shelf life of diesel & should i stock up on fuel now

[lil red cummins]

i have been thinking about "stocking up" on diesel fuel at its current price. i have access to a 330 gallon tank that would live inside my shop once it is filled. i would be getting diesel supreme, not the low cetane stuff.



as it is now, i don't drive much. truck is a year and a half old and has 13,300 miles. 300 gallons would probably last for 6 months give or take.



my questions are as follows.



will diesel still be good after sitting for that period in a temperature controlled environment?



is it crazy to dump 600+ dollars into this deal or will my upfront cost be worth it due to the fact that fuel prices will go up considerably and i end up saving big money?



will the new formulations of diesel be better so that i will be using "old" stuff just to get rid of it? when do you think the new fuel will actually show up at the pumps?



i also realize that i will have to invest in a pump to get it out of the container. this is acceptable, because i am looking at the possiblity of making bio in small quantities and would need the pump anyway.



has anybody else had a crazy idea like this?



any and all thought/opinions are welcome



thanks



jim

 

[The patriot]

I've personally used fuel well in excess of 1. 5 years old with no noticable difference.

The way you store it will be more of a factor of how long it will stay "good".

eric

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Heating oils are stored in pretty unprotected/controlled environments from one season to another without problems - diesel fuels are LOTS more stable in storage than gasoline - so you'll probably have no real issues to worry about in THAT regard - saving $$$ is another issue entirely...

 

[GTop]

As long as no water is in the tank or fuel you should be fine. It surely wouldnt hurt to treat the fuel for storage. You dont want an algae problem from water.

 

[GIT-R-DONE]

I to would like to do something like this too, but am unsure of what kind of tank to put it in. Are there any certain types of tanks that are better?



I have talked to a tanker driver and he figures its good for about a year, depending on the way its stored. I think if your using it as time goes by and it would be treated when put in the tank, you should be fine. JMO

 

[tURBOdIEZEl]

if you have plans on storing your fuel for more then say, 4 months i would add some sort of attitive to control bacteria growth... just my . 02

how much is fuel up your way?

 

[dhill]

Another thing to remember is if you live in an area that has winter diesel, you might not want to use the fuel you buy now in Dec. Also be sure to get a good filter to put on your tank so it gets filtered before it gets into your truck.



I did this for many years and no problems, as was stated earlier, diesel is pretty stable.



Dave

 

[RGardner]

Lots of farm diesel is stored for months at a time in outside overhead tanks. It is filtered before it gets to the machinery tho.

 

[Tee]

If I did this, Prices would fall shortly afterwards Just my luck

 

[The patriot]

If I did this, Prices would fall shortly afterwards Just my luck

That's why my 550 is still sittin low... . for now. :-laf

I've found that August is USUALLY the best time to stock up on heating oil.

In todays market... . who knows.

Eric



FWIW I dose up the old 550 tank with Power service diesel kleen before they deliver.

 

[nps]

If I did this, Prices would fall shortly afterwards Just my luck

Tee - Please go and do this pleeeeeaaaasssssseeee.

 

[lil red cummins]

well its good to know that shelf life is not a problem.



last price here for supreme was 2. 44



good point about using a filter on the pump. i hadn't thought of that before.



tee: - i would gladly sacrifice for the rest of the TDR organization



the tank is a polyethelene one, formerly used for machine coolant. it will be easy to thoroughly clean because it has a fill and a drain. it should be easy to see inside also.



the winter diesel issue is interesting. what would happen if i used this stuff in winter? more chance of gelling i assume?



keep the advice coming



would anyone like to speculate on what diesel will cost in october of this year? i know they say it should be going up significantly due to its increased use in asian countries.



thanks



jim

 

[CSnyder]

man I could only dream of storing fuel. I currently burn about 50-75 gallons a day through my truck. I would need a tank the size of Iowa to fill in order for me to save any money on fuel going up in the future

 

[E7mack96]

Does anyone know how you go about buying it in advance (futures contracts).



I want to explore the possibility of locking in on about 100,000 - 250,000 gallons

 

[Island Dodge]

I have a fuel storage story "sea story". . I was a deckhand in the early 60s on a tug in San Francisco. On a trip hauling an oil barge we were running low on fuel, bucking head winds and seas and had to use OLD fuel from the double bottom tanks. :{ There was much spiculation as to what would happen when the 12 to 15 year old fuel got to the filters of the two V16 671s. The filters did need changing a few times before we got in and the fuel was a tad on the on the dark side but it burned. I'm thinking the constant movement of the boat helped to keep the fuel good over the years.

 

[The patriot]

Does anyone know how you go about buying it in advance (futures contracts).



I want to explore the possibility of locking in on about 100,000 - 250,000 gallons

I bought heating oil for . 59 a gallon not too long ago. Maybe 3-4 years ago?

Wish I'd have thought of that then... ... :{

Eric