Red / white diesel storage

[T Hectares]

I think I know the answer to this one, but...

I have a 5000 ltr tank that has stored red diesel which is now surplus, it would be handy for white diesel, I know the white will be tainted if I put it in, is it feasible to flush the tank through and use it for white ??

Or is it a no no !!

 

[Exfarmer]

Tankers transport red - white- red regularly.
Clean tank out you are fine and even more legal

 

[mixed breed]

It would need a thorough clean, I had an inspection and a small amount, 0.5% iirc of dye was found in all our road going vehicles. It was put down to the delivery driver not flushing his hose and nothing more came of it.

 

[quattro]

As long as you have receipts for white can’t see a problem when fuel strikes were on they were running lorry’s on red before going back to white

 

[Beowulf]

There is nothing illegal about operating a non-agricultural vehicle on red coloured diesel, the offence is operating a vehicle without paying the due tax on road fuel.

So long as you can demonstrate that you have been paying for 'white' (fully taxed) diesel then you cannot be found guilty of any offences. The red dye is just an indicator.

There used to be a procedure which allowed the use of red diesel in any road vehicle with the tax being paid retrospectively, but a quick check of the HMRC website reveals they have tightened that up and it is now only authorised in exceptional circumstances and requires a licence from HMRC.

 

[Exfarmer]

Could be a good idea to take photos of tank cleaning and refill.
I have scrapped several red tanks and never seen any sign of residue on the sides of the tank.
Clean as much off the bottom as you can

 

[T Hectares]

Thanks for the responses.

The problem I would have is cleaning a vertical plastic tank that is sat behind some re-enforced concrete walls.

I could only refill it or flush a few 100 ltrs through...

 

[TomD]

Tankers transport red - white- red regularly.
Clean tank out you are fine and even more legal

They are designed to be completely empty fuel tanks are not !!

 

[Lincsman]

Thanks for the responses.

The problem I would have is cleaning a vertical plastic tank that is sat behind some re-enforced concrete walls.

I could only refill it or flush a few 100 ltrs through...

Run it empty, fill with 100L of white and use that up in a tractor repeat as many times as you feel fit to dilute, then just fill it up with white.

 

[T Hectares]

Run it empty, fill with 100L of white and use that up in a tractor repeat as many times as you feel fit to dilute, then just fill it up with white.

That’s what I was thinking...