Proper storage for saws and other equipment

[Stateline Sawer]

I was introduced to Seafoam many years ago by a mechanic friend who swore by it. I had a pickup that didn't pass emissions with the exhaust wand that was used at the time. I put a half bottle of Seafoam in the gas and introduced the rest into a vacuum line on the intake manifold and let it run for twenty minutes fogging the driveway. Drove right to the inspection station and passed clean as a whistle.

Yes, it's good stuff...well worth the $6 for the can

 

[sean donato]

You are absolutely right that 100LL avgas has a ton of lead in it. I do not and would not reccomend it for daily use. For storage fuel it is unequaled IMO and IME.
FWIW avgas is straight run alkylate with lead added. Aspen, MotoMix, Trufuel, etc are also straight run alkylate minus the lead. They are also insanely over prices and Avgas is not.

We can get e free at the pump here locally, so 100ll isnt in my radar. I'd never pay for the caned stuff.

 

[sean donato]

Guessed I assumed most had it (e free) near to them.

 

[PV Hiker]

Pure gas look up for your state:

https://www.pure-gas.org/.
.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

Most of my saws will hang on my wall untouched for months until i need one...some may sit a year or more...like 22 saws total

My method is drain the oil tanks, crank it up...kill it, drain the fuel, refire and run until it starts to die..run the choke up until its fully on and run it til it dies...this gets the most fuel out of the carb and lines. Then i use something mild like mean green or orange champ cleaner to wipe down the bars, body...blow it off with air if needed.

Then hang it up.

About an hour ago i pulled down my little homelite xl climbing saw that has sat over a year and added gas, oil...3 pulls and it was running.

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

 

[bwalker]

We can get e free at the pump here locally, so 100ll isnt in my radar. I'd never pay for the caned stuff.

E free does not store like 100LL. Not even close. 100LL is formulated such that it will not form gums or varnish.

 

[bwalker]

Most of my saws will hang on my wall untouched for months until i need one...some may sit a year or more...like 22 saws total

My method is drain the oil tanks, crank it up...kill it, drain the fuel, refire and run until it starts to die..run the choke up until its fully on and run it til it dies...this gets the most fuel out of the carb and lines. Then i use something mild like mean green or orange champ cleaner to wipe down the bars, body...blow it off with air if needed.

Then hang it up.

About an hour ago i pulled down my little homelite xl climbing saw that has sat over a year and added gas, oil...3 pulls and it was running.

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

I do not like running the carbs dry. I have no proof, but it would seem to me rubber carb parts would last less long due to drying.

 

[mncutter]

I will add a plug for UL94 made by Swift Fuels. It is essentially 100LL aviation fuel but without the lead. Cheaper than the canned alkylate fuel but as far as I can tell, the same type of stuff. Do a search for Swift Fuel UL94 to see if it is available in your area. I run it in my 2 stroke equipment and small engines that don’t see frequent use (Generator etc)

 

[southpaw]

My relationship with Chicago is I'm in, do my business, grab some food, than I'm out. Maniac drivers there! Nothing culturally to do since Covid...
You have gotta be missing the food from the city! Try getting good pizza in Denver Colorado unless a Chicago native opened up a place! Lol. I do like Wisconsin, much slower place. I am a country boy at heart. Watching news now, 15 people shot at a party last night in the city...I still holding on to my statement of "yikes"!

Lol yes I agree with yikes always been that way , good talkin to you but I get going on the place it's like talking politics and that is something I find best to avoid
My friends that come up make their own Italian beef and bring up gallons of the stuff with Gonella bread also, I make pizza just like back home but only eat a couple times a year , there's a Mexican store not far away they make the home made Tamales pork and chicken exactly like back home and we have a polish store that get's fresh rye bread every Friday from Chicago , I have learned to be the master of Mongolian beef years back but again I only eat that kind of stuff a couple times a year , pork ribs is a 2 day process for me an usually make for when the home folk are coming up , if I lived back down there I would probably be a 150 lbs. over weight or dead by now .....thanks for the tips on the equipment storage

 

[southpaw]

Thanks everyone for the storage tip's, now I have some good information to go on to save my equipment from damage
Great thread

 

[sean donato]

E free does not store like 100LL. Not even close. 100LL is formulated such that it will not form gums or varnish.

Ok how long are we storing the equipment? E free with any type of decent stabilizer will easily last a year with out worry of gum or varnish build up. If its beyond that it doesnt much matter what you used as it will be evaporated out of the system by then. And I've not seen any manufacturers that want any engine stored beyond that with out it being ran. So for the sake of argument let's keep storage period to 12 to 14 months, which I think is a bit generous for what were talking about.
Now on to rubber parts. They will degrade with time, just as much with use. I have some nos carb kits I got from a friend, for old mac's and tillotson carbs that are basically junk. They've never been used or out of the package for that matter. The diaphragms are basically rock hard. Theres really no way to prevent it, the fuel will eventually harden them as well. Doesnt matter the fuel or treatment, just a fact of life. Best case if running no ethonal laced fuel they will last longer, but nothing is impervious to age and wear. I do wish walbro would release their spiral diaphram for more of their carbs, and teflon gaskets for the pump side. That has alleviated a lot of the issues we typically see in the small power equipment. Along ad your running good fuel, there is no affect on the diaphragms.
At any rate, I think were getting a bit deep, if not having a good discussion on what I would term extreme long storage.
Cheers

 

[southpaw]

Ok how long are we storing the equipment? E free with any type of decent stabilizer will easily last a year with out worry of gum or varnish build up. If its beyond that it doesnt much matter what you used as it will be evaporated out of the system by then. And I've not seen any manufacturers that want any engine stored beyond that with out it being ran. So for the sake of argument let's keep storage period to 12 to 14 months, which I think is a bit generous for what were talking about.
Now on to rubber parts. They will degrade with time, just as much with use. I have some nos carb kits I got from a friend, for old mac's and tillotson carbs that are basically junk. They've never been used or out of the package for that matter. The diaphragms are basically rock hard. Theres really no way to prevent it, the fuel will eventually harden them as well. Doesnt matter the fuel or treatment, just a fact of life. Best case if running no ethonal laced fuel they will last longer, but nothing is impervious to age and wear. I do wish walbro would release their spiral diaphram for more of their carbs, and teflon gaskets for the pump side. That has alleviated a lot of the issues we typically see in the small power equipment. Along ad your running good fuel, there is no affect on the diaphragms.
At any rate, I think were getting a bit deep, if not having a good discussion on what I would term extreme long storage.
Cheers

Do you think that if you Vacuum seal a carb. kit it would give it a longer shelf life ?
Just thinking ya know while on the equipment storage subject

 

[sean donato]

Do you think that if you Vacuum seal a carb. kit it would give it a longer shelf life ?
Just thinking ya know while on the equipment storage subject

Idk, rubber hardens over time dont know if vacuum sealing would be beneficial or not. Never even thought of it tbh.

 

[bwalker]

Ok how long are we storing the equipment? E free with any type of decent stabilizer will easily last a year with out worry of gum or varnish build up. If its beyond that it doesnt much matter what you used as it will be evaporated out of the system by then. And I've not seen any manufacturers that want any engine stored beyond that with out it being ran. So for the sake of argument let's keep storage period to 12 to 14 months, which I think is a bit generous for what were talking about.
Now on to rubber parts. They will degrade with time, just as much with use. I have some nos carb kits I got from a friend, for old mac's and tillotson carbs that are basically junk. They've never been used or out of the package for that matter. The diaphragms are basically rock hard. Theres really no way to prevent it, the fuel will eventually harden them as well. Doesnt matter the fuel or treatment, just a fact of life. Best case if running no ethonal laced fuel they will last longer, but nothing is impervious to age and wear. I do wish walbro would release their spiral diaphram for more of their carbs, and teflon gaskets for the pump side. That has alleviated a lot of the issues we typically see in the small power equipment. Along ad your running good fuel, there is no affect on the diaphragms.
At any rate, I think were getting a bit deep, if not having a good discussion on what I would term extreme long storage.
Cheers

That depends. I have a pressure washer that might only see use every other year and as long as three years.
But, by all means do what works for you.

 

[southpaw]

Idk, rubber hardens over time dont know if vacuum sealing would be beneficial or not. Never even thought of it tbh.

I never did either until just a bit ago

 

[RED-85-Z51]

I do not like running the carbs dry. I have no proof, but it would seem to me rubber carb parts would last less long due to drying.

Ive never seen any ill effects from it, ive pulled out saws i forgot i had that had sat over 10 years and they kicked right off. If i park a saw for 3 months with gas in it...i can smell the rancid gas that was in the upper fuel system burning off...so i know it was close

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

 

[sean donato]

That depends. I have a pressure washer that might only see use every other year and as long as three years.
But, by all means do what works for you.

Cant say I own anything that get so in frequent use, that i had to put that level of thought into it. But yeah I agree if it works for you.

 

[southpaw]

Did a search on why rubber deteriorates and it gives some really interesting information on the subject
I'm not going to repeat internet information word for word , try to only speak from my experiences with things but did find the information worth reading

 

[edisto]

I do not like running the carbs dry. I have no proof, but it would seem to me rubber carb parts would last less long due to drying.

How long do you think it takes the fuel in a diaphragm carb to evaporate? The only difference between running it dry and letting it evaporate is what gets left behind.

 

[lone wolf]

How long do you think it takes the fuel in a diaphragm carb to evaporate? The only difference between running it dry and letting it evaporate is what gets left behind.

Fuel line is part of the equation also .