Southfuel carry only the highest quality ofuels
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Low sulphur diesel
- 91 octane unleaded petrol
We have nine trucks operating out of 5 ports throughout the South Island. Bluff, Dunedin, Timaru, Christchurch and Nelson.
Our aim is to have your fuel delivered within 5 working days of ordering. To ensure a more efficient delivery service, we recommend you go onto a regular cycle, where as our drivers will ensure your fuel is topped up when you need it and well before you run out.
Winter Diesel
All diesel fuels contain wax molecules. These are natural components of the crude oil that diesel is produced from. Wax is considered an important diesel component because of its high cetane value, which enhances the ignition quality of the fuel. However in severe winter temperatures, the wax starts to crystallize (solidify). This phenomenon is known as “waxing” and can cause blockages in your fuel systems.
All winter grade diesel supplied by Southfuels meets or exceeds the New Zealand legal specifications. For colder regions such as the Mackenzie Country and Central Canterbury, Southfuels supplies a special winter grade diesel suitable for use in temperatures down to minus 9 °C.
However, in extreme conditions, temperatures can even drop below the temperature at which waxing would occur with standard winter grade diesel. If your location has been identified as being regularly subject to such conditions, Southfuels will provide extra protection against waxing in these extreme conditions by providing a fuel that will have much improved cold properties over the whole year. This protection is provided by treating the fuel with additives which lower the temperature at which waxing will occur. This winter grade diesel with added protection will be provided at no extra cost to cover your winter fuel requirements.
However, although this winter grade diesel fuel supplied by Southfuels will improve the cold performance of the fuel, it may not provide sufficient cold performance for diesel. This will be dependent on the temperatures experienced in your region and the individual conditions under which the diesel is stored in your specific location. Due to the recent changes to the New Zealand diesel fuel specifications (reduction in sulphur content to a maximum of 50 mg/kg), fuel suppliers can no longer supply diesel fuel for use in diesel engines that are dosed with kerosene.
It may be that you want to provide some extra protection against waxing by adding kerosene to your diesel fuel. Dosing with 10% kerosene will improve the fuel cold properties. You can order kerosene by phoning the Southfuels call centre on 0800 99 99 89, and have it delivered to your site freight free. The kerosene comes in 20L and 209L drums. If pumping to your tank is a problem, an aluminium rotary pump that is capable of pumping 40L per minute is available from Southfuels at a cost of $76.50 plus gst.
To avoid winter waxing problems, it is important that you do not use summer grade diesel during winter. If you mix winter grade diesel with the remaining summer grade diesel in your storage tanks, the summer grade diesel will have the larger effect on the diesel cold properties. Try to reduce the volume of summer grade diesel to a minimum before restocking with winter grade diesel.