Fuel samples

No, we only fuel at national stations that we know will pay for the problem.
Friend got bad fuel and the station replaced his engine. We use Flying J when we can and do not get fuel if they are making a deisel delivery. 50,000 miles with no problems.

And you guys that are sampling before you fuel up, just what is the turn around time for results. You must get to know the waitresses quite well at the restaurant next door. And by the time you get the results, they must have already gotten another load at the station, so it gets to be like Ground Hogs Day at the fuel pumps!

sd1209 wrote:
Did not do it with yrs of flying, other than checking for water.....And that takes some time sitting after refueling for all the water to sink to the bottom of the tank.....

Would not consider it in cars/RV's.....Been driving for 45 yrs and flew for 35 and never remember getting bad fuel....

I once dumped into a company's JetA tank while the pilot was topping off. He had to top off his Lear Jet's tank so my load would fit in the company's tank. Told him that I wasn't flying with him anywhere!!!

My test is to go where many trucks are filling up. Perfect? No but I have a better chance of fresh fuel.

I use to check for water before and after every delivery I made at a gas station or truck stop. It was company policy. We even had to record it on the bill of lading/delivery receipt. And every bulk load of motor oil that I hauled had to be tested and approved by the lab before I could leave the refinery. And every load of Jet A and JP8 had to be tested before leaving the refinery and at on arrival at the delivery point.

And I also use to have to return product samples to the lab at the refinery for testing from the stations.

The best thing you you can do to protect your self is look around to make sure that there isn't a fuel transport making a delivery at the station/truck stop you are going to fuel up in. They stur up everything on the bottom of the stations tanks!

I always do the smell test at the nozzle just to make sure I have the diesel pump in hand and not the GREEN gas nozzle at the BP station. Smell test always works for me.

Anyone doing testing on gasoline? Have heard some horror stories about diesel like above but not so much gasoline.

Why ?

Because we are in excess of $2k getting over 1 tank of contaminated fuel.

How ?

That was my next question.

Well, there's always one, right?

Present and accounted for, sir!

I started my 60-second-per-fill check-the-fuel process some time back due to the horrors experienced by a few RVers and other diesel truck and auto owners as reported in various forums through the years.

(I KNOW you won't believe this, but my response right here was just interrupted by a phone call from my vacationing daughter Nancy near Mesa Verde. She reports that their GMC diesel has lost power and they're in the process of looking for a fuel filter in hopes that will fix their problem. A bad load of diesel at the last station? They don't know. It could just be the fuel filter, or maybe a fuel pump. Since it just happened, they don't know yet.)

Anyway, where was I. Oh yes, my gallon milk jar test kit.

So, when I pull in for a 50 to 80-gallon load of fuel, I open the door where I have my testing jar, and insert the diesel fuel nozzle in the jar and get a sample of about half a gallon. I take a look at this fuel, and if it's clear and does not seem to have a water bubble at the bottom and overall seems OK, I proceed to fill the fuel tank. If I see any problems, I pay for the half gallon and proceed down the road.

I keep the half-gallon sample in the jug for a day or so. I do this in order to continue to observe the fuel. If there should develop a water bubble in the bottom, I will take measures to combat the contamination. (I might note that if there is water in the fuel, it will usually show up pretty quickly. But, if the water has become emulsified in the diesel by the filling station's pump, it might take a little while longer to show up. Either way, my sample will work.)

Well, that's my story. Most will call me paranoid. Maybe I am, because I also have extra fuel filters, gauges, surge protectors, water pressure regulators, low tire pressure alarms, and etc and etc. I'm happy with it all. It's part of the RV experience for me.

(By the way, I didn't tell my daughter they should have pre-sampled the fuel. Her husband already thinks I'm a nut).

Only thing I ever tested for was ethanol levels when I suspected a issue.