I installed an electric diesel pump, water separator, filter, hose and nozzle on my heating oil tank to run my farm backhoe. I get that in the winter, I need to treat the fuel in the hoe for gelling. I also plan to start treating the fuel in the hoe tank for algae. But what about the fuel in the filters, separator and hose? Do I need to treat the entire 260 gallons in the tank, or once a month, make sure I cycle flow through the hose? Thanks.
I maybe use 30 gals every two months.
I hope you are not using heating oil to run your 310L backhoe ??
Heating oil around here is just red diesel like all the rest
Where are you located? Environment has a great deal to do with bacteria/fungi in fuel. The critters live at the water/fuel interface, so make sure you drain the very bottom of the tank to remove all water. It depends on the species involved, but warmer temperatures invite more growth. Make certain your suction pipe for the engine fuel is higher than your furnace suction. This will minimize the opportunity for water contamination, but not eliminate it. While the cheapest fuel supplier may be adequate for heating fuel, you need to buy your fuel oil from someone who also supplies fuel to off road fleets. High pressure common rail fuel systems are orders of magnitude more fussy about fuel quality than heating units, and the cost of repairs is also orders of magnitude higher for today's engines. You may ignore this statement if you are running a 2 cycle Detroit.
And IN-LINE PUMPS can tolerate the garbage WAY BETTER than rotary pumps.. In case you don’t know the difference.. look at the injection pump itself, if the hi pressure lines going to the injectors, come off the pump in a STRAIGHT LINE, it’s an IN-LINE PUMP.. If the lines come off the pump IN A CIRCLE .. it’s a ROTARY PUMP.
Just dump some fuel fungicide in your tank
I use Pri-D and Biobor-JF to treat my 300 gallon red diesel tank. I use about 100 gallons a year in my ranch equipment and haven't had any problems.
FT4 engine with an HPCR pump.
My oil company also sells off road diesel, and they indicate that they are supplying low sulfur oil by state law, and include a minimal amount of bio. I have a diesel filter, and a water separator after the pump. They told me that many of their customers use the heating product for farm equipment, and have for years without mishap. I have not yet drained off the tank from the backhoe as I have to figure out how to remove the plug without having an issue getting it back in. Was thinking of adding a small ball valve to that connection to make the process easier. I use up every bit of heating oil in one season, so it's not going to sit more than that. With the hoe drinking the same supply, it should be faster. Considering the cost of an engine rebuild, it might be cheaper just to treat the entire 300 gallons once a year to be safe. Saving $15 or $30, and having to rebuild an engine makes no sense at all.