Good Grief! Fungus in my Gas?

Fungus on the bottom of the Veedor root

Yes fungus is now growing in gasoline!

When we started out in the fuel tank cleaning business in 1983 there was lots of water and additives dropping out of fuel but now in 2015 we see fungus.
Fungus will plug up your filters and shut down your pumps whether it is in a service station, back up generator or your boat. It just isn't  a good thing to have in your fuel.

Fungus in the bottom of the sample

Almost every living thing on planet earth requires water and oxygen to survive. Fungus is no different. If you allow an environment to be created in your fuel storage then you will have critters.

Bacteria & Algae

The secret to clean fuel is managing and preventing water from condensation from taking over your tank. If you do not remove the water bacteria and fungus will move in and set up a colony since you are providing the basics of life for them. They will eat the paraffin wax out of your fuel and breather the oxygen in the water. When they run out of oxygen they will warm up the fuel and the tank and cause more condensation. Have you ever seen a terrarium? It is similar to that - living things can create a habitat that is just right for them to grow.

You can remove the water mechanically by cleaning your tank annually or you can put up with
fungus, bacteria and sludge. Changing filters every 10 days from sludge in the tank will cost you approximately $5,000 per year in filters, downtime and labour. Annual fuel polishing and tank cleaning is around $1500.00 per year a fraction of the cost of changing filters especially in a gas station where replacing a customers fuel pump due to water is running around $5,000 a pump installed.

Maintenance of your fuel tanks is just good engineering practice and will save you money.

Call us at 1 888 713 1090 for a fuel sampling and assessment of your fuel tanks.

YOU ARE TOO EXPENSIVE! I CAN GET MY BOAT DONE FOR $400.00!

Many boat owners need to have their boat fuel cleaned but it isnt something that you need every year so they are not sure what to look for in a service. They hear of low prices, and boats that still have the same problems after being cleaned. I would like to show you what to look for:

1. Does the company explain their process?  

2. Are they aware that the tank needs to be cleaned and not just the fuel?

3. Do they give you an explanation of the costs involved?

I hear people say wow that's expensive and go find a guy who will do the job for $400.00. If you find someone for that kind of money I can guarantee that they do not have any intention of cleaning your fuel tank. They are processing your fuel only. It takes time to clean a fuel tank and you need a pump and equipment that will use the fuel to power wash the inside of your tank. 2 gallons per minute just isn't enough force to accomplish that. 

Cleaning the fuel is the easy part. Most of the time it is not the fuel that is the problem. It is a build up of bacteria, water and particulate in the tank bottom that when you get into rough conditions starts to suspend into the fuel shutting down your filters and starving your engine of fuel. 

Bacteria will grow on the side and bottom of a fuel tank. Usually they like one tank better than the other. This is because bacteria are living organisms and they know where to set up to get the food to flow past them so that they can conserve energy. This is usually in the tank that has the most temperature changes; the tank where the hot fuel from the diesel engine is returned to the tank. 

In gas tanks we are seeing a lot of fungus. Something in the formula of gas is either encouraging the growth of fungus or the additives are not killing it. 

Wet fuel is also a problem and with the very hot weather in BC we are seeing a lot of water in tanks. The condensation is high and if the tank is not vented well the water just pours off the top of the tank. 

To check for water just take the cap off the fill and flip it over. If it is wet then you have condensation in your tank. 

Call us today at 1 888 713 1090 to get a quote for your boat.