Quote:
Originally Posted by allan5oh
The problem with alcohol is you HAVE to add it while you're fueling up or it's completely useless.
Water is heavier then diesel, alcohol is lighter then diesel. Putting alcohol in your tanks while your freezing up in the middle of nowhere does NOTHING.
One cool idea I just heard of is having two 500W block heaters on cords. Drop those in the fuel tanks near the pickup tube.
GMAN... was the fuel actually getting thick or was there a blockage somewhere in the fuel system?
It was getting thick and not wanting to run. I put it in while I was fueling. It stopped in fairly quickly. I also did that once in New York State. It was in the mountains and the temperature was so cold it would freeze most anything. It was the only thing I had to stop it from geling. I didn't know if it would work or not. I poured it in and kept on driving. I suppose it mixed as I drove. It stopped it after several miles, as I recall. I could not afford to get stranded, miles from any help, in that kind of weather. The most ideal thing is to have heaters for the tanks. Most of the time, you don't have to worry about geling if you buy fuel in the colder regions. It is the moisture that seems to cause the problem. I haven't had a problem with geling fuel in several years. If you run in the colder climates during winter, it is probably a good idea to put something in with the fuel every now and then to disperse the water. The way a guy explained it to me, the chemicals don't evaporate the water or moisture. It breaks it down into very small drops so it can pass through the fuel filter and burn up with the fuel.
As far as the air lines are concerned. If your air lines freeze on the trailer in winter, you can pour some alcohol in the glad hands and pump the brakes and use everything that has air until it frees. It is a good idea afterward to evacuate the system to get the alcohol and moisture out of the system. As yoopr stated, you need to evacuate the air lines frequently, especially during winter months.