Diesel has paraffin wax in it. That's normal — it's part of the fuel and part of what makes it burn the way it does. The trouble starts when the temperature drops far enough that the wax comes out of solution and turns the fuel cloudy.

Keep going down and those wax crystals stop passing through your filter. That's gelling, and in Iowa it isn't a rare event. It's a season.

What Gelling Looks Like at Six in the Morning

It rarely announces itself. Usually the engine starts, runs a minute, then loses power as the filter plugs — or it won't start at all. Either way you're thawing out a tractor instead of doing what you got up to do.

The fix is always cheaper before it happens than after:

• Move to winter-grade fuel before the first hard freeze, not after
• Use an anti-gel additive as directed, and add it before the fuel gets cold
• Change fuel filters going into winter — a partly loaded filter plugs first
• Keep tanks fuller in cold weather to cut down on condensation

Water Is the Other Half

Every partly empty tank breathes. Warm days and cold nights pull moist air in, and that moisture condenses on the tank walls and settles to the bottom.

In July that's a nuisance. In January it's ice in your fuel line. Keeping bulk and equipment tanks topped off through the winter is the simplest thing you can do about it — and it's a good reason not to coast into December on a quarter tank.

Don't Forget the DEF

DEF freezes at around 12°F. That won't hurt the fluid — it thaws out fine and your equipment's system is built to warm it — but jugs and totes sitting outside will freeze solid and won't do you any good at seven in the morning.

Store what you can inside, and keep enough on hand that a frozen tote doesn't shut you down.

While the Tank Is on Your Mind

October is a good month to look at the whole fuel setup, not just what's in it. A few things worth checking:

1. Water in the bottom of bulk tanks — drain it before it freezes
2. Filters and screens on the tank and on the equipment
3. Hoses and nozzles for cracks that cold weather will finish off
4. Whether your tank is sized for how you actually use it now

Serving Farms Across North-Central Iowa

W&H Cooperative delivers bulk fuel, diesel, DEF, and lubricants to farms and businesses across Webster, Humboldt, and Wright counties and the surrounding communities, including:

• Fort Dodge and Badger
• Humboldt, Dakota City, and Livermore
• Eagle Grove and Renwick
• Gilmore City, Vincent, Rutland, and Bode
• Otho, Barnum, Duncombe, and the surrounding rural communities

Nearly a century in, we know what an Iowa winter asks of a fuel tank. Call 800-392-3816 and let's get yours ready.