Use diesel fuel additives now or wait.

Jeremygavin

Well-Known Member
Mar 6, 2012
2,053
Cape Cod, MA
Boat Info
2011 520 Sedan Bridge
2016 Sea Ray 19 SPX OB
2019 Walker Bay Generation 340
Engines
Cummins QSM11s
Mercury 150 Fourstroke
Honda 40hp
I just closed on a 520db and will be running it back from NY to MA tomorrow in a narrow weather window. I have all the products with me to treat the diesel fuel according to Frank’s regimen. I will have a 6.5hr run tomorrow then another 2.5hr run next weekend to get the boat to where it will be stored for the winter and then it will be coming out of the water the last week of Oct. I was thinking it would be good to get the additives into the fuel for the long trip tomorrow and give them a chance to be run through the mains and the genny but my concern is if there is a some issues in the fuel, will treating the fuel increased my chances of a fuel related issue on the ride home? There are dual Racors on each main and I have 4 extra replacement filters at 30microns for the Racors and 2 replacement filters for on the engine mounted filter with me. The boat was used this summer a decent amount and ran good on the sea trial last week but I don’t want to create a possible issue by adding the additives.
 
It will do nothing but help. Go ahead and add the additives and make sure to check your racors when you stop.
 
Treat every ounce of fuel you run thru the engines. Sometimes establishing the starting point can be confusing. Here is what I would do:

1. Check the Racors to see what if any sludge and moisture has been trapped by the filters. If there is anything visible in the filters, I would change the elements and drain the bowls. If you have ot service the filters, then don't leave on a 9 hour journey without some spare filters on the boat.

2.Treat the fuel in the boat right now as if the tanks were empty...biocide, Diesel Kleen, Lubricity additive.

3. Additionally, add enough Diesel 9-1-1 to treat the capacity of the tanks. 9-1-1 does 2 things......a)breaks up any sludge that is in the tanks so it will pass thru your filters, and b) it absorbs any moisture from condensation that may be in the tanks.

4. Re-treat the fuel tanks when you are ready to store the boat as though they were empty. Use the same additives mentioned above with the same including diesel 9-1-1. Next, top off the tanks so you are storing the boat with minimum air space above the fuel in order to reduce any potential for condensation in the tanks.

5. Next season, run the boat normally and when you add fuel, just use a biocide, the Lubricity additive and Diesel Kleen. No need for 9-1-1 after your winter layup.

6. One of the reasons I like this combination of additives is that they work well together and you cannot over treat the fuel with any of them.

7. Chances are there is very little sludge in your tanks. the Biocide will kill and microbial growth and the Diesel 9-1-1 with break up any clumps that become dislodged in to particles small enough to pass thru a 2 micron filter. If your tanks have a load of crap in them, treating the fuel is only going to help the situation. if you don't treat the fuel, the growth and sludge growing to the tank walls and baffles is going to break up on a 6.5 hour ride in open water. So treating the fuel now as described, may keep you from getting stuck with clogged filters since 9-1-1 helps break up the microbial growth and sludge in to particles small enough to pass thru the filter system without hurting the engine's pump and injectors. The worse thing that will happen is the filters clog up and you change them.

Don't treat the fuel and the worse thing that happens is you clog up and change a lot of filters on the way home......The cost of fuel additieves are a minor inconvenience, but having to change Racors and secondaries while bouncing around in a tight, hot engine room in a beam sea really sucks and is far from my favorite job on a boat.

Have a good trip and enjoy the new boat!
 
Treat every ounce of fuel you run thru the engines. Sometimes establishing the starting point can be confusing. Here is what I would do:

1. Check the Racors to see what if any sludge and moisture has been trapped by the filters. If there is anything visible in the filters, I would change the elements and drain the bowls. If you have ot service the filters, then don't leave on a 9 hour journey without some spare filters on the boat.

2.Treat the fuel in the boat right now as if the tanks were empty...biocide, Diesel Kleen, Lubricity additive.

3. Additionally, add enough Diesel 9-1-1 to treat the capacity of the tanks. 9-1-1 does 2 things......a)breaks up any sludge that is in the tanks so it will pass thru your filters, and b) it absorbs any moisture from condensation that may be in the tanks.

4. Re-treat the fuel tanks when you are ready to store the boat as though they were empty. Use the same additives mentioned above with the same including diesel 9-1-1. Next, top off the tanks so you are storing the boat with minimum air space above the fuel in order to reduce any potential for condensation in the tanks.

5. Next season, run the boat normally and when you add fuel, just use a biocide, the Lubricity additive and Diesel Kleen. No need for 9-1-1 after your winter layup.

6. One of the reasons I like this combination of additives is that they work well together and you cannot over treat the fuel with any of them.

7. Chances are there is very little sludge in your tanks. the Biocide will kill and microbial growth and the Diesel 9-1-1 with break up any clumps that become dislodged in to particles small enough to pass thru a 2 micron filter. If your tanks have a load of crap in them, treating the fuel is only going to help the situation. if you don't treat the fuel, the growth and sludge growing to the tank walls and baffles is going to break up on a 6.5 hour ride in open water. So treating the fuel now as described, may keep you from getting stuck with clogged filters since 9-1-1 helps break up the microbial growth and sludge in to particles small enough to pass thru the filter system without hurting the engine's pump and injectors. The worse thing that will happen is the filters clog up and you change them.

Don't treat the fuel and the worse thing that happens is you clog up and change a lot of filters on the way home......The cost of fuel additieves are a minor inconvenience, but having to change Racors and secondaries while bouncing around in a tight, hot engine room in a beam sea really sucks and is far from my favorite job on a boat.

Have a good trip and enjoy the new boat!


Thank you for the in depth answer. I really appreciate it. I will treat the fuel per your instructions.
 
Treat every ounce of fuel you run thru the engines. Sometimes establishing the starting point can be confusing. Here is what I would do:

1. Check the Racors to see what if any sludge and moisture has been trapped by the filters. If there is anything visible in the filters, I would change the elements and drain the bowls. If you have ot service the filters, then don't leave on a 9 hour journey without some spare filters on the boat.

2.Treat the fuel in the boat right now as if the tanks were empty...biocide, Diesel Kleen, Lubricity additive.

3. Additionally, add enough Diesel 9-1-1 to treat the capacity of the tanks. 9-1-1 does 2 things......a)breaks up any sludge that is in the tanks so it will pass thru your filters, and b) it absorbs any moisture from condensation that may be in the tanks.

4. Re-treat the fuel tanks when you are ready to store the boat as though they were empty. Use the same additives mentioned above with the same including diesel 9-1-1. Next, top off the tanks so you are storing the boat with minimum air space above the fuel in order to reduce any potential for condensation in the tanks.

5. Next season, run the boat normally and when you add fuel, just use a biocide, the Lubricity additive and Diesel Kleen. No need for 9-1-1 after your winter layup.

6. One of the reasons I like this combination of additives is that they work well together and you cannot over treat the fuel with any of them.

7. Chances are there is very little sludge in your tanks. the Biocide will kill and microbial growth and the Diesel 9-1-1 with break up any clumps that become dislodged in to particles small enough to pass thru a 2 micron filter. If your tanks have a load of crap in them, treating the fuel is only going to help the situation. if you don't treat the fuel, the growth and sludge growing to the tank walls and baffles is going to break up on a 6.5 hour ride in open water. So treating the fuel now as described, may keep you from getting stuck with clogged filters since 9-1-1 helps break up the microbial growth and sludge in to particles small enough to pass thru the filter system without hurting the engine's pump and injectors. The worse thing that will happen is the filters clog up and you change them.

Don't treat the fuel and the worse thing that happens is you clog up and change a lot of filters on the way home......The cost of fuel additieves are a minor inconvenience, but having to change Racors and secondaries while bouncing around in a tight, hot engine room in a beam sea really sucks and is far from my favorite job on a boat.

Have a good trip and enjoy the new boat!
+1
 
Congrats on the purchase! Where did you end up finding a place to store?
Thanks. Really rough ride back today but we made it to Falmouth MA from Port Washington, NY. Boat will be kept at Cowesset Marina in Warwick RI for winter layup. It is going to be a long winter thinking about getting out in the boat.
 
fwebster, I have read your posts on diesel fuel treatment and follow your advice on additives. My marina just added diesel fuel to our fuel dock and they advertise that they use ValveTect fuel. If I run the ValveTect diesel do I still need to add extra fuel treatment per your posts or is your advice based on a stock untreated diesel?
Ps. thanks for the posts, this is my first diesel and have learned a lot from your posts. I found the chart shown below on the ValveTect website.

dieselTable.jpeg
 
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Crude oil and diesel can contain sulfate reducing bacteria (SRBs) in the water. They excrete acid as a waste product and will dissolve metal. Holes in oil tanks look like a hole drilled in them. Treatment hills the SRBs. They need water to start. Lots of info on net about them.
 
Our marina signed up to be a Valvetect distributor as well and I was excited until got the marina to start asking for their test results insupport of their claims. For example, Valvetect says their additive adds a lubricity improver, but they don't tell you what test they used to measure lubricity or specifically what happened to the lubricity. THey claim easier starting and reduced smoke and soot........there things usually come from raaising cetane, yet ther poop sheet never mentiond cetane.


i will trust claims made by additive makers when thet are porperly vetted by national testing agencies, but blind claims without the supporting back ground, givevs me cause for concern.

My other Valvetech issue came whe we got a tanker truck of fuel in after busy weekend last spring. I watched the Valvetech additives being added to fresh fuel right off the tanker. The marina manager handled it (he is a bright guy, college educated, and sould be able to compute the additive needed to treat 20,000 gal they were putting in the main tank). He poured most of a bucket full of Valvetech (no graduations on the bucket) into the fuel tank...........the next Tuesday, they got another 20,000 for the main tank. I decided to watch the additives being pour in............they assigned a boat washing guy to handle the chemistry.This guy is not well educated and in fact is getting his life back together after too many DIU's by going to AA meetings and riding a bike to work because he cannot hold a FL drivers license. He used the same dirty bucket and poured about 1/2 what his boss did the proir week.

I still use my published method of diesel fuel treatment, because I have researched it, I know what it does, I know it works and know it is easy to handle, I know it is safe for my engines and I know you cannot over treat the fuel with the additives I recommend.

SO, I think Valvtech is probably a good additive, if it is applied to empty tanks from a clean container by a trained employee (whose training consisted of more then "Here Will, go pour a bucket if this stuff in the diesel fuel tank and pout it in before the new feul is added.

I do use ValveTech fuel, but I continue to use my own coctail of biocide, Diesel Kleen, & Stanadyme Lubricity aadditive,
 
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Thanks for the reply, funny and informative. I have noticed the same thing at my marina but never thought to ask "the guys" what the ratio of fuel/additive they used. After reading your post I decided to ask the guys how they treat the fuel. Simultaneously, they gave different answers. Same circus different clowns! I'll continue with the fwebster diesel cocktail.
 
I use Power Service Products because they are commercially available almost anywhere, cost effective, you cannot over treat the fuel with them and they work if you use them as directed.

I will use other brands of biocide and always use Stanadyne Lubricity Additive.

There are other additives but the above have been verified and they work. If you want to use something else just be sure you select additives that have been tested and verified. Just because an ad says “increases lubricity or raises cetane” doesn’t tell you how much or give you test results that will allow you to compare one brand to another.
 
I use Power Service Products because they are commercially available almost anywhere, cost effective, you cannot over treat the fuel with them and they work if you use them as directed.

I will use other brands of biocide and always use Stanadyne Lubricity Additive.

There are other additives but the above have been verified and they work. If you want to use something else just be sure you select additives that have been tested and verified. Just because an ad says “increases lubricity or raises cetane” doesn’t tell you how much or give you test results that will allow you to compare one brand to another.
Hello Frank,

I am running Cat 3116s in a 420 AC.
I am using Cat SAEO. Air flow has been tested across the aftercoolers and is at spec.
I was experiencing a bit of soot on my starboard engine and this year I have taken your advice on additives( biocide, Diesel Kleen, Stanadyne Lubricity) . I have been experiencing an increase in the soot on my transom and exhaust ports. Could this be a temporary issue due to the addition of the additives?
Thank-you
 
I doubt it. I'd bet you have a heavier load on the boat now and that you probably need to check your WOT rpms. If you cannot hold 2800 rpm for 2-3 minutes, then you are probably overloading the engines a bit andfneed to have your props scanned and adjusted to yield 2800 rpm.

Keep in mind, even it the 3116's are clean burning very efficient engines, they are still mechanical diesels and you will get a bit of sooting around the exhaust ports.
 

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