The 4th Quarter of 2019 is here already. Looking back, we had a quite cold start to the year in my region, but we had a very smooth winter despite the freezing temperatures, thanks to several factors.

As recently as five years ago, we did not have nearly as many challenges as we do today during the winter months. The main culprit is the quality of refined fuels in the market. Modern fuels do not respond well to standard winterization. In response, it is more important than ever to approach to treat today’s fuels with a multifaceted strategy.

Proper fuel treatment is no longer a cookie-cutter program that works everywhere. For success in cold temperatures, we must first understand the characteristics of fuel sources in a given area and then identify the proper and most effective ways to treat them.

Sometimes traditional methods apply. More often, we must employ more substantial treatment concentrations and newer chemical technologies to get these fuels to respond in the way that we expect them to.

The use of #1 is also sometimes required for extreme situations. Our laboratory was instrumental last year in providing our customers with the data that we needed to accurately diagnose and treat their fuels for the cold winter months.

As we prepare for yet another Fall Harvest and Winter cold, it will be crucial to characterize the fuels refined in local areas. This step is imperative this time of year to make sure that what worked last year will work again this year. Don’t get caught assuming that everything in your program should remain the same!

By: Brian Neer, ET Sales Representative – bneer@etproducts.com