No power & found algae in primary filter

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Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #25 – August 24, 2015, 01:08:27 pm

I spent last evening and this morning looking for Biobor JF and no one around here carries it. The closest Academy outlet is in OK.
It is considered hazardous and so cannot be mailed/shipped up here.
Three alternatives I can get around here are: Napa's Sta-Bil Biocide treatment, Killum Biocide treatment, and Power Service Bio Kleen Diesel Fuel Biocide.

Any opinions? Or advice?

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #26 – August 24, 2015, 01:31:18 pm

Back in a previous life we used Power Service Bio Kleen Diesel Fuel Biocide. That is what the purchasing agent bought for the company and it always worked for us. We had to treat above ground fuel tanks on emergency equipment with it as preventative maint.

Pamela & Mike

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #27 – August 24, 2015, 04:54:06 pm

Quote from: nitehawk – August 24, 2015, 01:08:27 pm

I spent last evening and this morning looking for Biobor JF and no one around here carries it.

I bought mine from Amazon (Prime - free shipping). It was $23.28 for a 16 oz. bottle with a clever built-in pour reservoir (Note: be sure to remove the seal under the cap for the reservoir, prior to squeezing the bottle to load the reservoir). :-[
I placed the order Sunday night, and it arrived on Wednesday.

The table on the bottle label has three columns:
The first is the number of ounces of Biobor JF to add;
1 oz.
2.5 oz.
16 oz.
The second is the number of gallons for a "shock" dose (270 ppm)
40 gallons
100 gallons
640 gallons
The third is the number of gallons for a "maintenance" dose (135 ppm)
80 gallons
200 gallons
640 gallons

They also give the formula for "Precise Dosage by Weight (ppm)." Given that Diesel #2 is 7.08 lbs./gal.:
270 ppm = amount of fuel in pounds * 0.004,
135 ppm = amount of fuel in pounds * 0.002.

Biobar JF at Amazon - $23.39 - Free Shipping

Note: It has risen in price $0.11 since I ordered it on 8/16/2015.

Hope this helps,

Trent

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Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #28 – August 25, 2015, 05:59:01 pm

Well, stopped at the Cummins store here in town and talked to the service manager. Told him my problem. He recommended draining the tank, putting in about 50 gallons and a biocide and take a trip while taking along a bunch of primary and secondary filters. He also said not to add a biocide considering that I had put Seafoam in the tank. One additive at a time! Cummins has their own biocide (at $150/qt) but he didn't recommend we try it just yet.
Got home, unscrewed the tank drain plug, let the fuel run into a 5 gallon pail and had the DW turn on/off the Harbor Freight pump based on whether the pail was getting full or close to empty. The pump pumped the fuel into my "redneck" filter and from there into the 55 gallon barrel. Worked great! The fuel was rather dark & cloudy looking in the barrel and lots of black "pepper" particles in my filter. The piece of window screen I put over the discharge pipe on the redneck filter had a bunch of pieces that looked like green jelly. The fuel as it came out of the tank near the end was more of a gold/brown hue.
Turns out we only had about 1/3 of a 55 gallon drum or 18 gallons in our tank. I did level the coach--based on a torpedo level on the kitchen counter after the high volume flow quit so we got everything in the big tank area and also the lower settling area where the drain plug is. That last half pail was really black. I figure the pump ground up a lot of the "big" algae chunks.
Now to get rid of the old fuel.
Then change filters and put in 50 gallons & biocide.
Forgot to mention: Before draining the tank I compared some of the old fuel to new fuel I had in a can I used to preload the filters and the new fuel was nice and clear and the old fuel from a few days ago was opaque and dark/cloudy looking.

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #29 – August 25, 2015, 06:01:32 pm

Sounds like a plan - I would use any of the biocides listed above. Power Service would be my first choice. They are a first rate company in my experience.

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #30 – August 25, 2015, 09:36:32 pm

Thanks Matt. Gonna go that route if cleanout run ends satisfactorily. If not, then irregardless of how bad the shoulder is I will find a way to either drop the tank or have it done.

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #31 – August 25, 2015, 09:58:03 pm

Lube Master is an addition source for a HUM additive. A Qt. (not cheap,) will treat 1000 Gals.

The Biobar product is local to this area and easy to find using their site.

Better to have and need it.. than the option.

FWIW, the better truck stops have been treating diesel fuel for years.
They know they have contamination problems with low sulfur fuel. pc

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #32 – August 26, 2015, 11:01:13 am

See diesel additives and read reviews at Amazon: Amazon.com: diesel fuel additives: Automotive

Bio-diesel is mixed in with regular diesel in some places. It absorbs a bit of water and is more prone to contamination, algae growth and will go out of spec faster than petroleum diesel. It does lower pollution so will be found in increasing concentrations as time goes by. Good idea to use an additive on a regular basis as our fuel quality here is not controlled as well as in other lands.

Pierce

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Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #33 – August 27, 2015, 07:35:16 pm

How often should biocide be added to fuel?

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #34 – August 27, 2015, 07:50:55 pm

Quote from: Green99 – August 27, 2015, 07:35:16 pm

How often should biocide be added to fuel?

When storing fuel over 2 months in the summer or 3 months in the winter, OR when you find evidence of algae.

Keeping the tank full when storing goes a long way to reducing the chance of algae growth, as it substantially minimizes condensation in the tank.

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #35 – August 27, 2015, 08:01:56 pm

Nothing wrong with using it all the time or perhaps every other tank. If you have encountered algae in checking a filter, use it all the time for several tankfuls. Use all the time in winter at high altitudes. Makers advertise that it raises the cetane rating. This means the diesel will explode at a lower temperature when cranking in cold weather giving faster starts. The cetane rating is just the opposite of octane rating in gasoline. Quicker combustion will also give a little better fuel mileage so partially cut the cost of the additive.

Here is an ad with a quick explanation of a typical diesel additive's advantages over the straight fuel you buy at the fuel island: Fuel Treatments | Lubrication Engineers

Pierce

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #36 – August 27, 2015, 08:02:45 pm

Nope. Didn't work. We make a point of filling up the tank while on the way to storage. Apparently the algae formed because we had "summer" fuel in the tank over the winter while the coach was stored in an unheated steel polebarn. Then when we got it home the coach sat in the sun for quite awhile.
I sure do intend to use biocide just like Brett says. Nothing worse than driving our coach and hearing & feeling the engine seem sick!!

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #37 – August 27, 2015, 08:07:30 pm

Quote from: wolfe10 – August 27, 2015, 07:50:55 pm

When storing fuel over 2 months in the summer or 3 months in the winter, OR when you find evidence of algae.

Keeping the tank full when storing goes a long way to reducing the chance of algae growth, as it substantially minimizes condensation in the tank.

Good advice, we had the Airstream/Diesel for twenty-five years and had no algae problems, but as Brett says, we kept the tank full and put high miles on as often as we could. On the other hand, I changed the filters every 3K, which prolly helped. We're from the Pacific Northwest and the fishing boats, etc. that sit on the hook for extended times get the algae real bad.

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #38 – August 28, 2015, 01:09:14 am

Quote from: nitehawk – August 27, 2015, 08:02:45 pm

Apparently the algae formed because we had "summer" fuel in the tank over the winter while the coach was stored in an unheated steel polebarn. Then when we got it home the coach sat in the sun for quite awhile.

Whoever told you this was wrong. summer/winter fuel makes no difference as to any biological growth. more than likely you got a load of bad fuel that had water and algae already growing in it.

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #39 – August 28, 2015, 08:11:14 am

Yup, need some water plus diesel to get algae-- it lives at the interface.

Water can come from a contaminated fuel station OR from condensation. Filling the tank when storing minimizes condensation. If you have a 100 gallon fuel tank and it is half full, the other half is AIR. Air at whatever temperature and humidity when that 50 gallons of diesel was consumed. As temperatures cool, when the air reaches its dew point, it CONDENSES. Then each day, as it warms up, air escapes the tank and each night, it is sucked back in. More air with moisture. Repeat 30 times a month.

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #40 – August 28, 2015, 12:08:08 pm

It's a crap shoot every time you take on fuel. I don't care if it's a high-volume station on the interstate or a Mom & Pop. If you are putting the miles on, your day in the barrel will come!

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #41 – August 28, 2015, 12:54:31 pm

I almost always fill at Love's or Pilot Flying J truck stops (using either the Prevost discount program or the Good Sam discount program) which means that the fuel will likely be fresh due to the high volume pumped, and I regularly use BioborJF. The "insurance" provided by using BioborJF makes it well worth the relatively small cost.

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #42 – August 28, 2015, 01:25:50 pm

Quote from: D.J. Osborn – August 28, 2015, 12:54:31 pm

I regularly use BioborJF. The "insurance" provided by using BioborJF makes it well worth the relatively small cost.

That stuff is spendy! Do you use it at every fill-up?

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #43 – August 28, 2015, 01:53:41 pm

Quote from: mike leary – August 28, 2015, 01:25:50 pm

That stuff is spendy! Do you use it at every fill-up?

Amazon has BioborJF for $37.99 with free shipping for 32 ounces and the bottle says it treats 2560 gallons. My calculator says that's about 1.5 cents per gallon. I don't consider that to be too "spendy."

I don't use it if I'm on a trip and expect to be going through fuel rather quickly. However, I do use it if I think the fuel will sit in the tank for any significant period of time.

Re: No power & found algae in primary filter

Reply #44 – August 28, 2015, 02:04:47 pm

Quote from: D.J. Osborn – August 28, 2015, 01:53:41 pm

I do use it if I think the fuel will sit in the tank for any significant period of time.

Thanks, it is cheap now that I know the amount to add!

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