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Once fuel has started to gel

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Can Power Source or Sta-Bil bring it back to being usable?

A friend has a tank of #2 fuel for his furnace but it's been sitting too long and his furnace isn't liking it.

Thoughts?
 

Junkman

Extra Super Moderator
Fuel only gels as a result of extreme cold. The "gel" is the wax in the fuel gathering together causing larger wax particles that can't pass through the nozzle. Sounds more like there is water in the fuel and that mold has started to grow in it. If he has a clean filter between the burner and the tank, there should be no problems, except changing filters until he uses up the bad fuel. My guess is that the burner needs to be serviced also. Larry's suggestion is also going to help, but if the nozzle and screen are partially clogged, nothing is going to help until he has them replaced. If he has water in the fuel, there are products such as HEET that will disperse the water and allow it to flow through the filter and mix with the oil to be burned.
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Thanks guys. Keep 'em coming.

I guess a correction is in order. The fuel is not cold (the tank is in the basement), just old.
 

Junkman

Extra Super Moderator
I'll bet that if you were to break the line and take a sample of fuel in a glass container, that it will appear to be good fuel. It is also my guess that he is blaming the fuel when the real culprit is the burner itself. Also check the flue to make sure that it isn't partially blocked. I have seen fuel that was 10 years old in a cellar tank that was still perfectly usable when removed. In the old days, many people didn't remove the tanks when they converted to gas, because they had it in the back of their minds that they could change back to oil if they didn't like the gas conversion. When they move out and sell the home, the oil would be pumped out and the tank removed. That oil was still as good then as the day it was put into the tank. Fuel oil doesn't go stale like gasoline does. They are two totally different petroleum products. That is why your gasoline engine won't run on fuel oil and your diesel engine won't run on gasoline......... for very long... :my2cents:
 
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