What temp idle to prevent gelling?

WCP,

Full context, I was agreeing with him that industry sources are biased and suspect.

Sulfuric acid is H2SO4. All acids are high in hydrogen. It's one of those properties. I would have to get on the exploited to give you the complete breakdown. Typing that on the phone sucks.

Basically, your plates which are lead take the dialogue leaving you with a "sulphated" battery which is pretty much junk.

Recharging the battery reversed the process. Once you have deep discharged a battery, they become so automated, you can't recharge them.

 

Ok...So "Sulfated" batteries are not due to the electrolyte converting into water....
The plates once they become sulfated can no longer react properly with the acid......

At least that's my understanding of the process.....

Point being....Don't allow your batteries to become discharged completely.....

It's too bad there aren't any hybrid batteries that I know of that combine Deep Cycle and Starting Capabilities in one package.......

 

I own my truck. Not a company driver. And I bought and old fleet truck. I know what the setting are and what they are for.

Fleet managers to control costs. Namely fuel cost. Not all fleets run bunk heaters. So it's programmed for driver comfort. It's either allowed or it's not.

 

reread the attachment that MNdriver put on,

http://www.enertechlabs.com/ULSD_Col...n_09032007.htm
QOUTE;
'There is a new cold weather problem that the industry has not adequately defined as of today. We are calling this issue "Wax Dropout". Wax Dropout occurs when diesel fuel is "cold saturated". This where the fuel reaches a given temperature and stays at or below that temperature for a given period of time. This time period is usually between 48 and 72 hours or longer and the temperature can vary with different batches of fuel. This past winter we saw this problem at between 5°F and 10°F.'
When the fuel gets to the Wax Dropout temperature, say for example 8°F and stays there for 48 to 72 hours, the wax will suddenly agglomerate and fall to the bottom of the container. This wax plugs filters and fuel lines until it is removed or until the fuel temperature is raised to a point where the fuel will reabsorb the wax.

Water is more of a problem than ever before. Diesel and biodiesel fuels hold water dissolved in them. The amount of water that ULSD is able to hold is greater than that of HSD or LSD. One of the characteristics of fuel is that its ability to hold water in solution diminishes as the temperature decreases. Fuel delivered at 70°F with 200 ppm of dissolved water will as the temperature drops begin to push that water out of the fuel into droplets. These droplets can be seen floating in the fuel and as temperatures reach and go below 32°F those droplets freeze becoming ice crystals.
As a result many of the cold weather problems where people believe they have fuel gelling problem are actually a fuel icing problem. If you have operability issues in temperatures above 0°F you should check to be sure that you aren't dealing with ice.

 

That's a good article but a little too detailed on the numbers. When it's super cold out it all happens so fast the scientific facts of gelling or crystallizing is redundant. Like the article says the ice crystals float, water sinks. Your tanks feed off near the bottom. The end result of treating and replacing filters is what matters. That article is a push to sell their products. They should teach all this stuff in school but they don't. My last job we had a pretty good fuel manager and he done his homework. His routing sucked, lol. Side by side test Power Service out performed the rest in lowering the gel point and increased lubricity. It was my brand of choice. Plus they have rebates all the time. My company would buy it and I would print two fuel receipts and cabbage on the rebates every winter.

When you all buy that stuff they use to have two different formula's. If you have a 2007 or later buy the one with ULSD on the jug.

Another thing is APU's. Most are connected to the trucks cooling system and helps keep it warm and the batteries charged. With one of those you are good to about 0 degrees before idling. It has a hard time keeping up the coolant temp after that.

 

I still ensist on you leaving it off all night when the temps are below 20°. No additives, and don't plug it in. Whether or not it's an old truck doesn't matter if you're still putting #2 diesel in it. I guarantee you that you'll have a very hard time starting it the next morning.

 

They do...........

http://www.optimabatteries.com/us/en/products/yellowtop/

 

I actually do on a regular basis. Let it sit for a week over Christmas.

 

Condocruiser;

it's not the tanks, but the lines into the filter where the iceing will be a problem. I have the upside down ,glass covered filter,exposed to the cold. fuel goes out the bottom.

 

Was the OAT 20° and colder constantly, or did it warm up to over 32° when you started it? Did you have any additives mixed with the fuel? Did you plug the truck in? Did you use #2 diesel? Details. Details.