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Sep 23, 2009, 11:12 AM
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Fuel additives needed for winter lay-up
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Reprinted from RCR Yachts Racer's News #336, September 23, 2009
http://www.rcryachts.com
Reasons for Fuel Additives for Winter Lay-up
By Tim Booth, President K100 Fuel Technology
Boaters should be using a fuel additive because both E-10 gasoline and ULSD diesel fuels are different than the old fuels and much more sensitive to water contamination and accelerated degradation.
Gasoline: E-10 gasoline will be the national U.S. standard within the next 2 years, and it is already the standard in much of Canada. For the past 2-3 years E-10 has been the only formulation available in certain northeast regions. We have seen that E-10 gasoline has been a real problem for boaters.
The ethanol is the cause of the problem. Ethanol attracts moisture. When it has attracted enough moisture the fuel becomes saturated and goes through a physical change called phase separation. Once the fuel separates you end up with low octane fuel on the top and a small amount of water+ethanol on the bottom. The gas on top has no power. Engines running separated fuel may not start. If they do start they will run roughly. They lack power and acceleration. If the ethanol+water get into the engine it may cause major problems short term-burned valves and pistons, and long term corrosion problems. Once the fuel separates the only real solution is to drain the entire tank- tough to do on most boats because the fuel pickup doesn't go right to the bottom of the tank.
To make matters worse boaters have open tank vents so the E-10 fuel is constantly sucking moisture out of the air. That's why boaters have a bigger problem with phase separation than the average automotive customer.
We feel that boaters need to use a treatment that prevents the moisture from reacting with the ethanol all the time.
A secondary problem with E-10 gasoline is that the fuel deteriorates much faster than the older formulations. Again, that's a bigger problem for boaters as our fuel sits around much longer than it does in our cars. Boaters need to use a fuel treatment year round that includes a stabilizer.
Most manufacturers of fuel treatments recommend a double dosage for over winter storage. We concur. We also agree that tanks should be left full during storage.
Diesel: This year the EPA mandated that all off-road and marine diesel fuel meet the new ultra low sulfur requirements. The manufacturing process leads to reduced lubricity, higher dissolved water content, and reduced shelf life. Algae/microbes live in diesel fuel at the fuel-water interface. So to keep those filter clogging critters out of the fuel boaters need to either eliminate all water all the time-or use an EPA registered poison. Like E-10, diesel fuel also needs a stabilizer. Lubricity improvers should be used to prevent premature equipment failure. In total, diesel powered boats should look for an additive that eliminates moisture, prevents microbe growth, stabilizes the fuel, and adds lubricity.
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