Cloudy Kerosene

JabbaTheHut

I posted about my problem a couple of days ago in the DIY section, but was advised here is a more appropiate section.

Last weekend, my oil burner stopped. After much inspection, the pump on it had failed. In the process of finding the fault I saw that the keresone was cloudy. It's been in the tank since April of last year when the price of oil was at an all time low. It was in a 1000 litre tank, but had about 500 litres of it used last winter, so it's been sitting a while. I replaced the pump, but changed the the tank for a 25 litres one on a temporary basis, with new clear kerosene, as I suspect the cloudy kerosene is water contaminated, and the reason for the pump failing in the first place.

I came across this site

https://www.centretank.com/news/story/what-does-cloudy-diesel-fuel-mean

which says they sell an absorber that can clean the keresone. https://www.centretank.com/products/detail/aquafighter-canvas-fuel-tank-water-absorber

Thing is, that's a UK site, and I was hoping to find somewhere here that supplies the same or similar product. Or, is there an old wives trick that can be done to do the same job? I have c500 litres of oil I cannot burn as it is.

The One Doctor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058220307/cloudy-kerosene

If you're talking about Aquafighter, it's just the stuff they put in nappies. It absorbs water but not kerosene.

Essentially they're charging an arm and a leg for what you can get in Lidl or Aldi.

Wearb

Your local oil boiler tech will have a paste that he can use to check your tank for water. He'll probably also have a way of removing it.

jimf

water will not mix with kerosene it will sink to the bottom

so it looks like a complete pump out to me

JabbaTheHut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118239650#Comment_118239650

Thanks for that. That's the sort of thing I was wondering about. I'll give that a go with a test batch and see if it does something.

I have a jar of the oil sitting in the garage to see if it will clear over time.

If not, I'll give my bolier man a shout and see what he thinks.

JabbaTheHut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118241869#Comment_118241869

I thought the same about water, but what could it be if it's not? Now, it's was in an IBC tank, but I've been using one for the last 22 years, and never had a problem. Unless it's a different plastic on this one?

JoChervil

I know nothing about cloudy kerosene, but if it doesn't mix with water, as someone above said, so the water as a heavier liquid should be at the bottom of the tank, so it could be removed in a way water used to be removed from aquarium ages ago. I remember doing it as a child.

You need to have a transparent pipe of a few millimetres diameter. Long enough to touch the bottom of the tank and the bucket outside. Put one end to the very bottom of the tank. Suck it till the liquid rise in the pipe above the rim of the tank and below the top of kerosene in the tank. Close the pipe with a finger and put it to any container for removing this trapped water. The end of liquid needs to be below the level of the kerosene. Only then open the pipe and the liquid from the bottom of the tank will run out using a suction underpressure. Wait for a water to run out and till kerosene appeared at the end of the pipe.

But to make it work liquid should not be moved for few hour beforehand to let them better separate.

At least I would try such way. But it might not work in your case, because maybe water is not a reason. Maybe bacteria grew in the water?

jimf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118242283#Comment_118242283

unless the sun had a reaction with the kero in the ibc

as its not suitable for kero storage

longgonesilver

What colour was your kerosene origionally?

JabbaTheHut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118254637#Comment_118254637

It was red, but not translucant. I took a sample of it in a jar, and left it for a week now. When I put it in it was cloudy, but has now cleared. However, there's no sign of water or any contaminant in the bottom of the jar. I put a freshly poured jar of new keresone beside it, and it look exactly the same, something that a week ago could not be said.

JamesM

Would I be wrong in thinking that kerosene can look cloudy at very low temperatures, as we had recently ?

JabbaTheHut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118256157#Comment_118256157

You could be right, but all I can tell you is I took a second sample yesterday, and it was cloudy. Also, something in the keresone knackered the pump, so I doubt the cold could be the cause.

JamesM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118260738#Comment_118260738

I got it wrong, I thought that you said that the latest sample looked the same as the cleared sample.

doctorchopper

This stuff works good if you want to confirm you have water in the tank, put the paste on a stick and swish it around in the tank. We use it to test for water in aviation fuel barrels https://www.amazon.co.uk/Water-Finding-Detects-harmful-Heating/dp/B00NU6C036/ref=sr_1_20?keywords=fuel+water+detector&qid=1638636044&sr=8-20

JabbaTheHut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118269015#Comment_118269015

Might give that a go. The lad I normally use to look after the boiler isn't available for a while, and other lads are up the walls. I'm in no panic as I'm working away on a 5 gallon drum for now.

JabbaTheHut

Just to give an update to this.

I used the 5 gallon drum for the rest of the winter. Sometime early last spring, my plumber tested the kerosene and said there was no water in it, and we gave it a go. It ran for about 20 minutes, and then stopped again. The pump had failed, so we just replaced the pump, and worked away until the weather warmed up with the 5 gallon drum. I had no real plan in place.

About 3 weeks ago, I said it's try the kerosene again, and it's been perfect. I didn't do anything to it over the summer, only let it sit there. So whatever it was that did in my pumps, everything is sorted. For now, anyway.

So, in the end, I'm afraid there is no satisfactory conclusion. On the upside, I suppose, I do have 500 litres of very cheap kerosene for a while to use.

10-10-20

I wonder did the water settle out of suspension and go to the bottom?

JabbaTheHut

I don't know. I did drain off about a gallon before I connected up the burner in case that was the case, but there was no water in it. I'd just said I'd update the post for anyone who may have a problem like this in the future. Unfortunately, there are no lessons that can be learned from the experience, I suppose.