Home heating oil and really cold weather

[Jerry/MT]

So, in spite of putting winter additives into my diesel fuel, I had some gelling problems last weekend. Granted, it was the coldest that it'd been in PA in my whole lifetime, I'd say, so it wasn't too shocking. But, it got me wondering, home heating oil must have some sort of additive to prevent it from gelling like that, considering it is used pretty much only when it's cold. Is this a safe assumption? If so, I might switch to using that in my Kubota if there is no harm in doing so (either to the engine or to the cost effectiveness).

Are you sure that your fuel gelled and it wasn't frozen water causing the problem? Frozen water in fuel is more common and can happen when the temperature drops below freezing as opposed to the lower temps required for fuel gelling.

Pouring in PS White with a full tank isn't going to mix up very well and any water is at the bottom of the tank. Frozen water at the tank bottom will really put you out of commission. Treat the fuel when you fill not after.Using PS White will disperse the water and the filter will take it out and plug up. That's easier to deal with then a frozen tank outlet. Keep a spare fuel filter and/or water seperator filter on hand so you can change it out when it freezes.

As a preventive, keep your tank full and drain your filter and your water separator (if you have one) before and after every use in the winter.