I'm just starting to see some signs of something that looks like alge on the
walls of my Racor sediment bowl so I decided it was time to put something in
the tank to get ahead of the problem before there is so much that killing it
produces a mass of sludge to clog the filters.

After looking at the dire poison warnings on many of the bottles, I bought
Starbritte StarTron. The enzyme approach seems to make sense. According to
the brocure on the bottle, it seems to prevent the alge from clumping rather
than killing it.

I did the research after since I needed to fill the tank and, with my
economical engine, there may not be another fill this summer.

The research:

Found this site which look good and has some testimonials from reputable
sounding people:

http://www.priproducts.com/default.htm

They say:

"Soltron, also re-packaged as Startron, is composed of odorless mineral
spirits, a form of high-grade kerosene. Soltron makes the bold claim that
the product contains biological enzymes that "eat" impurities in fuel
including microorganisms, hence improve fuel stability. Fact is, enzymes are
amino acids - not living organisms that "eat". Chemically, amino acids are
typically not capable of surviving in a hydrocarbon base, including
petroleum fuels. While Soltron provides "testimonials" from individual
users regarding product effectiveness, independent laboratory testing for
fuel stability tells a completely different story.
We had Soltron independently tested by Saybolt - Core Laboratory, a well
respected international petroleum testing laboratory that routinely conducts
petroleum testing for major refiners. The industry standard ASTM-D2274
testing provided the following results. In summary, Soltron failed to
improve fuel stability. In fact, it made the fuel, a California Air
Resources Board mandated low-sulfur diesel (0.02%), less stable."

Of course, they also say not to believe anything you read on a website
(except theirs).

I'm sure this is the kind of thing where there are as many opinons as
posters to this newsgroup but, the questions of the day a

Is all this stuff snake oil?

Is putting powerful and dangerous biocides in the tank and pulling the
sludge out with the filters the only option? (In between major fuel
polishing episodes.)

Does anyone know a qood source of objective information about what works and
doesn't?

--

Roger Long

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 17:48:23 -0400, "Roger Long"
wrote:

Is putting powerful and dangerous biocides in the tank and pulling the
sludge out with the filters the only option? (In between major fuel
polishing episodes.)

I've had good luck with Biobor. If it's not toxic, it won't
accomplish much. Be prepared to change your filters a little more
often for awhile. I loaded up my tanks with the recommended shock
dosage last year and was changing filters every 50 to 100 gallons for
awhile. Now I've just run through over 1400 gallons in the last month
with only one change.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 17:48:23 -0400, "Roger Long"
wrote:

Is putting powerful and dangerous biocides in the tank and pulling the
sludge out with the filters the only option? (In between major fuel
polishing episodes.)

I've had good luck with Biobor. If it's not toxic, it won't
accomplish much. Be prepared to change your filters a little more
often for awhile. I loaded up my tanks with the recommended shock
dosage last year and was changing filters every 50 to 100 gallons for
awhile. Now I've just run through over 1400 gallons in the last month
with only one change.

Every 50 to 100 gallons? Good gravy! I haven't used 20 gallons in 6 years.
This is going to take a while...

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 19:58:08 -0500, "KLC Lewis"
wrote:

Every 50 to 100 gallons? Good gravy! I haven't used 20 gallons in 6 years.
This is going to take a while...

Clearly you need bigger engines... :-)

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 19:58:08 -0500, "KLC Lewis"
wrote:

Every 50 to 100 gallons? Good gravy! I haven't used 20 gallons in 6 years.
This is going to take a while...

Clearly you need bigger engines... :-)

"Engines," the man says. lol

Ya, that would certainly help :-D

Wayne.B wrote:

Clearly you need bigger engines... :-)

I get about 20 emails a day saying I need something bigger but this is the
first time anyone has mentioned engines.

--
Roger Long

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:26:54 -0400, "Roger Long"
wrote:

Wayne.B wrote:

Clearly you need bigger engines... :-)

I get about 20 emails a day saying I need something bigger but this is the
first time anyone has mentioned engines.

Yeah, I get those loan solicitations too.

--Vic

Whatever you use, follow directions. Too much is NOT a good thing
G

"Wayne.B" wrote

I've had good luck with Biobor.

That's the stuff I almost bought. Do you just pour it in the tank before
filling?

I was buying just before I needed to fill the tank. The print on the Biobor
Jr. bottle was so small that, even with my glasses, I could only make out a
few phrases that looked like, "full protective clothing", "pre mix with
(some quantity) of fuel", etc. It was the latter that really made up my
mind because I didn't have time to arrange the necessary containers and
means of transfer.

The StarTron says that there is absolutely no risk of interaction with other
fuel treatments. (If the PRI people are correct, that's easy to believe.)
I could still try Biobor when I use up the next half tank.

Another question: Does the alge sludge get through the primary filter? I
plan to put a vacuum gauge in my fuel line the next time I open up the fuel
system. However, my secondary filter is downstream of both fuel pumps so I
can't put a gauge on that one unless it was a pressure gauge just before the
filter.

--
Roger Long

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 06:31:41 -0400, "Roger Long"
wrote:


"Wayne.B" wrote

I've had good luck with Biobor.

That's the stuff I almost bought. Do you just pour it in the tank before
filling?

I was buying just before I needed to fill the tank. The print on the Biobor
Jr. bottle was so small that, even with my glasses, I could only make out a
few phrases that looked like, "full protective clothing", "pre mix with
(some quantity) of fuel", etc. It was the latter that really made up my
mind because I didn't have time to arrange the necessary containers and
means of transfer.

The StarTron says that there is absolutely no risk of interaction with other
fuel treatments. (If the PRI people are correct, that's easy to believe.)
I could still try Biobor when I use up the next half tank.

Another question: Does the alge sludge get through the primary filter? I
plan to put a vacuum gauge in my fuel line the next time I open up the fuel
system. However, my secondary filter is downstream of both fuel pumps so I
can't put a gauge on that one unless it was a pressure gauge just before the
filter.

Good questions. If I still have a fair amount of fuel when I start, I
just pour in the total amount of Biobor that I will need. Otherwise I
will fill part way, add the Biobor, and resume fueling. I wear rubber
gloves when handling it. It's a good practice to wear them when
handling diesel also.

My primary filters are 10 micron Racors with vacuum guages. As long
as I keep an eye on the vacuum and swap out the Racors in a timely
manner, the secondary filters mounted on the engine stay clean. The
sediment bowl on the Racors also needs to be checked periodically.

I replace the secondary fuel filters once a year as preventive
maintenance.