Red Diesel what do I do??

[pcatterall]

Well, I knew that there were issues in Holland but I thought we would be ok in France, now it seems that we may be in trouble wherever we go.
We are preparing the boat for passage down the west coast then along to the Solent across to France and through the French canal system.
We have 100 gall capacity ( in 2 x50 gallon tanks) and about 40 gallons in at this time. Preston Marina sells only red deisel. Somehow I now have to use up or throw away 40 galls and find a way of getting suitable fuel to replace it.
I understand that ordinary road deisel will not be good for my old perkins and am not certain of what to buy and where from.
I guess that if I find a source of suitable fuel locally then I could carry and fill the 'slave' tank and run down the master tank to about 10 gallons then keep diluting it from the slave tank. This is a bit of a worry as I don't like to run the tank down too low and there will still be residue red for a long time.
Comments on my way forward will be appreciated.
Also clarification of just which white diesel I should be buying?
Also , in France, will I be able to buy the 'correct' diesel for our engine.
Are there additives that I can use to make road diesel suitable for our engine.
I will appreciate your advice as ever.

[Tradewinds]

I don't know this would help, it's listed under vintage cars & vans - might be worth talking to the company.

http://www.morrislubricants.co.uk/sc...7&idProduct=94

[Frankie-H]

Well, I knew that there were issues in Holland but I thought we would be ok in France, now it seems that we may be in trouble wherever we go.
We are preparing the boat for passage down the west coast then along to the Solent across to France and through the French canal system.
We have 100 gall capacity ( in 2 x50 gallon tanks) and about 40 gallons in at this time. Preston Marina sells only red deisel. Somehow I now have to use up or throw away 40 galls and find a way of getting suitable fuel to replace it.
I understand that ordinary road deisel will not be good for my old perkins and am not certain of what to buy and where from.
I guess that if I find a source of suitable fuel locally then I could carry and fill the 'slave' tank and run down the master tank to about 10 gallons then keep diluting it from the slave tank. This is a bit of a worry as I don't like to run the tank down too low and there will still be residue red for a long time.
Comments on my way forward will be appreciated.
Also clarification of just which white diesel I should be buying?
Also , in France, will I be able to buy the 'correct' diesel for our engine.
Are there additives that I can use to make road diesel suitable for our engine.
I will appreciate your advice as ever.

We have been in France for 10 years, on and off, we have never had any question of what diesel we are using and for most of that time we have used road diesel. Our marina does not have a pump. We also have an old perkins 4236 of 1978 vintage. It has always started at 1st touch and has no problems at all. Heavily fingers crossed.

[Twister_Ken]

We have been in France for 10 years, on and off, we have never had any question of what diesel we are using and for most of that time we have used road diesel. Our marina does not have a pump. We also have an old perkins 4236 of 1978 vintage. It has always started at 1st touch and has no problems at all. Heavily fingers crossed.

Yes, but until now HMG has not announced to all and sundry (including French douaniers) that what we're doing is illegal.

[st599]

Well, I knew that there were issues in Holland but I thought we would be ok in France, now it seems that we may be in trouble wherever we go.
We are preparing the boat for passage down the west coast then along to the Solent across to France and through the French canal system.
We have 100 gall capacity ( in 2 x50 gallon tanks) and about 40 gallons in at this time. Preston Marina sells only red deisel. Somehow I now have to use up or throw away 40 galls and find a way of getting suitable fuel to replace it.
I understand that ordinary road deisel will not be good for my old perkins and am not certain of what to buy and where from.
I guess that if I find a source of suitable fuel locally then I could carry and fill the 'slave' tank and run down the master tank to about 10 gallons then keep diluting it from the slave tank. This is a bit of a worry as I don't like to run the tank down too low and there will still be residue red for a long time.
Comments on my way forward will be appreciated.
Also clarification of just which white diesel I should be buying?
Also , in France, will I be able to buy the 'correct' diesel for our engine.
Are there additives that I can use to make road diesel suitable for our engine.
I will appreciate your advice as ever.

Wouldn't that just cause a tank full of slightly less dyed diesel.

[AliM]

Surely, you put all your red diesel in one tank. Put 10l of road diesel in the other, and check that your engine works well on it - it's likely to be OK (if it isn't work out what additives you may need). Then fill up as much as you can easily of road diesel into that clean tank (a few cc of red should be OK - see various other posts). Switch over to red diesel for the trip through the UK, which will probably almost finish it - if not, donate/sell it to another UK boater. Fill up with road diesel, and off you go.

[rob2]

Sounds a good plan except, where the hell are you going to find a garage with long emough hoses to pump 100 gal of road diesel into a boat?! Could be a good business opening for someone running a bowser along the sea wall...

The point is, you can't get white diesel anywher near any bit of UK waters!!!

Rob

[AliM]

But he doesn't need huge quantities of road diesel till he gets to France, when the marina will sell it. For the UK but, he has enough red diesel. A few cans of road diesel will be enough to test that his engine will cope with it - 10 or 20 litres is not difficult to carry from the car to the boat.

His problem is not that bit - it's if his engine doesn't like road diesel!

[Sanderling_]

Surely, you put all your red diesel in one tank. Put 10l of road diesel in the other, and check that your engine works well on it - it's likely to be OK (if it isn't work out what additives you may need). Then fill up as much as you can easily of road diesel into that clean tank (a few cc of red should be OK - see various other posts). Switch over to red diesel for the trip through the UK, which will probably almost finish it - if not, donate/sell it to another UK boater. Fill up with road diesel, and off you go.

Just make sure that the return pipe does not bleed red into the white tank!!!

[maxi77]

Well, I knew that there were issues in Holland but I thought we would be ok in France, now it seems that we may be in trouble wherever we go.
We are preparing the boat for passage down the west coast then along to the Solent across to France and through the French canal system.
We have 100 gall capacity ( in 2 x50 gallon tanks) and about 40 gallons in at this time. Preston Marina sells only red deisel. Somehow I now have to use up or throw away 40 galls and find a way of getting suitable fuel to replace it.
I understand that ordinary road deisel will not be good for my old perkins and am not certain of what to buy and where from.
I guess that if I find a source of suitable fuel locally then I could carry and fill the 'slave' tank and run down the master tank to about 10 gallons then keep diluting it from the slave tank. This is a bit of a worry as I don't like to run the tank down too low and there will still be residue red for a long time.
Comments on my way forward will be appreciated.
Also clarification of just which white diesel I should be buying?
Also , in France, will I be able to buy the 'correct' diesel for our engine.
Are there additives that I can use to make road diesel suitable for our engine.
I will appreciate your advice as ever.

You may as well bite on the bullet, you will almost certainly be on 100% road fuel as soon as you hit the mainland.