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Author: Subject: Drying heating oil
CaptainPike
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[*] posted on 25-9-2015 at 12:34
Drying heating oil


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?

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zed
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[*] posted on 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]
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Nicodem
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25-9-2015 at 15:26
lavenatti
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[*] posted on 5-10-2015 at 08:26


Almost all the water will be under the diesel. I've always just siphoned it off the bottom.

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Praxichys
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[*] posted on 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.




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