Gungadin

Anyone beside me have Ritch's Brew fuel with crud in the jug ? I have two jugs with what seems like disolved paper or some such crud in the never opened fuel jugs. Caused a headache for a while with a couple of my engines running bad cause of the blockage in the carb and needle. Also plugged up a pump. When I removed the fuel filter this foriegn matter had matted up and packed itself into a paper washer plugging the filter screen. When I found this crud in the filter I then started looking at the fuel jugs and sure enough you could see this stuff floating around when you held it up to the light. So I filtered two gallon jugs thru a paper filter and could see this stuff in the paper filter. I was surprised how much of this crud I got from two gallons of this fuel. Once filtered it ran OK, but it caused some engine running problems on two of my engines for a while. Had to take the carbs off and clean them both real good. The best I could describe this crud is if you could imagine tearing off small chunks of a paper napkin and having it almost disolve in the fuel jug for a couple of months. It takes on the consistency of very filmy transparent crud that you can hardly see with the naked eye. Anyway thats what happened to me and I wondered if it has happened to anyone else, or am I the only lucky guy..

XJet

If the fuel has castor oil in it then it could be wax precipitating out of that.

Good castor should not produce a waxy precipitate though.

If it's synthetic I have no idea. Who knows what they use for synthetic in that brand.

pe reivers

It's castor flaking. You cannot filter it out, new flakes will appear as fast as you can filter out the old ones. It is caused either by fuel standing too long, or inferior quality castor oil. Normally, when racing with castor, you need to use up the mixed fuel within 24 hours. It can stand in a metal, non-zinc plated jar for longer though, but this is "the rule".

RCPAUL

My Feedback: (1)

Clarence Lee commented on this years ago. The castor is probably rancid and nothing can be done to fix it. If the flakes do not go away as the fuel is warmed, dump it.

paul

downunder

Years ago over on SSW someone with access to a chemical laboratory had these flakes analysed and they contained xylene (from memory) which can be used for chemical extraction of the remaining oil after pressing has got as much as possible from the bean. Apparently it doesn't cause any harm until the fuel gets cold and then the flakes settle out. I've never seen these flakes using Castrol M when I've had fuel in my freezer doing experiments but I can't comment on any other brand of castor. I've had fuel mixed with Castrol M standing for years and it stays completely mixed.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I've been using Rich's brew since 2001 and never seen any flakes. I have a couple gallons in the garage now.

pe reivers

It seems, that some time ago, batches of castor were sold as AA quality that were not quite up to that standard. It gave fuel mixers a hell of a time.

Fuel Dinosaur

Castor oil is a natural product and can grown fungus and various common mildews. Use Bakers AA grade and you will seldom ever have this problem. If you use straight castor, say from SIG, keep it open only long enough to quickly pour out what you need and tightly cap it back. Best stored at room temperature in the dark, like the bottom of a closet and not outside in the cold. Also, some commercial fuels are not refiltered after being made, that is the reagents are filtered, but not always the final product. Not good. Also, use a fuel filter in your engine line and one coming from your fuel and you will fare better. Hope this helps

Gungadin

Guys--I know what you mean about "Flakes", but this is NOT what I'm talking about. This fuel is supposed to be "all synthetic", so what I got out of it is not hardened up flakes of castor. I swear it was some type of paper substance cause when I pulled the fuel filter there was almost a "gasket" made up of this stuff under the screen. It had compressed itself to form this "gasket like" washer in the filter. Almost like "lint" if you pressed it together. Any way I don't suppose it really matters what the foreign matter was. In many years of playing with fuel & engines I don't recall ever having this kind of issue with store bought fuel. Must have gotten past their "Quality Control" department I suppose. Just a less than wonderful experience with this fuel. Sometimes you try something new and you are happy with what you tried. And sometimes you try a different brand of fuel and get little surprises that make you say I guess I should stick with what I always used. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. You live and learn. So I'm sending my check for a Powermaster fuel purchase for the up-coming flying season, just like I have for the last ten years with the exception of last season when I switched to this other brand.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I call this stuff "Filter Fuzz". I've found it in the carb filter screens of my gas engines and also on the fuel jug pump foot valve screen when using Omega fuel at times. I guess my turn is coming with the Rich's Brew but so far I have not experienced it. it will "Mat" on a screen like fine cat hair.

Jezmo

I have seen it but I don't remember what brand fuel I was using at the time. I just know it wasn't Rich's brew. It was also straight Synthetic fuel like you say, I just can't remember the brand. Too dang old I guess; memory's fading fast.

pe reivers

I am getting confused:
Are we talking glow, or gas fuel??

Gungadin

We are talking Glow Fuel my friend

pe reivers

Thanks, I thought so, but needed to be sure.

skull1971

Welcome to Ritch's Brew!! Not to pick on anybody, but I just use the stuff to wash parts. It's also a good bug killer,. It's cheaper, and you get what you pay for.

Gungadin

Yes I will have to agree with you in that "you get what you pay for." You live and learn. I won't make the same mistake twice. Got some Powemaster fuel on the way. All glow fuel is not created equal. Some are more equal than others. Just my humble opinion.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I can hardly wait for the 4 weeks before I go to Toledo and buy my 12 gallons of Rich's brew for the flying season.

Jezmo

I live about 8 or 9 miles from Randy's shop. They have always treated me exceptionally well and for the last 5 or 6 yrs I haven't had anything but good luck with his fuel. (As I am getting older I don't remember alot about the fuels I ran longer ago than that so I don't want to comment out of line) I am not one to just use one brand of fuel and his seems to run just as good as some others that I have to pay more for. The only reason I don't use Rich's brew more is I have a LHS just a couple of miles from my house and sometimes it's just too convenient to stop there and spend another dollar or two instead of driving the extra miles. Again, Randy has always treated me good and I have never had any problems with his fuel that I recall.

Fuelman

My Feedback: (6)

Guys, don't beat up on too bad on Ritches Brew for some stuff in there. I'm sure it had nothing to do with his quality control. Sometimes its easy to get some "dirty" bottles straight from the bottle maker. I know what you are describing and to me it sounds like the lose fibers that sometimes will static cling to the fiberboard boxes. When bottles are made, they're packed in their ordered cardboard boxes (without caps), palleted up and delivered to the fuel manufacturer. It is a distinct possibility that some of the cardboard fuzzies that cling to the boxes can get in a freshly made gallon jug. There is absoutly no way to visually inspect every bottle and clean it. It can happen guys, period.

If you guys filtered a gallon of milk, you might just scare yourself, ever wonder how fuel filters on cars get so much crud in them? Run a fuel filter on your jug picup line and one before the carb on the engine. Then periodicly clean them.

The castor flake thing. That happens too. It being AA grade (a Rutherford Chemical trade mark), or another companies chemical equal, has no bearing on weather it will flake or not. Good pure castor (AA or its equal) is de-gummed. Other grades have different properties that do not make it a suitable premix engine lubricant, however all AA and its equals are de-gummed. Degummed castor in its pure form can mold, grow bacteria and get spoiled, much of that has to do with how the bean was processed and the quality of that particular bean crop. Pure castor will not blend with nitromethane, any time nitro is used in a fuel it increases the likelyhood of flakes forming as the temp drops or as time goes on. Methanol is needed to keep the castor in solution when nitro is present, a touch of acetone helps lower the flake point too. All AA castor or its equal will solidify as the temps drop, period. I have drums in one of my unheated areas. Opening a drum of castor (I have actual Caschem/Rutherford AA Castor), when its cold (i.e.: 20 or so F), you have a near solid. Let it get down to about 10 deg F, its a solid blick that you would need an ice cream scooper to get out.

MassiveMods

That kinda ice cream keeps you regular hey BB ahahha

PLANE JIM

My Feedback: (109)

I am with you Jezmo-I have used it for years and never had a problem, Ritch's Brew is not a miracle-it will not make a junk engine run good again. I have never used it for bug killer or parts washing but I guess that guy might have drank some instead and maybe under the influence.

david01

I bought 8 gallons of Rich's Brew at Toledo. Since then, I've been known as "Dead Stick Dave". I've got some fuel for sale.......cheap

Gungadin

david Try filtering it through an old T shirt or even a couple layers of tissue. That's what I had to do with mine to get the crud out. I know what you mean about the dead sticks. I had the same problem untill I filtered it to remove the foreign material.

blw

My Feedback: (3)

Coffee filters work well too.

Jim Thomerson

I have run Sig Champion 10% nitro, 20% oil 50/50 for many years. I have two filters on my syringe line. There is a heavy filter, like a clunk, on the end, and a crap trap up a few inches. I take the crap trap on down off to fill the tank with the syringe. While back I noticed it was hard to suck fuel into the syringe. There was nothing in the crap trap, but, when I took the bottom filter apart, I found a compact mass of fine fibrous material as described above. Never had the problem before or since.