• What is a Winter Diesel treatment/additive?
• Why use a winter diesel treatment?
• When should you start treating your fuel?
• What causes diesel to gel?
These are some of the questions we will answer in this article.
Winter is officially here. Most places in the Pacific Northwest have seen their first snowfall, and temperatures have and will continue to be below freezing. That means now is the time to start treating your diesel with a winter fuel treatment. Most fuel retailers in the PNW start treating their fuel around the second week in October, however there is no exact day set, and it is hard to know if/when the station has treated. Therefore, it is very important that if you are unsure, you treat the fuel in your equipment yourself. A good rule of thumb is to treat any untreated fuel anytime the temperature is going to be under freezing for longer than a few hours. This is especially important in equipment that does not get used often and may have been sitting for an extended period. For example, a tractor that’s used periodically, but may have been sitting for a few days or weeks, that you will want to use for snow removal once the snow starts accumulating. There is a good chance that the last time you used the tractor it had non-winter treated fuel and depending on the temperature could gel or freeze. Now let’s back up and go over what exactly winter fuel treatment is, and why it’s important.
It has a few different names, Winter Fuel Treatment, Winter Diesel Treatment, Winter Additive, and endless variations. The bottom line is a winter fuel treatment is a treatment or additive added to diesel fuel with the main goal of lowering the Cold Filter Plug Point (CFPP) of the fuel as well as the overall Pour Point of the fuel. Basically, the CFPP is when the fuel can still pass through a 45-micron screen and the Pour Point is when the paraffin in the fuel forms wax crystals and prevents the fuel from flowing. Not all treatments (or additives) preform the same or have the same characteristics but in most cases, they are all trying to improve the fuels’ ability to perform in both categories. Improving these two characteristics in the fuel is important for a couple reasons. If the fuel gets to a point where it cannot flow through a filter or at all may mean you can’t start a vehicle, can’t fill an empty vehicle, where a vehicle may stop running. The list goes on, but what is most important is that without treated winter fuel you may not be able to travel, or run important engines like generators, farm equipment, or your vehicle.
How do you pick a winter treatment for your vehicle? First you want to make sure that the product is a “anti-gel” diesel fuel additive. You want to make sure that the product will improve the CFPP abilities, as well as lower the temperature of the fuels’ Pour Point. Some other key things to look at it the products alcohol content, and lubricity factors. Some products get a lower pour point by using alcohol. The problem with using alcohol in a treatment is the damage alcohol can cause in rubber components like hoses and seals. Over a period of time the alcohol in some products can eat away at the rubber components and cause leaks, and clogging issues. It is also very important to make sure that the treatment is for gasoline or diesel. If it is an “anti-gel” winter treatment it is for diesel only, and in most cases a “stabilizer” product is for gasoline only. However, these terms are not always exclusive, so it is important to always double check.
If I use a winter additive can my fuel still freeze? The short answer to this is yes. In most cases the additive or treatment you are adding in the winter is addressing the CFPP and Pour Point as addressed above, which is addressing the components of the fuel itself only. In most cases a winter treatment is not addressing is water. If you are not addressing water in the fuel with a year-round/summer additive, there is a chance that when temperatures drop below freezing you may have freezing issues either in your bulk fuel, filters, or vehicle/equipment tanks. Therefore, it is critically important that you are treating your fuel with a year-round treatment that is keeping water out of your fuel. If, however, you have not been on a routine fuel maintenance additive program and water in the fuel or filter does freeze you will need another type of product called a “deicer” some common brand names are Diesel Rescue, Diesel 911, etc. These products can dethaw gelled fuel, deice frozen filters, and get the fuel usable again and get you out of a potentially stranded situation. Gasoline fuel does not gel, but if there is water present you can have the same issues of the water in the fuel system or filters freezing so it is important to treat for water with a water removing or stabilizing product in your gas vehicles as well.
In summary, it is important to have a year-round fuel maintenance program to make sure your fuel is water free and in good condition before winter. It is best to start treating your fuel with a winter treatment when temperatures get near freezing but before they drop below. It is smart to have, and take your own, treatment with you when traveling in case a fuel retailer has not treated the fuel you are buying. And it is good to have a Deicer product in case of a gelling or icing problem. As we discussed not all products work the same, are able to be used in different types of fuel, or are best for your application. If you have any questions about what is right for you, or to find information on the product we recommend please contact our sales and technical reps at 509-545-1388 or visit us at Pelicanfueling.com