DEF stability question for newbie

[Njmurvin]

I'm new to GM and DEF but not new to diesels. I owned a Dodge 3500 5.9 Cummins for 16 years before getting this 3500 LT.  I bought the truck primarily for towing my fifth wheel (and occasional Home Depot runs) and I can say it is a beast at that task. It has so much more power than my Ram and the 10 speed transmission (as compared to the 4 speed 48RE) is simply a dream.

 

So, I now live in the world of DEF, DPF and regens and it is all new to me. Here is my concern. I drive very few miles with the truck ... probably in the neighborhood of 5K/yr. Is the DEF fluid in the tank of the truck going to remain stable with this light usage? I store the truck in the garage which helps.  But, I live in Southern California and it can get pretty hot in the summer.

 

[Thankful]

Yes, I drive about 6 to 8 thousand miles each year and I'll put some fresh DEF in about twice each year.  I've had 4 Duramaxes which require DEF and none have ever given me a warning of  "bad" DEF.   Here is some data I found: "The shelf life of DEF is a function of ambient storage temperature. DEF will degrade over time depending on temperature and exposure to sun light. Expectations for shelf life as defined by ISO Spec 22241-3 are the minimum expectations for shelf life when stored at constant temperatures. If stored between 10 and 90 deg F, shelf life will easily be one year. If the maximum temperature does not exceed approximately 75 deg F for an extended period of time, the shelf life will be two years."

[Njmurvin]

Well, sunlight shouldn't be an issue.  And 99% of the time the temp will be under 90 deg.  There will be a few days during the year where it will exceed that.  It will never be under 10 deg. Based on my DEF usage for the first 1000 miles, it looks like I will need a tank every 2500 miles or so which equates to twice per year.  So, I guess I'll be OK.  Thanks.

[48548]

I have 255xx on my 12 and no issues yet.... i live in Phoenix and my truck is a garage and the garage currently during the day is easily 100+ degrees...

 

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