Winter can bring many challenges for your business. If your business has fuel reserves on-site, one of those challenges is storing diesel fuel in cold weather. Though diesel fuel can handle lower temperatures than water, when it gets cold enough, it can cause problems. Here is an overview of what happens to diesel in the cold and what you can do about it.
McIntosh Energy provides Fuel Delivery Services throughout Fort Wayne and surrounding communities in Indiana. We deliver on-road and off road diesel to our customers.
What happens to diesel in the cold?
Diesel fuel naturally contains some paraffin, which is a type of wax. This paraffin solidifies in the cold. At around 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the paraffin will start to crystalize and make the fuel look cloudy. At 10-15 degrees, it will solidify, a process called “gelling,” and clog filters and pipes in your storage tank and in your machines.
How do I keep diesel from gelling?
Bring it inside
The most obvious way to keep your diesel fuel from gelling is to get out out of the cold. Move your storage tank to somewhere heated above 32 degrees, or move your fuel to an indoor storage tank. The problems that come with storing diesel fuel in cold weather disappear when you take the fuel out of the cold.
Use additives
If bringing your fuel out of the cold isn’t an option, additives exist that can help prevent gelling. If you’re buying fuel while it’s cold out, you can purchase fuel with the additives already added. You can also purchase and add the additive yourself to fuel you bought when the weather was warmer.
Other considerations
Cold weather also means there are opportunities for contaminants, especially water, to get into your fuel tank. Whether in the form of snow, ice, or condensation, water can get into your tank, freeze, and wreak havoc. Be sure you’re regularly checking your tanks and decontaminating on a regular schedule.
Need to purchase bulk diesel fuel in the Fort Wayne area? Call McIntosh Energy at 260-426-7676!