Dr. Dan's Biodiesel

As you ought to know, cold weather can create problems for folks who run biodiesel in their vehicles. The B99.9 that Dr. Dan’s is selling should be fine for most of the usual winter weather we experience in the greater Puget Lowlands, but it’s important to remember that prolonged exposure to sub-freezing temperatures can cause the fuel to gel.

There are two important factors to keep in mind: is your vehicle being driven regularly, and what are the 24-hour average temperatures it is being exposed to? Driving your car not only warms up the fuel system, but stirs the fuel in your tank to help keep solids from forming and dropping out of suspension, which can clog your fuel filter. It takes time for biodiesel to gel, and just one cold night won’t necessarily cause problems if you are driving it in the morning. Even parking your car in a spot that gets radiant heat from sunlight can make a difference. It’s also important to keep in mind that trucks tend to be more temperature sensitive than cars because of exposure and unheated fuel components. In cold weather conditions (when the average temperature is below freezing and the ground is frozen solid), you should be proactive and anticipate that the fuel in your vehicle could gel

In the event of gelling, applying heat will reconstitute the fuel. Be aware that repeated attempts to start the engine can eventually draw air into the fuel lines, resulting in a breakdown. Gelling can generally be prevented by blending with petroleum diesel, but “topping off” the tank may not necessarily work, as petro diesel is less dense than biodiesel and won’t mix well at cold temperatures. Again the solution to this potential issue is to drive your vehicle, as this will allow the fuel to blend. It’s also good to remember that a lot of gas stations don’t sell a high volume of diesel, and have inadequate filters on the pump, so it helps to get your petro diesel from higher-volume retailers like truck stops. We also recommend that you use a product like Power Service’s Diesel 911 or Clear Diesel once a year to combat water or bacteria in your fuel tank.

The chemistry of biodiesel can be complicated, and there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to cloud points and cold-start capabilities. Where one user may experience drop-out and a clogged filter, the next may have not an ounce of trouble. As always, if it is going to be below freezing for an extended period of time where you keep your vehicle, take appropriate action.

SPRING MAINTENANCE SPECIAL!!! 

We want to help keep your Biodiesel car running for as long as possible!  We provide expert, biodiesel-friendly auto repair and service for TDI’s and all diesels from Benzes, Volvos, and older VWs to Jeeps, Sprinters, and Powerstrokes.

 FOR TDIs: Get an OIL CHANGE OR a FUEL FILTER, plus a full vehicle inspection for only $99.  For other makes and models please inquire.  Thanks

Do you live outside of Seattle and are you frustrated with the lack of Biodiesel in your neighborhood?  We regularly hear from our customers in Bainbridge, Vashon and other areas that they wish that our Biodiesel was available to them locally.  Dr Dan’s is excited to announce the creation of Community BioDiesel, a facebook page for people to get together and collaborate to make their dreams of sustainable fuel a reality.  The site is a meeting place for you and neighbors to talk about how to set up your own co-op fueling station.  Dr Dan’s has a solar powered, self contained, trailered fueling station that can fill this role perfectly.

So join the Facebook group, talk to others, reply to posts, and bring high quality Biodiesel to your area.

https://www.facebook.com/COMMUNITYBIODIESEL

This weeks forecast has some cold nights expected in Seattle, with the coldest being Wednesday.  The forecasted 24 hour average temps are just above our biodiesels gel point of 25ºF. However, we know that weather predictions are not always accurate.  With that in mind we recommend that steps be taken as soon as possible to ensure your fuel doesn’t gel.  Dans own car has been running just after spending nights on Snoqualmie Pass with temps in the high teens, so OUR fuel is performing very well when the car is used regularly and kept warm.  Still, and especially if you don’t do a lot of driving in the evenings, it is a good idea to take action to prevent your fuel from gelling.  If possible park indoors at night.  If you can’t park in a garage we recommend using a small mixture of filtered, winterized petroleum diesel.  Well filtered diesel can be found at most high volume retailers like truck stops.   To make a winter blend simply pour in a dose of winterizing additive like Power Service Diesel Fuel Supplement Arctic Formula (which we carry here at Dr Dans), then add a few gallons of petroleum diesel into your tank, a blend of about 80/20 Bio/petrodiesel should be fine, be sure to check the capacity of your tank and the level of fuel in it.  Important, the winterizer will only work in conjunction with petroleum diesel (the winterizer will not blend with Biodiesel without petroleum diesel).

If your TDI is 2003 or older it may not like long term exposure to ultra low sulfur diesel unless the injection pump has already been rebuilt with seals compatible with ultra-low sulfur diesel.  Don’t add any more  sulfur fuel than you need to get through the cold snap.  We have seen TDIs not start after about 10 days of using high blends of ultra-low sulfur

Be sure to sign up for our email list to get important weather bulletins, news, and other information from Dr Dans Biodiesel.

King5 news reporter Eric Wilkinson was just here at Dr. Dan’s Biodiesel interviewing Dan about the current EPA proposal to reduce the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for petroleum fuels sold in the United States.  The RFS is what determines how much renewable fuel must be blended into petroleum.  Lately members of the American Petroleum Institute, which represents the petroleum and fossil fuel industry, have been pressuring the EPA to lower the RFS.  Learn more about the situation in this article from Biodiesel Magazine.

And be sure to watch Dan’s interview tonight on King5 at 6:30pm. 

Some of you may have noticed a couple weeks ago that we sent out a cold weather advisory for the Puget Sound region.  The forecasted temperature that weekend was 16 degrees which was below most biodiesels gelling point.  Fortunately we have not had anymore cold snaps like that but its important to know what to do if the temperature drops.  Right now the Biodiesel B99 sold here at Dr Dans is rated at 25 degrees, which means that it will start to gel when the forecasted 24 hour average temperature drops below 25.  if that happens you need to take steps to winterize the fuel.  In the Seattle area we normally don’t see those kinds of low temps, and as of today, 12/19, there is no such weather forecasted that would require further winterizing.  However, always be sure to check the forecast in your area, or areas you may be traveling, Eastern WA, or Canada for instance.  If you plan on visiting a colder climate or if your vehicle will be sitting unused for an extended period, consider blending some clean, filtered (to 10 microns or lower) diesel into your fuel tank. We also recommend that you use a product like Power Service’s Diesel 911 ARCTIC FORMULA.  To see your local conditions and forecast we recommend the National Weather Service website.  

To receive cold weather advisories and other important bulletins from Dr Dans, please sign up for our email list here.

read more about using Biodiesel in the winter…

Sustainable Ballard, a blueprint for Everytown, USA, educates, inspires, and engages neighbors to take action to live more sustainably both individually and collectively.

There will be great food, music, and words from our local leaders, including the mayor about the Sustainable Movement.

Bring the kids, a special “Kids Zone” with face painting, games, and crafts will be tons of fun for the lil ones.  I hope they let the adults participate too.

For the adults there’ll be BEER from local breweries!  Woohoo.

Sustainable Fuel Co-Op will have a booth at the festival, so come one down and learn some more about what we’re doing from our awesome board members who will be volunteering there.

There’s lots of fun to be had, check out the schedule here http://www.sustainableballard.org/schedule/