The old Straight gas demon is always lurking about and "it'll never happen to me", attitude is the weakness that makes it happen.
Yesterday my helper used one of my small gas cans normally containing mixed gas to transport Strait gas.
He left enough fuel to fill a saw but I poured the fuel into a Riding Mower instead because I was alerted. Something I normally do with mixed fuel cans is tie red plastic flag tape on the handle. When my helper put straight gas in the can he had wisely removed the red flagging which alerted me to the strait gas.
Small wise habits prevent big stupid problems and alerting helpers to the system saves saws.
I ALWAYS, mark my fuel containers and teach helpers about my system. At home, I use plastic bags with Red strap ties at the top. After the bags are filled and tied off I cut the tie not needed and stuff that in my pocket. Later I attach those to the gas can handles with Mixed fuel.
If Straight gas is put in that can I remove the red flag. It's quick and easy to mark fuel containers. Doing so is my method of NOT straight gassing a saw. Hopefully, it'll never happen to me.
I do almost the exact same thing with a piece of yellow surveyor's tape. Before I make some new 2-mix, I empty the can. Then put yellow surveyor's tape on handle. Then add straight gas, leaving surveyor's tape on handle. When I add oil to the gas, I remove the surveyor's tape from the handle and tie it around the spout for next time.
I've considered adding the oil first, but since I'm only adding 3 oz. of oil, I was afraid I would confuse 3 ounces of oil for 3 ounces of 2-mix remaining, or possibly forget that I had put the oil in the can and double-dose it. So now it's:
- Start with empty can.
- Yellow tape on handle, which means "This can needs gasoline and/or oil,
and in that order." (If there's a gallon of liquid already in the can, then I know the only thing missing is the oil.)
- Add 89 octane non-ethanol gasoline. Gasoline always goes into the can first.
- Add 2T oil. Oil always goes into the can
after the gasoline.
- As soon as I add the oil to the gas, I take the tape off handle and re-attach it to spout.
- Lather, rinse, repeat.