More Info On Phase Separation

September 15, 2008

With the recent storms coming through the Southern US, we have been getting numerous calls regarding Phase Separation and Water in Ethanol Blended Fuels. Many Environmental Companies conclude that if the fuel is phase separated at the bottom of the tank then all of the product in that tank should be discarded and new product brought in. This is a myth.

When viewing samples of Phase Separated fuels you can see that in time the contaminated product falls out similar to water. When this contaminant falls out it can take the Octane Rating with it. This is where things can get complicated because the remaining fuel may look clean and clear but the octane rating that was maintained by having Ethanol has now been lost and may cause vehicles to run poorly. Octane test kits are available but very expensive. We Clean Tanks can provide Octane testing and determine if the fuel is salvageable. Once Octane Rating is determined we can then calculate the needed amount to reblend the levels to spec if possible. Don't throw away good fuel!