CaptainPike - 25-9-2015 at 12:34
Okay, here we enjoy a practical application of chemistry.
I want to remove the water, if any, from my household, #2 fuel oil tank, roughly 275 gallons capacity. The fuel level is getting low so I was
thinking this would be a great time to throw some dry methanol in there. Why wouldn't that work?
zed - 25-9-2015 at 13:31
Water accumulation in Diesel fuel is a widespread problem. What do the guys that drive the Big Rigs do?
These guys have some tips, which naturally involve you buying their products.
http://inspectapedia.com/oiltanks/Oil_Tank_Water_Removal.php
Me, I'm cheap. I might pump it all out. Flush the tank out, filter the old fuel, and start fresh. Methanol might work for water, but not for other
kinds of crud.
[Edited on 25-9-2015 by zed]
lavenatti - 5-10-2015 at 08:26
Almost all the water will be under the diesel. I've always just siphoned it off the bottom.
Praxichys - 5-10-2015 at 09:14
As long as you system can tolerate flammable vapors (like if you were to use methanol) you could throw some E-85 in there. The 85% ethanol should soak
up the water, and it would probably be cheaper than the methanol.
Of course, siphoning or draining the water from the bottom is the preferable solution.