18

white Buffalo

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From: Sioux Falls, SD

The good thing is...........if you can get your truck in a garage for a few hours the wax will eventually reabsorb into the fuel. You can still see some wax in the untreated sample on the right. The others were treated with various anti-gelling additives and seemed to recover quicker than the untreated sample.

Jan 9, 2014 | 04:34 PM

#19

Pikachu

Lead Driver

Joined: Jun 2004

Posts: 6,321

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From: Amarillo, TEXAS!

I was reading on a fuel company's website that the ULSD takes longer to return to normal than the old diesel did. It also said that ULSD will drop the paraffin at a higher temperature if it sits for a couple days and gets cold soaked, and if that happens the fuel needs to be warmed to a temperature quite a bit higher than the cloud point to return to normal, sometimes as high as 50F!

So the moral to the story as I see it is to treat your fuel when it's cold.

Jan 9, 2014 | 05:32 PM

#20

SARDiverDan

Cargo Master

Joined: Oct 2011

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From: SoCal/Wyoming

#2 is the only option we have all year long. 71 degrees today so #1 is non-existent here

. While I do add silver DK when I fill up, I do use white DK in the winter months in case I drive up to Big Bear or Tahoe.

Jan 9, 2014 | 06:36 PM

#21

jhand124

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Joined: Oct 2007

Posts: 2,225

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From: Farmington, Minnesota

Humm, I never run #1, always winter blend #2 (pump says good to -30°F) usually from the same station. Rarely do I put additional additive in (MN adds 2% soy for lubricity), I have never had a problem and it was -25° here on Monday. Maybe I'm just getting lucky.