FAQ

What should I consider when deciding on an additive company?

An additive company should have personnel schooled in the fuel oil industry, with a thorough knowledge of petroleum technology and oil chemistry. The company should be able to provide a full complement of assistance in the design and installation of additive injection units. The company should be able to offer extensive, free, and competent technical support and fuel analyses. The company should have a reputation for providing high-quality chemicals at a reasonable price, together with friendly and prompt response to any need. The company should have the flexibility to modify its chemical package, or to develop new components, in order to satisfy the needs of the individual customer. The best company is one whose sole focus is with the fuel industry, to assist the fuel dealer/distributor in promoting the benefits of heating oil and diesel fuel. Our clients have found that C & S satisfies all these requirements.

How can I tell which chemical company is being honest about their claims?

Additives are a proven and vital tool in helping to maintain clean fuel. However, if poor housekeeping is the rule, or excessive contamination with water, sludge, or algae exists in the tank, or heavy carbon is forming at the burner tip or diesel injector, then chemicals alone may not resolve the problem. It may require several simultaneous procedures, both chemical and mechanical, and possibly even pumping out the bottom contaminants. Recognizing this, any company that promises “blanket” and immediate success, regardless of the particular conditions involved and without offering to analyze the affected product, should be considered suspect. At C & S, the customer is always given a true and honest interpretation of the problem and the efficacy of a chemical remedy.

What constitutes a cost-effective preventive maintenance additive for #2 oil? For an all-season additive for diesel fuel?

A multifunctional additive for #2 heating oil should contain stabilizers, water and corrosion inhibitors, combustion catalysts, and sludge dispersants, and possibly cold-flow improvers. An all-season diesel additive should contain pour point depressants and deicers, stabilizers, water and corrosion inhibitors, injector detergents, lubricity agents, and cetane improvers. Obviously, the cost for either package will vary depending upon quantity, packaging size, and concentration – and as with any purchase, a price unduly low or unduly high may suggest either a weak product or an overpriced one. Once all parameters are established, C & S Scientific will present an accurate cost analysis establishing a firm and cost-effective chemical proposal for any situation.

What type of treatment rates are involved with an additive program?

With today’s technology, it is now possible to provide additives that can effectively provide a myriad of benefits at treatment ratios varying from 1:1,000 up to 1:7,500. In some cases, and for specific functions, even more dilute ratios have proven beneficial. However, any treatment significantly exceeding 1:7,500 must be closely evaluated, since excessively dilute treatment ratios are often much too infinitesimal to provide any real benefit. All C & S additives are proven effective at the ratios recommended for use.

Can I really get significant increases in burner efficiency when using additives?

Yes, but as every service man knows, the reasons for low burner efficiency are many and include such factors as poor air/fuel ratio, poor atomization, viscous oil, faulty electrodes, etc. Therefore, it is unrealistic to suggest a specific quantitative increase in efficiency due to additive treatment since so many other variables are involved. It is prudent to state, however, that C & S chemical treatment will condition the oil to help attain optimum combustion and, by so doing, will overcome any fuel related issue that may have contributed to a low burner efficiency. In other words, qualitatively there will be an improvement, but the percent improvement can not be predicted.