possible benefit of ethanol?

[066blaster]

I don't think a plastic fuel cell with a gas cap with a pin hole for a vent is comparable to this experiment.

 

[066blaster]

So do you run Ethanol gas in all you saws and machines also? That stuff cause problems I tell you!

Yes I do 87 octane ethanol added. Yet to have an issue. Ok 1 issue. We had a little mantis tiller at the farm. The fuel line looked like a night crawler that sat in the sun for a day, had it full of gas all winter. Never use it anyway, but I think all the new lines are compatible. No problems with my saws. My fuel tanks are never mysteriously full of water after sitting a month.

 

[lone wolf]

Yes I do 87 octane ethanol added. Yet to have an issue. Ok 1 issue. We had a little mantis tiller at the farm. The fuel line looked like a night crawler that sat in the sun for a day, had it full of gas all winter. Never use it anyway, but I think all the new lines are compatible. No problems with my saws. My fuel tanks are never mysteriously full of water after sitting a month.

Well a month is ok try 6 I have so many saws and machines i cant keep up with all this garbage. I just put some good gas in all the one's sitting for the winter till spring.

 

[066blaster]

My snow blowers sit all summer and run fine. I mean I take some precautions to avoid issues but I'm not that concerned with it

 

[lone wolf]

My snow blowers sit all summer and run fine. I mean I take some precautions to avoid issues but I'm not that concerned with

Well what can i tell you i must have spent 2000.oo dollars on carbs so far! White rust inside.

 

[1project2many]

I don't think a plastic fuel cell with a gas cap with a pin hole for a vent is comparable to this experiment.

Ohboy... you should see how much water / ethanol separates out of my 5 gallon cans stored in the barn if I don't cover the vent and filler. You should see how much water ends up in the tanks and carb bowls of my snowblowers and mowers. And yes, it does destroy rubber fuel lines and hoses. They turn into a strange goo unless they're specifically designed for ethanol.

I drain each saw after use. Not taking any chances there.

 

[066blaster]

I do have a few echo string trimmers with bad carbs. But I guess it's kinda a fact of life now. It you add up the running around to get non E, or the added cost of of race gas, premium, av gas. I guess it would be cheaper to buy a carb once in awhile. I use oil with stabilizer and keep my gas cans caped tight. That's all I'm willing to do.

 

[Whitespider]

The water is going to be there ethanol or not.. the question is will it freeze if combined with ethanol? I say no.

Really?? Is that based in opinion or fact??
Here's some facts...
Pure ethanol will freeze solid at -175°...
A 50/50 solution of pure ethanol/pure water will freeze solid at -25°... the slushy stage is well above that, contaminants can/will raise the slushy temp even more.
A 40/60 solution of pure ethanol/pure water will freeze solid at -10°... the slushy stage is well above that, contaminants can/will raise the slushy temp even more.
A 30/70 solution of pure ethanol/pure water will freeze solid at +5°... the slushy stage is well above that, contaminants can/will raise the slushy temp even more.
Just for reference... a typical Vodka will freeze at -17°...

When the water-saturated ethanol separates from the gasoline, it mixes (goes into solution) with any free water in the tank, further diluting it... and if it don't freeze solid it's gonna' make one hell-of-a slushy, snotty mess of your fuel system... it's that slushy snot that either gets sucked up, or forms in the fuel system that most commonly causes problems, free water in the tank normally freezes into solid lump and does no harm because it can't be pulled into the fuel delivery system.

Methanol and isopropyl work because it stays in solution with the gasoline. Ethanol drops out of the gasoline, lowering the octane rating of the gasoline, and forming something that can only be described as "snot"... that plugs fuel filters and generally plays havoc with a fuel system.
Just wait... there's gonna' be a couple guys come along and yell... "Hell yeah, I've found that snot in my whatchamacallit‼"
If you ever have it happen you'll wish it would have frozen solid instead... guaranteed‼
*

 

[lone wolf]

Ohboy... you should see how much water / ethanol separates out of my 5 gallon cans stored in the barn if I don't cover the vent and filler. You should see how much water ends up in the tanks and carb bowls of my snowblowers and mowers. And yes, it does destroy rubber fuel lines and hoses. They turn into a strange goo unless they're specifically designed for ethanol.

I drain each saw after use. Not taking any chances there.

good point gas cans should be sealed.

 

[lone wolf]

Really?? Is that based in opinion or fact??
Here's some facts...
Pure ethanol will freeze solid at -175°...
A 50/50 solution of pure ethanol/pure water will freeze solid at -25°... the slushy stage is well above that, contaminants can/will raise the slushy temp even more.
A 40/60 solution of pure ethanol/pure water will freeze solid at -10°... the slushy stage is well above that, contaminants can/will raise the slushy temp even more.
A 30/70 solution of pure ethanol/pure water will freeze solid at +5°... the slushy stage is well above that, contaminants can/will raise the slushy temp even more.
Just for reference... a typical Vodka will freeze at -17°...

When the water-saturated ethanol separates from the gasoline, it mixes (goes into solution) with any free water in the tank, further diluting it... and if it don't freeze solid it's gonna' make one hell-of-a slushy, snotty mess of your fuel system... it's that slushy snot that either gets sucked up, or forms in the fuel system that most commonly causes problems, free water in the tank normally freezes into solid lump and does no harm because it can't be pulled into the fuel delivery system.

Methanol and isopropyl work because it stays in solution with the gasoline. Ethanol drops out of the gasoline, lowering the octane rating of the gasoline, and forming something that can only be described as "snot"... that plugs fuel filters and generally plays havoc with a fuel system.
Just wait... there's gonna' be a couple guys come along and yell... "Hell yeah, I've found that snot in my whatchamacallit‼"
If you ever have it happen you'll wish it would have frozen solid instead... guaranteed‼
*

Well said , I believe it . I hate that stuff it makes so much more work for me.

 

[lone wolf]

I do have a few echo string trimmers with bad carbs. But I guess it's kinda a fact of life now. It you add up the running around to get non E, or the added cost of of race gas, premium, av gas. I guess it would be cheaper to buy a carb once in awhile. I use oil with stabilizer and keep my gas cans caped tight. That's all I'm willing to do.

Aha if you would follow my advice run them dry then run the real deal back in the carb they will be good a year or more.

 

[Pulp]

Good solid info ....
Ethanol is a male tit......useless in fuel, fine for corn growers, screws up 2 cycle engines, does nothing for the "renewables".
Useless.
Funny, AV fuel would never allow ethanol in the mix.
Male tit I tell you.

 

[066blaster]

Really?? Is that based in opinion or fact??
Here's some facts...
Pure ethanol will freeze solid at -175°...
A 50/50 solution of pure ethanol/pure water will freeze solid at -25°... the slushy stage is well above that, contaminants can/will raise the slushy temp even more.
A 40/60 solution of pure ethanol/pure water will freeze solid at -10°... the slushy stage is well above that, contaminants can/will raise the slushy temp even more.
A 30/70 solution of pure ethanol/pure water will freeze solid at +5°... the slushy stage is well above that, contaminants can/will raise the slushy temp even more.
Just for reference... a typical Vodka will freeze at -17°...

When the water-saturated ethanol separates from the gasoline, it mixes (goes into solution) with any free water in the tank, further diluting it... and if it don't freeze solid it's gonna' make one hell-of-a slushy, snotty mess of your fuel system... it's that slushy snot that either gets sucked up, or forms in the fuel system that most commonly causes problems, free water in the tank normally freezes into solid lump and does no harm because it can't be pulled into the fuel delivery system.

Methanol and isopropyl work because it stays in solution with the gasoline. Ethanol drops out of the gasoline, lowering the octane rating of the gasoline, and forming something that can only be described as "snot"... that plugs fuel filters and generally plays havoc with a fuel system.
Just wait... there's gonna' be a couple guys come along and yell... "Hell yeah, I've found that snot in my whatchamacallit‼"
If you ever have it happen you'll wish it would have frozen solid instead... guaranteed‼
*

I guess we would have to know how much water we are dealing with. So if I put 10 gallons in , I would have 1 gallon of ethanol? ? How long would it take to accumulate a gallon of water to have a 50: 50 solution.

 

[olyman]

And ethanol has only been around for 5-10 years. Gas line freeze up was more a function of crappy fuel storage tanks at gas stations and disappeared when new designs of underground storage tanks started being installed at gas stations back in the 80's. Just my personal observation and what I came up with to explain the disappearance of fuel related issues.

Ever notice that in this day and age you almost never replace a fuel filter. It's not uncommon to have a 10 yr old 200k mile car with the original fuel filter. In the 80's you replaced fuel filters yearly or sooner

ive been divorced,, from first puke,, for over 25 years.....and three years before we divorced,,i was getting corn squeeezins mixed by my gas man,, at 94 octane, for the 11:1 429 I had at the time.........me thinks your timeline sucks..............and yes,,the eth absorbs water, stopping gas line freeze...

 

[olyman]

I've seen videos where people added water to ethanol gas , shook it up, and let it sit overnight. The water and alcohol combined and separated from the gas. If it was shook up again it all mix together again. Have you ever had whiskey and water? Water and alcohol mix real nice.

 

[066blaster]

And at some point If the ethanol does sink out of the gas it would be under gallons of gas and is no longer exposed to the air and no longer pulling water out of the air. At what point does this occur?

 

[olyman]

One of the biggest reason modern vehicles have less problems is that the tanks are not vented anymore. Vented tanks drawn and expell air every day as the temp rises and falls. The moisture in the air condensates and enters the fuel.

Add 10% ethanol to a closed system and it will absorb 3.8 teaspoons of water per gallon of fuel(yes even liquid water Spidey) before phase seperation occurs.

That being said a gas station that has tank issues and a high turn over of fuel it's still possible for you to get water. Neighbors father broke down 2 nights ago due to freezing water in the fuel. 2 cans of heet had him going.

 

[mga]

I'm wondering if the ethanol in gas now days is helping prevent gas line freeze up in vehicles....I'm thinking the water created by condensation in the tank just mixes with the ethanol and constantly gets burned out instead of accumulating and flowing through as straight water and possibly freezing.

That gas line anti freeze is straight alcohol anyway isn't it.

you work for the EPA?

 

[066blaster]

you work for the EPA?

No.. i said I don't like the stuff. I'm just wondering if I need too buy the gas line anti freeze or not. I had no problems last year with extreme cold and thought the ethanol may have helped with that issue.

I don't care what anyone does with their small engines if you can get non E, use it. I have a 2012 f250 with a 6.2 gas engine and want to make sure the thing won't freeze up, so I can plow out my contracted costumers. I drive it almost daily and try to keep the tank 1/2 full or better. Maybe just doing that is sufficient.

 

[Deleted member 83629]

keeps me in my side job for people using e10 keeps the repair shops busy. i replace more carbs and fuel lines because of it.
there is a new line out you can get from stens its ethanol compatible up to E100 its called true blue.
its good stuff.