Winterizing Biodiesel

[Bueff]

Thanks Bueff - is that heater all you needed to get the fuel flowing on a cold morning? Or did you need the extra tank as well? I would have thought heating the fuel in the fuel filter wont help if the fuel in the tank or the fuel line from the tank to the filter has solidified.

Do you reckon 5 litres of diesel in a tank of BD is enough to stop the waxing?

Well, if you fuel is solid, the only option in my opinion is a two tanks system with a heated secondary tank.
The heater will prevent waxing in the filter, depending on your feedstock for your bio it may not get solid, bu as tony said, have a play around with blends and stick them in the freezer.

[smithw]

I used to have problems in the winter with bio gelling but not since I changed the way I process my bio. I regularly have temperatures below zero and have not had any issues.
First I always pre-wash with the glycerine from the last batch, and then caustic strip the WVO before processing with KOH. I have the bio in jars from years ago before I did this and they are all solid at the moment. My Bio I use now has not shown any signs of clouding, or gelling. The WVO I use has a high amount of fats in it can be difficult to get out of the drums this time of year.

[3DB]

I went to visit a mate in the Snowy Mountains a couple of years ago and was concerned about biodiesel solidification, so I added 5% ULP to the tank when I hit Cooma. When I got up in the morning, my cubies in the back all had solidified fuel in them to some degree, but by mid-morning they had all 'thawed'. I then robbed my mate's motorbike jerry cans to dose up the cubies to approximately 5% and had no trouble all trip. I think there was frost on the ground each morning, but it wouldn't have been too far below 0.

As others have said, keeping a transparent container of the fuel you are using outside gives a good indication of what is going on in the fuel system.