MaxFusion Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 my generator has been sitting with fuel in it for about 5 or 6 years.I had to start it this weekend and it didn't want to run so I figured the fuel must be a little weak. I added about a cup of fresh petrol to the tank and drained the bowl under the carb and it started first pull... All diesel has bugs in apparently GS. this is why you wouldn't want to leave tank full of diesel fuel for too long. It's bacteria that can either turn your diesel fuel to jelly or leave the bottom of the tank(or fuel lines I'd guess) full of filter clogging crap. best advice DaveH is to run the genny periodically anyway, you don't want to find yourself needing it and it not starting....[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 the lawn mower came out the shed this year for the first time and started after a couple of pulls, i topped it up with fuel that had been in the shed since last summer and it ran fine, I think some folk are being over cautious. With diesel you need to watch out for the bug but you can buy an additive to add to your tank that takes care of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveh Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Thanks. Our generator runs on petrol, not diesel, so hopefully that makes it a bit better for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crofter Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 the lawn mower came out the shed this year for the first time and started after a couple of pulls, Do you stop the mower by turning off the fuel and letting it "run-out of petrol" before you store it for the winter, or just by switching it off? Problem I find with small petrol engines that have been sitting a while is the carb gets gummed up. But I believe there is an additive to prevent this too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 petrol was still turned on crofter But 2 or 3 pulls and away she went, I was a bit surprised aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Diesel absorbs moisture. That is why it should not be left for too long, it corrodes tanks etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crofter-amy Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 I wouldn't worry too much about fuel left standing so much, but would absolutly advice running the engine with a load on at least bi-monthly for a good few hours. This will help keep your fuel fresh as you're using some regularly and it will let you know that the generator is capable of running your home, not just able to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxFusion Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Diesel absorbs moisture. That is why it should not be left for too long, it corrodes tanks etc. no! as has been said already, diesel has bugs in. Thats why it can't be stored too long...Google Diesel bug. Petrol does loose volatiles which makes it less combustible over time. However that problem is easy solved, just add a splash of fresh fuel and carry on as normal. Any engine that's stored for a few months or whatever should be run periodically to keep everything running fine and oils where they should be, it's not just about the fuel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daegerty Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Petrol absorbs moisture too if it has ethanol added. though I did run my generator on E85 a few times while the stuff was still sold in Ireland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Diesel fuel can easily become contaminated by water because diesel fuel absorbs water more than gasoline does. For this reason, many diesel vehicles feature a gadget called a water separator that collects water from the fuel. It’s usually located on or near the fuel filter. If your vehicle doesn’t have one, you can have one installed. The part shouldn’t be terribly expensive, and it can save you a bunch of money on repairs. Read more: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/draining-a-diesel-engines-water-separators.html#ixzz1NOivfz5Q So, what are the qualities of the Bug remover? Extreme Green Diesel Bug Killer is a revolutionary concentrated Diesel Bug Killer that removes water from fuel, resulting in reduced maintenance costs. Therefore?? But really, never had that problem, ever. As we used to run our generators often. Another thing you can do is reduce the time fuel is exposed to the air. Keeping tanks full may be one idea. No one has ever, in the workshops we use mentioned this bacteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGHR Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 Diesel fuel can easily become contaminated by water because diesel fuel absorbs water more than gasoline does. For this reason, many diesel vehicles feature a gadget called a water separator that collects water from the fuel. It’s usually located on or near the fuel filter. If your vehicle doesn’t have one, you can have one installed. The part shouldn’t be terribly expensive, and it can save you a bunch of money on repairs. Read more: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/draining-a-diesel-engines-water-separators.html#ixzz1NOivfz5Q Still wrong i'm afraid. Diesel does not 'absorb' water. If it did you would end up with a single solution which you may or may not be able to separate into its component parts again. If you get water contamination in diesel or petrol two discrete substances remain, which are easily separated in a gravity separator. Water will separate more readily from petrol than it will from diesel because of the greater density differential. While I'm here Oh I know all about tracing cable faults I would be interested to read it, if you care to share your expertise on this subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 For what purpose? I have quite a bit of experience with tracing cable faults, mainly from tracing cable faults. I don't use the HV van anymore as I no longer work within subtransmission with the REC, but mainly private networks. Perhaps absorb is the wrong word used, but a sponge absorbs water, squeezed, and it releases it. Water can be absorbed, hence emulsification, similar to the process used on the highways with surface dressing when tar is mixed with water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxFusion Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 Emulsification is when it's mixed with water (you generally need an emulsifier to do this with oils)and you have to use a reagent to split the water from the oils, otherwise it will be suspended in the oil. I think that's what you meant? Diesel has bacteria in it anyway and when stored for long periods this bacteria leaves a sediment in the tank(at best) or turns the whole tank to jelly (at worst) which blocks injectors, filters etc and can be expensive to fix if undetected. I'm sure there's a few boat owners on here that'll put you right SP. btw, we haven't used "TAR" on roads in a very long time, that black stuff used today is called bitumen. and to emulsify it with water acid and soap is added to help mix the water with the oil. anyhoo we're all digressing from the topic at hand methinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilldellin Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 No power Scatness since before 11.00 today, Hydro boys haein a poor day ! :-http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/beenister/powerdownscatness.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George. Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 Only a quick half hour power cut today while cooking lunch. I hear that the lecky board give out free sandwich suggestions as they're sausage all use at anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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