Electric Generators for Emergency Power

How long does Diesel last in storage for generators?

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I was talking with a friends and I know gas in a car or lawnmower etc will go bad after a certain amount of time. Then we got thinking about the massive amounts of diesel fuel in storage at hospitals etc, is there a storage life for it? and is it turned over all the time?

Scott: Since Diesel has a much lower vapor pressure than gasoline(7lbs/PSI) by far it is judged by flash point(under 130F degrees Properly stored(moisture and air is prevented from entering the tank) it can be stored almost indefinitely. These are the contaminates which degrade and evaporate regular gasoline. As gasoline evaporates( little or no problem with diesel at ambient temperatures) it leaves residues which form gums.
In refineries and other business having sources of ignition, diesel is the prefered fuel for running equipment because is far less hazardous than gasoline which has a high vapor pressure and low ignition point, even a spark can set it off.

One Response to “How long does Diesel last in storage for generators?”

1. Bill G Says:
   February 6th, 2010 at 11:44 am

   Scott: Since Diesel has a much lower vapor pressure than gasoline(7lbs/PSI) by far it is judged by flash point(under 130F degrees Properly stored(moisture and air is prevented from entering the tank) it can be stored almost indefinitely. These are the contaminates which degrade and evaporate regular gasoline. As gasoline evaporates( little or no problem with diesel at ambient temperatures) it leaves residues which form gums.
   In refineries and other business having sources of ignition, diesel is the prefered fuel for running equipment because is far less hazardous than gasoline which has a high vapor pressure and low ignition point, even a spark can set it off.
   References :
   Experience

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