How old is old gas?

[rmh3481]

Nitroman,
That gas coming off the barges isnt blended. I used to offload it when I worked for Union Mechling.

Once the gas is blended at the terminal its good for maybe two months. The terminal blends in iso-octane, mtbe and ethanol to make the different grades.

Make sure you keep your tanks capped. Air holds water and this water will condense on the inside of your can if its open. If there is Ethanol in the gas mix it will then hold water. Just like you see dew on the grass at night, this moisture will get into your can if its open. Alot of folks leave the spout up and open anymore, this is asking for trouble.

Best wishes,
Bob

 

[Philbert]

Does gas stay any fresher in a steel container than it would in a plastic container, and if so why ?

A FULL container is probably better than a half-full container due to air, condensation, etc. Assuming that they are both good quality, designed for fuel, no rust, etc. I don't think that it would make much difference over several months.

In another thread, someone suggested putting some mixed fuel in a MARKED glass jar and leaving it on a shelf to watch how it separates over time. I suppose you could try the same thing with straight gas, in the name of science.

Philbert

 

[JohnL]

Depends on the gas and the climate. I'm using 1 year old gas right now, have gone 2 years. Either added stabilizer or mix oil right after buying it. Good idea? No. If it goes really bad you can smell it. I wouldn't run it in an expensive saw if I had one, my saws are low-performance. The smaller the volume the more likely it will go bad, I wouldn't keep gas sitting in a machine unused for that length of time.