New
Diesel Fuel Test Kit
Detects "Fuel Bugs", bacteria, fungus
and mould in diesel fuel
This test is called a "dip slide". One side of the slide is "white". This will detect BACTERIA between 24 and 36 hours after exposure.The other side of the slide is "red". This will detect MOULD between 36 and 48 hours after exposure.
NO spots are good news. Any reaction is bad news.
1. Simply remove the slide from the tube. DO NOT touch the slide surface. The slide will detect bacteria on your fingers.
2. Dip the slid into the fuel for 15 seconds.(Take a fuel sample from the fuel filter or water separator)
3. Remove the excess fuel. And then put the slide back into the tube.4. Put the tube in a desk drawer, any dark location, for 24 hours.
5. Inspect the tube at 24 hours, 36 hours and 48 hours.
Any reaction requires immediate action on your part.Add a BIOCIDE to the fuel to immediately kill the biological elements in your tank.
Then install a Dieselcraft Fuel Stabilizer to assure that this problem does not return.
For disposal fill the tube with household bleach. Re-insert the slide and place in the trash.
If water enters your fuel system either through condensation or vents, it can cause bacterial growth. Many species of bacteria, mould and fungus can grow in diesel fuel but not algae.
Algae growth in fuel is a misnomer for the problem.
What looks like algae may be in fact asphaltene.
Asphaltene is a chemical problem inherent in diesel fuel and not a biological contamination.Unless you drain your tanks 100%, you always have old fuel in your tanks. This old fuel most likely has one of two problems, biological or chemical.
To determine the problem so it can be treated we have produced a fuel test kit that will identify biological contaminants
buy now safely online £ 15.00 inc. VAT and PP.
Consider these facts.
FACT: ALL fuel producers admit that diesel fuel is inherently unstable. This instability causes diesel fuels to form sludge and or insoluble organic particulates. Both asphaltene compounds (sludge) and particulates may contribute to build up in injectors and particulates can clog fuel filters plus add to the service issues common to diesel engines.
See: www.chevron.com/prodserv/fuels/bulletin/diesel/L2_2_7_fs.htm
FACT: Diesel fuel contamination problems have two different areas to consider, biology and chemistry. On the biology side is "Fuel Bugs" and on the chemistry side is "Asphaltenes". Thinking you have a biological problem and treating it with a biocide when in fact you have a chemical problem will not solve the problem."Asphaltenes" aka diesel sludge is the most common chemical problem and the most misdiagnosed problem in diesel fuel. Asphaltenes are brown and slimy and resemble algae. BUT Asphaltenes are not algae. NO ALGAE GROWS IN DIESEL FUEL. The natural chemical process that goes on in diesel fuel as it ages creates Asphaltenes. The asphaltene molecules will tend to precipitate out of the fuel over time and settle on the bottom of the tank. Once picked up by the fuel pump filters clog and engines stop.Those that call diesel sludge algae are misinformed and not knowledgeable on the subject and are misdiagnosing the problem."Fuel Bugs" aka bacteria and fungus, primarily Cyanobacteria, in diesel fuel are the other problem but less prominent that Asphaltenes. Most diesel users have very little knowledge of this costly problem. There are over 100 types of Fuel Bugs that can live in diesel fuel. Fuel Bugs feed on the oil in the fuel and use the water in the fuel for their oxygen supply. They grow in your fuel at different rates and can easily cost thousands of dollars in damage to each contaminated vehicle.It is imperative to determine if a fuel problem is biological or chemical based.
FACT: University of Idaho scientists have conducted tests to determine the timeline and percentage of degradation of stored diesel fuel #2. The results of this testing was that the petroleum diesel fuel #2 degraded 26% after 28 days of storage. See: Petroleum and Environmental Engineering Services
Masoud Mehdizadeh, Ph.D. http://www.fueltechinc.com/diesllf.htm
Studies conducted by National Biodiesel Board under accelerated storage conditions also proved that sediments are formed. The formation of these sediments are increased in the presence of water and dissolved oxygen. [See: "Fuel Facts" National Biodiesel Board, Jefferson City, MO; Frankenfeld, J.W. "General Features of Sediment Formation in Model Fuel System," Ind. Eng. Chem. Prod. Res. Dev. 1983, 22, 608-614].
Once diesel fuel begins the process of breaking down and sedimentation formation the fuel will create Asphaltene, cluster up, fall out of solution, and settle to the bottom of fuel tanks creating a sludge.As the fuel further deteriorates, it darkens, produces a foul odor, and often causes diesel engines to smoke. This is a direct result of the early-stage fuel clustering passing through the filtration systems and into the combustion chamber. These clusters cause greater difficulty as they increase in size, failing to burn correctly, thereby exiting the system as unburned fuel in the form of smoke. This problem is exacerbated as the clusters eventually reduce the fuel flow to the point of clogging the filters. Filtration does not solve the core issue.
