Fuel samples
Do you check for contamination prior to fueling ?
Forum Discussion
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).
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).
