"fuel storage" Not volume but quaility..

[Yorkshire Andy]

Been talking to a few people lately as most will be aware Petrol goes "off" in storage,,

Now by the word storage Im not implying storing 100's of litres as that would be bloody dangerous and a slight bit Illegal.... thinking more like that thats left over winter in the Lawn mower, or the summer in the chain saw...

Anyhow someone (ex forrester / engineer ) told me Honda and Stihl engines really dont like "old fuel" as in stuff more than a few months old so all those with chain saws, bush cutters, lawnmowers it might be of interest....

Apparently (from a chemist who works in a oil refinery for one of the big uk firms) told me most fuels be them Diesel or Petrol are been cut with Organic alcohols (bio fuel blends) and many car makers for the past few years have been replacing car fuel tanks with Plastic containers over the traditional metal... why?,,,, they knew this was coming and obviously designed out the potential issues....


anyhow bit more digging and found All Uk Petrol contains Ethanol..

Future legal requirements for biofuels
Currently fuel companies are permitted and, from 2010, will be legally obliged to mix five per cent bioethanol with 95 per cent petrol and five per cent biodiesel with 95 per cent conventional diesel. Mixes at these levels will not do any damage to fuel systems, nor require any adjustments, and will be a standard ingredient of the fuel. Renault and Peugeot-Citroen are now offering some of their vehicles with the ability to use B30 - a 30 per cent biodiesel/70 per cent conventional diesel mix.

Biofuels may help to ease our reliance on fossil fuels and biodiesel is an excellent way of reusing waste cooking oil, but at current rates of fuel use they are not the complete answer. There is simply not sufficient land to grow enough crops for both food and fuel.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/news/biofuels.html


bit more reading and it turns out that Petrol now among loosing its Volatility with age also absorbs water vapour from the air....

Fine in a modern car as its fuel system is nearly all Plastic (think old cars with metal tanks fuel lines and carbs...) where as modern cars use direct injection .....


But Garden / plant machinery has failed to keep up with evolution ... As such water allegedly in the fuel can cause issues with corrosion / oxidation in carbs/ fuel tanks / valve areas of the inlet and exhaust due to excessive condensation from exhaust vapours...


Getting to the nub of the matter most suppliers of garden machinery now sell fuel stabiliser additives and seem to endorse their use.....


http://engines.honda.com/parts-and-supp ... mendations

http://www.stihlusa.com/information/art ... equipment/

http://www.briggsandstratton.com/us/en/ ... -additives


Anyone



Looking at the Amazon reviews they seem to be popular eg:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews ... Descending


Does anyone use it as part of their prepping as it seems a rather handy thing to be using if you have a can of fuel spare for the Garden tools or a generator for standby use to protect / preserve / make much easier to start?

Got a bottle of the Brigs stuff but cant really comment on how good it is or isn't suppose time will tell as the lawn mower was a c u next tuesday to start this spring i run it up last night with a measure in the tank to draw it though .. Suppose time will tell .....

[preppingsu]

Have a read here

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=6886&hilit=Fuel+stabiliser

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2376&p=23867&hilit ... ser#p23867

Not sure if that helps?

[Spiderwebb]

Interesting stuff, cheers for sharing. All news to me so nope, not tried the additives. But you've prompted a question! -

Is there a way of accurately testing the quality of fuel?

Obviously there's the 11th hour approach of trying to use it and hoping for the best, but could I monitor it say weekly/monthly and somehow detect a deterioration? I'm assuming here the quality doesn't just fall off a cliff?

[Yorkshire Andy]

Ive seen those su thanks

I know about the legalitys of storage

I was reading last night that in the case of Brigs and straton they altered the recipe and dosage of their "Fuel fit" in the past year or so..

from this




which protected older none ethanol fuels from going off


to this



which will apparently protect from ethanol based problems....


Was just curious as to other peoples findings and to raise a bit of awareness to those who haven't come across the "problem" or just knacker themselves every time the try and pull the mower off

[Spiderwebb]

.....or just knacker themselves every time the try and pull the mower off

Apologies Yorkshire Andy, but I must confess to a juvenile chuckle at this. Shameful, I know.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Watch them blisters dont hurt too much.......... (Did that trying to start a stubborn hired honda Concrete vibrator in the cold at work last winter)







truly horrid bit of kit to use... but it saved hours of tamping to release air pockets in the trench

[Steveo82]

You've opened my eyes to this Andy. I haven't noticed any difference over the years. I just thought all hand pulls were only there to P me off.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Tell me about it the blisters trying to start that hired honda machine were horrid especially when exposed to cement at the same time....


If you have "The Range" near you they have the old and new Brigs stuff in £2.50 for the old stuff and £5.00 ish for the new.... (well the Scunthorpe branch did)

got one of each slapped the old stuff in the lawn mower/ generator and some old but ok fuel in half a can Not got any 2 stoke mixed at the moment.....

will keep the new good stuff for the next refill of the 10l jerry can It cant do any harm (i hope) If it makes the mower easier to start next spring it will have been £2.50 / £5 well spent!

[Malthouse]

This has been happening noticeably with marine petrol for a few years, lots of systems designed to catch water in fuel have been showing it up and equally systems without traps have been caught out.

[Yorkshire Andy]

This has been happening noticeably with marine petrol for a few years, lots of systems designed to catch water in fuel have been showing it up and equally systems without traps have been caught out.

what damage has it been doing?