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How to Prepare for the Polar Vortex of 2015

AFS brings to you some cold weather tips…


After much of New England went two months with barely a dusting, the recent battery of storms has brought more snow in seven days than in any stretch of that length in more than a century, according to National Weather Service records. Monday’s storm, coming on the heels of the massive blizzard Juno a week ago, seemed to gain steam through the day, dumping 15.9 inches by 7 p.m. at Logan International Airport. For many, the latest storm brought a sense of weary deja vu, residents once more digging out, drivers once again scraping windshields. Around the region, people huddled at bus stops and shivered on train platforms against a stinging mix of ice and snow and if that doesn’t make you want to move to sunny Florida, then maybe the thought of MORE snow on the way will! According to www.weather.com, the Northeast is expected to get even more snow Saturday through Tuesday, calling it, “A Long Lasting Winter Event.”

As we prepare for additional upcoming winter storms, we want to remind our customers that the best severe weather preparation is preventative rather than reactive. Please check your inventory and make sure you are well equipped and geared up for the cold days ahead of us! With these harsh cold temperatures, the paraffin wax that makes up a portion of the diesel fuel mixture has the tendency to thicken, potentially advancing to the point where it can plug your fuel filter, preventing the engine from running at all. In these cold weather months, you definitely don’t want your diesel fuel to start gelling!

In order to best plan for these weather emergencies, we recommend you think about ordering these products for cold flow on the road or your homeowners outside tanks:

WDA-1500 provides excellent winter performance with a wide range of diesel fuels. It contains a combination of advanced cold flow polymers and a jet fuel deicing compound to maximize winter protection by preventing ice crystal formation. Low Pour is formulated to control the growth of wax crystals that can form during cold weather operation. The addition of Low Pour helps heating oil flow through filters at reduced temperatures. DRITEK is used to reduce water contamination in fuel storage tanks; to inhibit bacterial growth; and even to act as a water “anti-freeze” during severely cold weather. RED ALERT is a winter middle distillate fuel additive for emergency use when fuel has gelled, or anticipated extreme circumstances that are beyond normal winter conditions. The anti-gel and de-ice combination dissolves gelled fuel that has already collected on the fuel line filter. SubZero is a multifunctional middle distillate fuel additive. It functions as a wax modifier to improve low temperature operability of diesel fuel.

Contact us if you have any questions about how you can best prepare your tanks, trucks and fleets for the upcoming weather!

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American Energy Coalition (AEC) American Trucking Association – Technology Maintenance Council (ATA-TMC) Clean Fuels Alliance America...

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