Saw Storage

[VINIFIREWOOD]

Sea Foam

Seafoam contains alchohol. Using it as a preservative might not be such a good idea.

Sea Foam is a Petroleum based product and will help control the ill effects of Ethanol blended fuels, even E85, during storage for up to two years.
Here is a link to their web site. Sea Foam | Tech Info - Gas Engines

I have been using Sea Foam for as long as I can remember in all my engines, gas, diesel, 2-stroke, and it has always done its job well.

I believe in Sea foam, others here use other fuel stabilizing products. I say use what is readily available to you and use it religiously, in every batch of mix you make. About the time you think, "oh ya I'll burn this tank up no problem, I'll wait till the next one", something goes amuck with your plan and your equipment ends up sitting and then your screwed.

Good luck, stay safe

 

[missedbass]

Sea Foam is a Petroleum based product and will help control the ill effects of Ethanol blended fuels, even E85, during storage for up to two years.
Here is a link to their web site. Sea Foam | Tech Info - Gas Engines

I have been using Sea Foam for as long as I can remember in all my engines, gas, diesel, 2-stroke, and it has always done its job well.

I believe in Sea foam, others here use other fuel stabilizing products. I say use what is readily available to you and use it religiously, in every batch of mix you make. About the time you think, "oh ya I'll burn this tank up no problem, I'll wait till the next one", something goes amuck with your plan and your equipment ends up sitting and then your screwed.

Good luck, stay safe

Haven't tried it yet but heard good things about it

 

[Philip Wheelock]

I'm just curious to know, is it better to run your saws dry and store them like that, which is what I've been doing or put some tru fuel in them and store them that way. Another option is to put tru fuel in them and then run em dry, just worried about ethanol.

Passing on suggestions from the local dealer: Drain the tank, run tru fuel or motomix to get all old fuel out of the motor, and drain the tank again. Don't run the motor dry.

 

[bikesandcars]

I'm nowhere as experienced as most here, but here's my opinion.

I've always stored my 2-stroke dirtbike, chainsaws, weed-eaters, etc with fuel in. In my dirtbike I turn the fuel petcock off. That's it

The only thing that failed was a 20 year old Poulan when the fuel line eventually wore out and the filter came off (maybe because of modern fuels). I replaced that fuel line with an ethanol resistant line and have not had an issue since.

I see no reason to do any of the following if your chainsaw has ethanol resistant fuel lines and carburetor diaphgrams (i.e. is a modern working chainsaw).

1) Drain the tank .. why expose yourself to fuel handling hazard?
2) Run the engine dry .. This can cause more harm than good from a lean condition.
3) Run $32/gallon tru-fuel .. This hurts the pocketbook.

If your chainsaw doesn't have ethanol resistant lines I suggest you rebuild it with resistant lines after they fail.

The only positive use I see for tru-fuel is for VERY infrequent users. If you use it that infrequent (like once every other year) then draining procedures might be in order. If you run an antique saw that you care about keeping in OE condition, you use VERY infrequently, and/or parts are impossible to find I understand that tru-fuel thing.. but for a working saw or for standard power equipment why bother.

I do not believe additives outside of a solid air-cooled 2 stroke motor oil do enough to justify their investment for most people. Most modern 2-stroke blends are designed to mix with ethanol and have stabilizers in them.

You're gonna need to rebuild or throw that saw away every 20 years anyway, regardless of draining the fuel or otherwise.

opcorn

 

[missedbass]

Passing on suggestions from the local dealer: Drain the tank, run tru fuel or motomix to get all old fuel out of the motor, and drain the tank again. Don't run the motor dry.

exactly!!

 

[mikefunaro]

I'm nowhere as experienced as most here, but here's my opinion.

I've always stored my 2-stroke dirtbike, chainsaws, weed-eaters, etc with fuel in. In my dirtbike I turn the fuel petcock off. That's it

The only thing that failed was a 20 year old Poulan when the fuel line eventually wore out and the filter came off (maybe because of modern fuels). I replaced that fuel line with an ethanol resistant line and have not had an issue since.

I see no reason to do any of the following if your chainsaw has ethanol resistant fuel lines and carburetor diaphgrams (i.e. is a modern working chainsaw).

1) Drain the tank .. why expose yourself to fuel handling hazard?
2) Run the engine dry .. This can cause more harm than good from a lean condition.
3) Run $32/gallon tru-fuel .. This hurts the pocketbook.

If your chainsaw doesn't have ethanol resistant lines I suggest you rebuild it with resistant lines after they fail.

The only positive use I see for tru-fuel is for VERY infrequent users. If you use it that infrequent (like once every other year) then draining procedures might be in order. If you run an antique saw that you care about keeping in OE condition, you use VERY infrequently, and/or parts are impossible to find I understand that tru-fuel thing.. but for a working saw or for standard power equipment why bother.

I do not believe additives outside of a solid air-cooled 2 stroke motor oil do enough to justify their investment for most people. Most modern 2-stroke blends are designed to mix with ethanol and have stabilizers in them.

You're gonna need to rebuild or throw that saw away every 20 years anyway, regardless of draining the fuel or otherwise.

opcorn

Don't a lot of the valeros in and around A-Town/Lehigh have ethanol free premium?

They definitely have some tasty Yuengling!

 

[bikesandcars]

Don't a lot of the valeros in and around A-Town/Lehigh have ethanol free premium?

They definitely have some tasty Yuengling!

Definately the 2nd..have to check on the first.

 

[McKann]

I'm nowhere as experienced as most here, but here's my opinion.

I've always stored my 2-stroke dirtbike, chainsaws, weed-eaters, etc with fuel in. In my dirtbike I turn the fuel petcock off. That's it

The only thing that failed was a 20 year old Poulan when the fuel line eventually wore out and the filter came off (maybe because of modern fuels). I replaced that fuel line with an ethanol resistant line and have not had an issue since.

I see no reason to do any of the following if your chainsaw has ethanol resistant fuel lines and carburetor diaphgrams (i.e. is a modern working chainsaw).

1) Drain the tank .. why expose yourself to fuel handling hazard?
2) Run the engine dry .. This can cause more harm than good from a lean condition.
3) Run $32/gallon tru-fuel .. This hurts the pocketbook.

If your chainsaw doesn't have ethanol resistant lines I suggest you rebuild it with resistant lines after they fail.

The only positive use I see for tru-fuel is for VERY infrequent users. If you use it that infrequent (like once every other year) then draining procedures might be in order. If you run an antique saw that you care about keeping in OE condition, you use VERY infrequently, and/or parts are impossible to find I understand that tru-fuel thing.. but for a working saw or for standard power equipment why bother.

I do not believe additives outside of a solid air-cooled 2 stroke motor oil do enough to justify their investment for most people. Most modern 2-stroke blends are designed to mix with ethanol and have stabilizers in them.

You're gonna need to rebuild or throw that saw away every 20 years anyway, regardless of draining the fuel or otherwise.

opcorn

Well put. I've gotten a lot of work from folks who left their saws for to long without running them. I've seen saws stored every way imaginable. Time without running takes its toll regardless, but saws stored dry always seem to need the most work, and running an engine might seem like a good idea, but remember that you're also running it dry of lubrication.