Gas has a month shelf life?

[Tbizz]

Hello,

When I was deciding on which saw to get at the local shop (MS361 BTW) I was told by the dealer that ethanol is now mixed in with gasoline from the pump. I believe that, but he also said that ethanol absorbs water and that if I have gas thats been sitting for over a month that I should get rid of the fuel and get fresh gas.

Is this really an issue? And if so I've got about a gallon of no-good gas oil mix that I need to dispose of somehow. How do I do this is an eco-friendly manner?

Thanks guys

 

[Timberhauler]

I'm not sure about this one....I've had gas that was in a saw for at least three weeks,and it ran fine....Usually I can't keep a jug of gas more than two days.

 

[KennyW in CT]

Some good facts about the subject, and a product that supposedly helps with the use of 10% Ethanol Blended Gasoline.

http://www.mdramazon.com/ethanolfaq.htm

 

[computeruser]

Yeah, I think y'all have messed up gas over there. We can still get it in unadulterated form around here, thankfully. I think that the 1-month timeline is a good safe number to work with generally, and especially when you know that there is ethanol in the fuel.

To get rid of it, pour it in your car and burn it up - a half-gallon of 50:1 mixed with another 10+ gallons of gas in your tank should be a-OK to use in the car.

 

[Tbizz]

ehhhh....I don't know about putting that in my car. If I had an older car I would but I could definetly see my check engine light coming on over that. Apparently if you sneeze in my gastank it'll put the CEL on.

 

[Ekka]

cant you buy the normal stuff without the jungle juice added?

I steer clear of that E-10 stuff, car pings like crazy.

 

[Tbizz]

I don't really know...

I haven't seen any listings on the pumps or anything that state that there's 10% ethanol in them.

I was taking the word of the dealer that its in there, anyone know if they put it in fuel in the CT/MA area?

 

[KennyW in CT]

They do in Southern CT, says so on a sticker on the pump.

 

[Ekka]

Same here, pumps are marked but generally not many around except for the smaller servo chains like 7-11 who pride themselves on cheap crap gas.

The public pretty much boycotted that E-10 stuff here.

 

[KennyW in CT]

Here I've seen it at Citgo, Mobil, and Getty

 

[Mold Mechanic]

I would think they would have to put a "warning" sticker on the pump if they were blending all of the gas they sell with ethanol. I don't use it unless I have to.

 

[lobsta1]

You cannot buy gas in Ma. without ethanol. There is definitely a shelf life with the eth. mixture. The american public is being sold a bill of goods by Bush & Cheny with their ADM buddies getting the payoff.

Don't want to turn this into a political rant but it just cost me about $5000 to replace the perfectly good fiberglass tank in my boat. Had to rip up a teak deak, cut out a bulkhead & then rebuild everything after I installed a new 255 gal SS tank. It was either that or face buying new engines & THEN replacing the tank.
Al

 

[Tbizz]

Go figure

I'm sure someone is saving with the injection of ethanol, just not the end user.

 

[Husky137]

I haven't seen any listings on the pumps or anything that state that there's 10% ethanol in them.

I was taking the word of the dealer that its in there, anyone know if they put it in fuel in the CT/MA area?

Like lobsta said you can't buy gas in mass w/o 10% ethanol and the pumps are clearly marked stating the percentage of alcohol and the type of alcohol.

The guy at the local saw shop said they are starting to see problems with 2 and 4 cycle equipment.

 

[DGG]

I dump "Sta-Bil" in the gas and it is good for at least a couple of months, maybe longer but have never had it around that long. There are versions of Sta-Bil available at all good saw shops.

Whatever gas is left over (I'm about ready to drain out the snowblower) goes into the Dragon Lady's Honda Civic. Never a problem, even with 50-1 mix (which ends up 500-1 in a 10 gal gas tank).

 

[cuttinscott]

Keep the gas in sealed containers and keep out of the sun. If you follow those rules you will extend a couple more weeks. If you use the old style gas cans with a open vent the fuel will attract moisture and then will not give you the expected performance you desire. I know like Ct and Ma we here in NY have to put up with ethanol and its a PAIN IN THE A$$..

Scott

 

[STIHL-KID]

My local small engine shop owner always stresses that mix fuel that is older than 3 weeks is no good. He's the type of guy who you don't want to argue with. :taped:

 

[billyjoejr]

I look for these warning signs to spot gas with ethanol.
1. A sticker on the pump that says the gas is oxygenated.
2. Octane ratings of 89 for regular, 91 for mid-grade and 94 for premium. Gas without ethanol in my area has octane ratings of 87, 89 and 92.

 

[timberwolf]

If a can of the best gas money can buy is left out in the rain with the cap off, it will have water in it in less than a month. Also it's octane will likely been affected as the good stuff has evaporated. The difference is that ethanol or methanol being polar solvents will take up the mosture into the mixture as opposed to pure gas (if such a thing exists) where the water would just settle to the bottem as droplets.

As long as the fuel is kept in a well sealed container that does not breath, the effects of water absorbtion are minimized as are evaporative losses.

 

[rb_in_va]

ehhhh....I don't know about putting that in my car. If I had an older car I would but I could definetly see my check engine light coming on over that. Apparently if you sneeze in my gastank it'll put the CEL on.

What kind of car is it?