storing diesel?

[charlie]

I was thinking about storeing som extra fuel , how long will it keep good it would be plastic drums
  thanks
     charlie

[wal1809]

I you use Stabil you could probably go 18 months or so.

[Chopper Scott]

Stabil is designed for gasoline. I don't think diesel has problems with longer termed storage but it may have it's limits. Someone else may chime in on that. Are you storing it for 10 years or 6 months? Give us the address for where you are storing it and we can give you a better idea of how long it will last!!

[cody]

.

[charlie]

its going to be  in Illinois, store for at least a year

[Chopper Scott]

You will be fine. Probably too far for some of us to come "fill up"!

[charlie]

 was planning on storeing about  400 gals i have ten plastic 55 gallon drums if the price of fuel keeps going up...well  just might do it.

[fe2_o3]

  Check local codes. There may be some legal issues there...Cable

[JohnEd]

This has come up many times.  I remember the stories about the bus that sat for 8 ears and fired right up.  The boat guys have huge tanks and they sit for years and they EXPECT that all will be well in the tank.  The marine folks use D treatment that kills algae among other stuff.  I think you will see a return of 20% over the next year.  I am not rich on my investments now mind you....just opinionated.

[WEC4104]

In general, diesel fuel has a much longer "shelf life" than gasoline. If kept in full sealed containers, with an anti-algae treatment, I can't see any problem with storing it for 2-3 years (maybe more).  Many months ago, there was a comment made on this board that ULSD cannot be stored as long because of the additives.  I don't recall if those comments were substantiated by anyone else, or by an external reference, however.

You might also try running some web searches on the groups that discuss emergency preparedness (and the end of society as we know it).  Extended storage of fuels is a common topic for the "I'm building my own fallout shelter" crowd.

[bryanhes]

I know that we started up an MC7 that was parked in 2005. After several cranks it fired up with a little smoke at first then cleared within a minute. Has started up fine several times over the last few days no smoke even at start up now. I don't know however if there would be an algae issue. But it did start and sounds fine after 5 years.

FWIW,
Bryan

[pvcces]

And a bus that sat for 15 years was scrapped a couple of years ago. Just before we did anything else, I took a valve cover off, moved the rack back and forth a couple of times to free it up. I cranked it only about a second before it started.

I took it around a block a couple of times for a test drive; the engine ran like it had been in service until the day before.

If there is any water in the fuel, a growth is likely.

Algae likes sunlight, so I doubt that it is algae.

[wal1809]

Stabil is designed for gasoline. I don't think diesel has problems with longer termed storage but it may have it's limits. Someone else may chime in on that. Are you storing it for 10 years or 6 months? Give us the address for where you are storing it and we can give you a better idea of how long it will last!!

No it is not!!
http://www.goldeagle.com/brands/stabil/default.aspx

[kyle4501]

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/australia/corporate_australia/STAGING/local_assets/downloads_pdfs/f/Long_Term_Storage_ADF.pdf

However, that article is 5 years old. . .

The bottom line is there are things that happen to the fuel as it sits. Some can be minimized by the type of storage - air tight, dark, constant low temperature, etc.
But, some stuff happens (chemical reactions) & the result is sediments & etc that will clog filters.

The fuel is useable, but at a cost of more filters. So, maybe, it ain't gonna save as much $$ as it first appears. Also, there is the risk of an accident causing you to loose it all. 

The military has long term storage of fuels for many reasons, but lower cost isn't one of 'em. 

[busshawg]

I have a bulk tank and have used diesel a year later with no problems without any additive. Gas is a different story.

Grant