Using old Diesel

[jennyjj01]

Yup, just use it. I've used diesel that's a couple of years old and was stored in plastic cans in a shed. Went in a modern diesel citreon and an older kia. No problems at all, as others have said just throw it in with some newer stuff.

Thank You.
Well, I am surprised! Another supporting post. I was expecting a cacophony of hecklers telling me how stupid it would be to risk hundreds of pounds worth of damage.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Yup, just use it. I've used diesel that's a couple of years old and was stored in plastic cans in a shed. Went in a modern diesel citreon and an older kia. No problems at all, as others have said just throw it in with some newer stuff.

Thank You.
Well, I am surprised! Another supporting post. I was expecting a cacophony of hecklers telling me how stupid it would be to risk hundreds of pounds worth of damage.

I'd stick my neck out and say tptb don't want you hoarding fuel

Petrol does go stale but there's some in my generator 6 years old (it's a big tank) it still starts 2nd pull most of the time.... It's got stabilization liquid added and it's a sealed steel tank but it's still happy

[jennyjj01]

]Thank You.
Well, I am surprised! Another supporting post. I was expecting a cacophony of hecklers telling me how stupid it would be to risk hundreds of pounds worth of damage.

I'd stick my neck out and say tptb don't want you hoarding fuel

Petrol does go stale but there's some in my generator 6 years old (it's a big tank) it still starts 2nd pull most of the time.... It's got stabilization liquid added and it's a sealed steel tank but it's still happy

I agree. Diesel is chemically simple and stable. In some countries, commercial diesel seems to have some 'bio-diesel' mixed in which makes it more vulnerable, but in reality, how much of that can there be in mainstream UK supplies?
A family member that worked for a major transport business told me that they stockpiled diesel in IBC's and were still using that in their van fleet 5 years later without any qualms. Bear in mind this use by me is a bit of a one-off in an old '11 plate' car. I don't use adblu and do few miles per year.
I don't subscribe to many conspiracy theories, but oh so many websites seem to be just reworking the consensus 6-12 months story almost verbatim. 200 miles from now, this issue will be history and somebody elses problem.
We had stale petrol in the mower, which was resolved by just replacing it/ Petrol was easier to get rid of, by evaporation. The Diesel is more hazardous waste.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Diesel is more hazardous waste.

Unless you've got a diesel heater then it's not waste you see having one makes sense

Mrs A was so happy at my investment on a second diesel heater she started complaining she was too warm whilst camping on the wettest weekend this summer least it dried the kids shoes off and kept the damp off everything

[Nurseandy]

Getting mildly off topic, I think even petrol is more stable than some would have you believe. At this time of year I fill my motorbike tank (about 4 gallons), drain out the carburettors and leave it until probably April/May then I just fill the carbs again, press the button and away it goes. Never had any issues with stale petrol.

[grenfell]

Probably five years ago I posted on here about using old diesel. I did a quick search but couldn't find it so gave up but basically I'd had someone run into my van , 09 plate transit , so it was off the road. The insurance provided a hire van and I thought an ideal opportunity to try out some diesel that was perhaps a couple of years old. It ran fine. I'm currently running old diesel as I rotate stocks , it's stored in brimful metal jerry cans.
I also tend to store petrol over the winter. I'll stock up towards the end of the summer for use in the mower and other tools next year . That's generally been as a hedge against inflation as much as anything else. Again I've had no problems. My brother in law gave me a gallon of stale petrol which I first tried successfully in a Benghazi cooker but the rest works fine mixed with fresh in the mower.

[jennyjj01]

Just reporting back.
I'm half way through my second gallon. No signs of any problems yet. Running on old stuff barely diluted with good. Touch wood.

[grenfell]

I tend to think a lot of it depends upon the container. For long term I keep liquid fuel in metal cans topped up as much as possible to reduce the air gap and stored in a pretty stable environment. I distrust plastic containers a bit more for long term storage especially for petrol. As far as I understand a total of 30L of petrol can be legally stored which rules out the use of two 20L jerry cans and means either three 10L containers or six 5L or a combination which isn't the end of the world but is inconvenient to have different sized and shaped containers. At least just jerry cans store tidily.
I think I've mentioned it before but there is a product called Aspen fuel. It's essentially a petrol derived from lighter petroleum products and is said to be cleaner burning and have a very long shelf life. It's aimed at people who use small petrol tools and one version comes ready mixed for two stoke engines. I've tried it but frankly didn't see any benefits as a regular fuel but the regular four stroke version is said to be excellent for use in coleman stoves and the long shelf life could be a useful aspect for prepping storage. Only down side is the price as it's around £25-30 a gallon...

[Yorkshire Andy]

I tend to think a lot of it depends upon the container. For long term I keep liquid fuel in metal cans topped up as much as possible to reduce the air gap and stored in a pretty stable environment. I distrust plastic containers a bit more for long term storage especially for petrol. As far as I understand a total of 30L of petrol can be legally stored which rules out the use of two 20L jerry cans and means either three 10L containers or six 5L or a combination which isn't the end of the world but is inconvenient to have different sized and shaped containers. At least just jerry cans store tidily.
I think I've mentioned it before but there is a product called Aspen fuel. It's essentially a petrol derived from lighter petroleum products and is said to be cleaner burning and have a very long shelf life. It's aimed at people who use small petrol tools and one version comes ready mixed for two stoke engines. I've tried it but frankly didn't see any benefits as a regular fuel but the regular four stroke version is said to be excellent for use in coleman stoves and the long shelf life could be a useful aspect for prepping storage. Only down side is the price as it's around £25-30 a gallon...

For Coleman I use this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/PWD005-Tetrosy ... 3420&psc=1

[grenfell]

I can see how that would work although it doesn't look to be any cheaper than the Aspen.
A thought did occur to me however. I could probably trawl through the net to find the answer but perhaps you'll know Andy. As I understand the maximum amount of petrol that can be stored legally is 30 L. As that stuff is degreaser or is sold as that , rather than as a fuel does that make for a loophole where I could store 100L or more? Just thinking of the legal angle here not the practicalities of how long 100L would take to put through a coleman or any safety aspects . My gut feeling is that there are probably regs that don't permit it but just wondered...