Advice on a 50-100 gallon Auxiliary tank for MEP-802A generator

[rhurey]

Keep in mind diesel is flammable, so have a plan to fight fire and be careful as to what is around your storage tank.

*cough* combustible *cough*

 

[Bmxenbrett]

100gal is also quite the amount of fuel to keep around for a fuel sipper like the 802a. At 30-50 percent load that would be over 2 weeks of fuel running 16hrs a day.

 

[m715]

The posters above are correct, a home heating oil tank is to big for just a standby genset. Unless you keep that size tank full you will have moisture problems. The smaller sized tanks will be better suited for your purpose if you can find one for a good price.

 

[Zebcorod]

The posters above are correct, a home heating oil tank is to big for just a standby genset. Unless you keep that size tank full you will have moisture problems. The smaller sized tanks will be better suited for your purpose if you can find one for a good price.

Yes, moisture is a concern. We live off grid and would be using it about 5 hours a day during the dog days of summer, and we can get off road diesel delivered with no surcharge over 100 gallons.

 

[dstang97]

Do you have any diesel cars, trucks, tractors or burners? I leave my aux tank full and after a year burn it in my truck then get new fuel for the genset. That way it's always fresh.

 

[Zebcorod]

Do you have any diesel cars, trucks, tractors or burners? I leave my aux tank full and after a year burn it in my truck then get new fuel for the genset. That way it's always fresh.

Yes we have a diesel tractor.

 

[dstang97]

Yes we have a diesel tractor.

So if you did a
55 gallon drum you could fuel your tractor and use it to fuel your generator with a bung adapter. You could also get a hand pump for your tractor.

 

[biz]

Yea I take back what I said about a 275 gallon tank. I wasn't thinking about moisture and I won't be filling it. So I think I'm going to get 2 drums instead. I already have one plastic one.

 

[uniquify]

If rotating fuel is a concern, you could always try finding smaller barrels. 30 and 16 gallon drums are out there, but less common.

 

[csheath]

I use two 55 gallon drums. I have a small diesel tractor and a 15,000 lb backhoe so I plan to use the fuel from the drums in those and replenish the drums as needed. The only problem is you always have one tank or drum that isn't full. Just as I periodically exercise and test my generator I periodically check for water in my tanks. I do this by simply siphoning some fuel off the bottom. I have a piece of stainless tube with tygon stuck on it so I know I am pulling fuel from the bottom. My bung adapter didn't come with the tube so I threaded a piece of aluminum tube for it that is several inches off the bottom of the drum. Both of my tractors are designed similer to give a buffer area for water to settle in. So far I have never found water in any of my tanks but I will continue to check for it. I also put a biocide additive and a lubricity additive in my storage drums.
.

 

[Zebcorod]

I use two 55 gallon drums. I have a small diesel tractor and a 15,000 lb backhoe so I plan to use the fuel from the drums in those and replenish the drums as needed. The only problem is you always have one tank or drum that isn't full. Just as I periodically exercise and test my generator I periodically check for water in my tanks. I do this by simply siphoning some fuel off the bottom. I have a piece of stainless tube with tygon stuck on it so I know I am pulling fuel from the bottom. My bung adapter didn't come with the tube so I threaded a piece of aluminum tube for it that is several inches off the bottom of the drum. Both of my tractors are designed similer to give a buffer area for water to settle in. So far I have never found water in any of my tanks but I will continue to check for it. I also put a biocide additive and a lubricity additive in my storage drums.
.

I have thought about the tank not being full all the time. Thanks for sharing how your setup works. That really helps. Are your barrels metal or plastic? Do you have the 55 gallon barrel sitting straight up , or on it's side, and is the bung adapter mounted on the top of the barrel?

 

[csheath]

I have thought about the tank not being full all the time. Thanks for sharing how your setup works. That really helps. Are your barrels metal or plastic? Do you have the 55 gallon barrel sitting straight up , or on it's side, and is the bung adapter mounted on the top of the barrel?

My drums are metal and I have them sitting straight up on some patio pavers. These were once used oil drums so they were like new with some motor oil residue in them. I painted them to blend with the sand color of my generator.



Condensation is a real problem so I intend to keep check for it. I have only had my drums for a few months.

When I bought my backhoe someone had let water sit in the fuel tank for who knows how long and it was a battle to get running right. It had rust suspended in the fuel. I had drained and cleaned the tank, replaced all the hoses and filters, and still could not get the machine to keep running. At the end of the day a little glob of rust had collected in the bajo fitting going into the fuel sediment bowl and was creating a restriction. I added a small engine filter in front of that fitting so if the problem reoccurs it can be caught before clogging more expensive components.

The inside of that tank had a protective coating but water had eaten it off and rusted only the bottom where it sat.

 

[glcaines]

Water in diesel and biodiesel fuels can be in three different forms.
1. Free water
2. Emulsion
3. Soluble
Biodiesel fuel is much more impacted by water contamination than petroleum-based diesel fuel. Biodiesel fuel is also much more susceptible to microbial growth in the fuel. I absolutely refuse to utilize biodiesel fuel or diesel - biodiesel blends in any of my generators, tractors or vehicles for that reason. A good friend of mine decided that using biodiesel was more eco-friendly than using straight diesel fuel. His fuel tank looked like it has been stuffed full of algae and seaweed. Not only that, but after his tank, lines, etc. were cleaned, the growth kept returning every few months. He finally got rid of the unit and replaced it with another and hasn't had any problems since, while using straight petroleum-based diesel. Storing either petroleum-based diesel or biodiesel fuels in a transparent storage container is also a big mistake because light will help accelerate the growth in the fuel.

 

[csheath]

Unfortunately my supplier only has 5% bio-diesel. I would prefer straight up diesel but I'm not sure if it's available. The nearest station that sells off road diesel has 15%. I read somewhere you can't actually get less than 5% anywhere. Not sure about that unless they don't have to put it on the pumps at that percentage. There is no notice of biodiesel on most of the pumps selling road tax diesel around here. Either way it's too convenient to have it delivered. I filled my drums in February and have almost gone through one of them.

 

[glcaines]

Unfortunately my supplier only has 5% bio-diesel. I would prefer straight up diesel but I'm not sure if it's available. The nearest station that sells off road diesel has 15%. I read somewhere you can't actually get less than 5% anywhere. Not sure about that unless they don't have to put it on the pumps at that percentage. There is no notice of biodiesel on most of the pumps selling road tax diesel around here. Either way it's too convenient to have it delivered. I filled my drums in February and have almost gone through one of them.

In Georgia, where i live, diesel fuel containing up to 5% can be legally sold as straight diesel. Anything over 5% biodiesel in blends must be sold as B20 fuel. When I was talking about the bad experience of my friend using biodiesel, I was referring to straight biodiesel, not a blend. There aren't many stations around that sell straight biodiesel. One alleged advantage of biodiesel blends is that they 'clean' the fuel system. This can indeed be an advantage for clean fuel systems in that they may stay cleaner over a period of time. However, switching to a biodiesel blend on an older diesel can result in trash and contamination in the fuel system as crud breaks free in the fuel system.

 

[DorkFish83]

I plan on using a couple 55 gallon oil drums with a drum pump that I can fill the tank of my diesel Jetta with. The car is my commuter vehicle and I use 13-14 gallons of diesel a week so that's plenty to keep fuel rotated without letting it sit for very long. When one barrel goes dry after 4-5 weeks I can swap the pump head out and refill the empty one.

 

[JRM]

Oregon also only offers B5 or B20+ so I decided I must find a way to cycle threw fuel rather than storage of it. So- Found a FREE home heating oil tank on craigslist from a home seller being required to switch to gas prior to the homes sale (stupid Oregon) then added a nice pump and a ultra fine 2 micron filter to it. Now I get green legal fuel delivered every time the price drops below what unleaded is (now) and use it in all my diesel stuff I still treat it with power service biocide that's not pictured once a year.

 

[Zebcorod]

Thanks everyone for sharing your pictures, advice, and knowledge of your auxiliary diesel tanks. I appreciate the help!