Fuel Tank Heater?
#1
Fuel Tank Heater?
Ok, as I was laying down trying to sleep for about an hour the only thing I think is trucks and what can I do to all 4 that I have. Then I realized that I have never seen or heard of a fuel tank heater pad like they have on RV's for the clear/gray/black water tanks to keep from freezing. Do they make one like that that you can just stick on and plug into the wall to keep your diesel from gelling? Or be able to tie it in with the block heater so when you plug your block heater in your fuel tank would turn on also. Of course only the nothern/cold states would benfit from this but it makes sense to me. Has anybody heard of this being done and would it be worth it?
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#4
Fuel that is sold at latitudes where this is a problem is formulated to eliminate or minimize this. I lived in Fairbanks for over ten years and never heard of anyone heating a fuel tank (other than propane tanks). While there is an amazing variety of heating devices for cars, I knew old timers who lived out in the bush with no electricity that would cover the front section of their car or truck with rectangular sleeping bags, or quilts at night and would be able to start in the morning in spite of temperatures below minus 40 degrees F.
#5
I'm not sure how much air is directly hitting the tank for it to gell up but i'm just thinking for when your truck has been sitting overnight in the cold and you have your block heater plugged in you could have this on as well to ungell any disesel in the tank. I'm not sure what temp diesel starts to gell at but I'm sure its diff from #2 diesel to bio 20% and up to 100%. Im just thinking out of the box.
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#8
Solution = Use of Winter Grade Fuel
Never heard of anyone heating fuel in their fuel tanks. You'd still have the potential for the fuel to gel in the fuel lines anywhere between the fuel tank and the fuel injectors. Start driving the truck down the road in cold temperatures, and the wind chill on those fuel lines would be terrific, quickly chilling the fuel down to near ambient outdoor temperatures. I believe the only reliable prevention is to ensure the fuel in the vehicle is gel-proofed down to the anticipated/potential minimum temperatures. Otherwise a person is just asking for headaches.
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#11
Roger that. The best solution would be figuring out what in the mix is thickening, and then adding something to break that molecule down into smaller H-Cs that don't gel. If that is not possible, I do think that keeping the fuel above ambient would be the only other solution. I'd think about spray foaming the tank after applying a silicone heat patch to the tank. It may not be possible to do this if the foam doesn't stick to the plastic fuel tanks...fabricating one out of aluminum might solve this, and a clever welder could build one with clearance to allow for a good foam coat on all sides...something that might not be possible with a stock plastic tank. Plugging the heat patch in would then warm the fuel with the insulation helping to keep it that way.
#12
As to the topic here, fuel tank heaters are available.
#14
Here you go. Fuel & Fluid Warming Systems & Products
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