I live in the suburbs and am concerned that the cheaper diesel fuel for my home generator with its higher sulphur content could pose an air polution problem. Is this significant enough to warrent buying the more expensive diesel?

-- Irving Kennedy (mrbumble@msn.com), March 06, 1999

Answers

From what I understand, the low sulphur fuels are harder on the engines (less lubricity), and informed people use additives to their fuel to overcome this, especially if they have an older engine. Newer engines (most truck and industrial engines) are manufactured with the lower lubricity fuel problem taken into account. The home generator engines (mostly older designs) will benefit from the higher sulphur content fuel. The amount of additional pollution is insignificant. But this may be a moot point; I'm not sure if the higher sulphur fuel is even available any more.

You can get the fuel with the red dye in it that is sold for non-motor vehicle use and save quite a bit on fuel taxes. You may have to sign an exemption certificate, but that varies from area to area. If you are caught with the red dyed fuel in a motor vehicle, there are severe (I've heard) penalties. The red dyed fuel is the same as the motor vehicle fuel except it has the dye added.

To sum up, use the higher sulpur fuel if you can get it, and get the red-dyed fuel to save paying road taxes on it.

When you get your stock of diesel fuel, be sure to add the proper amount of Sta-bil PRI-D to it. Be sure there is no water in the containers, and circulate the fuel occasionally through a water separator (or absorber) filter to keep condensation removed. Fill your containers with just enough room left for expansion, and keep in an area where temperatures do not fluctuate much or become too high. It is best not to have copper or brass in contact with the fuel for long periods, so don't use copper fuel lines.

Chevron has a web site with all the particulars on storing fuel, but I don't know what it is right now.

-- Gerald R. Cox (grcox@internetwork.net), March 06, 1999.

Chevron fuels storage info site:
 
Link: http://www.chevron.co m/prodserv/bulletin/
 
 


-- Dan (DanTCC@Yahoo.com), March 06, 1999.

I believe that home heating oil will work fine as a diesel fuel, has the red dye and avoids the motor fuel tax, and will be no more of a sulphur pollutant when used in a motor than when used in a home heating oil burner.

Jerry

-- Jerry B (skeptic76@erols.com), March 07, 1999.