Soap tests

Testing for Soap

Why do we do it?

Soap can be seen as one of the three contributors to fuel system failures and faults. The other two are methanol still in the fuel and poorly converted fuel.

There are two ways of testing: 1, the 50/50 shake-em-up test. 2, a titrated test that will give a ppm (parts per million) result.

The 50/50 test is relativly simple to perform.

Equipment needed: Biodiesel Deionised water A measuring Cylinder A jar large enough to take an equal measure of water and oil

Take a sample of dried, finished fuel, eg 50ml. Place it into a glass container and add 50ml of deionised water.( I suggest the use of deionised water because there have been concerns and odd results of shake-em-up tests due to the varying water quality throughout the UK.)

Then shake the living daylights out of it. This will create an emulsion of water and oil. Allow it to stand. Within a few minutes you should see the fuel and water begin to split. When the fuel/water sample has fully seperated you can then determine the results by a simple visual check. For a good pass, indicating little or no soap present the emulsion should separate quickly and the water layer should have the same crystal clear clarity it had before the test began. The fuel layer on top will now be cloudy. This is perfectly normal as the bio has taken on some of the moisture from the water.