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Questions on Storing Gasoline |
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Iron Mommy
V.I.P. Member Joined: June 02 2006 Status: Offline Points: 69 |
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Posted: September 15 2008 at 3:57am |
I'm curious about storing gasoline and have some questions: Are those plastic gasoline containers safe for long term storage, or do I need a metal can? How long does gas last? Does it "expire"? What about those fuel stabilizers, like Sta-Bil? Which one should I use, and how much? Thank you! I live in a floodprone area and seeing the people dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike reminded me to have gas ready to get out of here if a storm comes our way. |
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coyote
Admin Group Joined: April 25 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 8395 |
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How long does gas last? Does it "expire"? USE Sta-bil & will last a couple years.
Are those plastic gasoline containers safe for long term storage,-Yes, dont store gas in sunlight or to close to your house. Can gas really go bad? http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING... Does gasoline really go "bad" if you leave it unused for a period of time? Some people are convinced this is just another urban legend, and that people who worry about "old gas" and spend money on fuel stabilizer are wasting psychic energy as well as cash. Compare stored gasoline with fresh gas. If you notice it is darker or smells sour it is probably bad. But in fact, gasoline can degrade over time. That can lead to a number of problems, ranging from hard starting, to rough running, to no starting at all. Here's why Unlike crude oil, gasoline is a highly refined product brewed to a certain chemical composition with very specific characteristics. One characteristic of gas is volatility, a term used to describe how easily and under what conditions the gas vaporizes so it can be efficiently burned in your car's engine. The most highly volatile components in gasoline also tend to evaporate over time. As they do, the remaining fuel's volatility and ability to combust properly degrades. The less volatile the fuel, the less effectively it burns in your engine. The result is diminished engine performance. Your engine may still start and run, but it probably won't run as well. The good news is, once the old gas has been consumed and the tank is topped off with fresh fuel, the problem should cure itself. Evaporation of volatile compounds can be limited by making sure the gas cap is secured tightly. For the same reason, be sure all portable gas containers are sealed tightly as well. Hydrocarbons in the gas react with oxygen to produce new compounds that eventually change the chemical composition of the fuel. This leads to gum and varnish deposits in the fuel system. These deposits and impurities can clog up gas lines and filters, as well the small orifices in a carburetor and the even smaller orifices in a fuel injector. Removing these deposits can be expensive and your vehicle may not run at all or run very poorly until they are removed. Water contamination Condensation can form inside your gas tank and lines from heat cycling. Fuels such as E85, which have a high concentration of ethanol alcohol, may be even more susceptible to water contamination, as ethanol likes to draw moisture out of the surrounding air. Water contamination can be a problem at gas stations with light traffic due to a slightly different kind of heat cycling. The underground storage tanks experience increases and decreases in temperature. This can cause moisture to form and contaminate the fuel. When you fill up at such a station, you're pumping in the water along with the gas. Such low-traffic stations may also have other contaminants in their underground storage tanks, such as rust. They are best avoided when possible. Water, of course, does not work too well as a fuel in an internal combustion engine. It will cause hard starting and rough running until it's purged from the system. It can also contribute to internal rusting of the gas lines and tank. The resultant scale and small particles can create a true nightmare, sometimes requiring the replacement of the gas lines and tank at considerable expense. You can reduce the chances of water contamination by keeping your car's gas tank as close to full as possible, especially if the vehicle is going to be left idle for an extended period. How do you identify bad gas? One way is to eyeball it. Oxidized fuel often turns darker over time and may even smell sour. You can check stored gasoline by pouring some into a clear glass container and comparing it side-by-side with known fresh gasoline. If your old sample looks noticeably darker than the fresh gas, you have strong evidence the gas has gone bad. How long does it take for gas to go bad? That depends on a number of factors. For one, it's hard to know how old the gas you just bought actually is. It may be fresh from the refinery, or it may be a month old already by the time you top off your tank. Some gasoline is mixed with better or more oxidation inhibitors than others. It's a good rule of thumb to avoid leaving gas in your tank or a storage container for more than a coupe of months, if you can avoid it. And if you can't? If you know gas will sit in your tank or a storage container for a couple months, then it's a wise move to buy some fuel system stabilizer and mix it in with the gasoline. Do it before you put the vehicle into long-term storage or before leaving your lawn equipment fuel containers sitting for the winter. The stabilizer helps prevent oxidation, the biggie that can turn gas into garbage that gunks up your system and leads to expensive repair work. Using fuel system stabilizer for extended storage is preferable to draining the tank and leaving the system dry. This can cause rubber hoses, gaskets and seals to dry-rot and crack, possibly leading to leaks and even a fire. In addition, a dry system can expose the insides of metal fuel lines and your gas tank to air and moisture, which can lead to or accelerate the formation of rust. Fuel system stabilizer is not a cure-all and it doesn't last forever. It must be mixed with fresh gas before the vehicle is stored, not added to already old gas. It can slow down the oxidation process and keep gas fresh for as long as 12 to 15 months. If you're going to leave the vehicle parked for longer than that, you may want to drain the tank and refill with fresh fuel before returning the vehicle to service. http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING... |
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Pookey
Valued Member Joined: July 20 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 79 |
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I just want to add a few of my own comments.
Most gas stations have some water in their tanks at all times. This settles to the bottom and is rarely a problem. But if it is at an excessive level then the subpump may pick it up.
Most stations can gauage the level of the water and have the tank pumped out when it gets too high. They rub a paste on the bottom of their messuring stick and the paste turns color in contact with water showing the level of water in the tank.
Ethanol can seperate out of blended fuel when exposed to water. I have seen samples of gasoline in a jar with gasoline on top and ethanol on the bottom. This was due to the ethanol absorbing so much water that it would no longer stay blended with the gasoline. This was at a high volume truck stop where I used to work.
One thing that I avoid is pumpling gas at the same time a truck is filling the station's tanks. All the water and crud in the bottom of the tank is agitated into the fuel you are pumping.
On one forum that I follow a Chevron engineer wrote that Chevron gas is good for a year in storage. I have personally stored gas for two and a half years with a double dose of Sta-Bil. But after 2-1/2 years the volume in a plastic container went from 5 gallons to 4 gallons. I burned this gas in my truck by topping off the tank with 2 gallons of old gas at a time (old gas is hard to get rid of otherwise). I saw no decrease in performance. The gas I burned in my generator after Ike had been stored for a year and had no issues. I now try to recycle the stored gas after a year with fresh gas and Sta-Bil. I now have four empty five gallon containers waiting for the less volitile summer bend before refilling.
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chithanh119
Experienced Member Joined: October 01 2008 Status: Offline Points: 12 |
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Thanks for your comments
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