True fuel premix- worth it or am I wasting money

[Little Al]

Not to long ago ELF/ REPSOL Company's produced a Do's & Dont's leaflet regarding fuel usage/storage the fuel in France contains no E in any of the grades of petrol they recommended that any fuel purchased be used within 30 days. A screw cap container filled with no air space ( full to overflowing) can be Ok for up to 45 days.

 

[Cycledude]

12 month life is what your supposed to get from gas from the pump, when I bought my Husqvarna 562 new the warranty was doubled by buying 2 quarts of the premix fuel so that's what I did. I think the premix is good stuff for folks that don't go thru much fuel.

 

[Efisher26]

My gas is around 3 month shelf life


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Just a home owner that likes the older better made machines

Craftsman 3.7 x2
Husqvarna 36

 

[Sagetown]

I wish non-ethanol gas was available for everyone.
I use 89* mixed anywhere from 40:1 up to 50:1.... But now just mix 50:1, because after a year of running the other mixes I'd have carbon build-up in the muffler screens of all my tools.

 

[woodlandcammies]

I WISH pump gas had a shelf life of 12 months.. The old leaded fuels, and even non-ethanol fuels you probably could get 12 months out of them, but the ethanol blended fuels absorb too much moisture to stay stable in a can longer than about a month and a half. Even that is pushing it a bit.

 

[user 122190]

My gas is around 3 month shelf life

What happens to it after 3 months? In the past I would dump my fuel and drain the saws, but this year I didn't. They both start up fine after sitting for 6 to 7 months.

 

[woodlandcammies]

after about three months the ethanol will have absorbed a ton of moisture, unless you're in a dry area like arizona with no humidity. Not to mention after a couple months the gasoline breaks down and begins to varnish. Stabil helps somewhat with non-eth fuel, and Heet works decent enough to help mitigate moisture problems.. Just get only what fuel you need, and a bit more. Not worth keeping five gallons around if you're not using it.

 

[user 122190]

Just get only what fuel you need, and a bit more.

That's the best. I usually use just under 2 gallons of mix. Anymore, it gets dumped at the end of the season.

 

[RandyinTN]

I still say non ethanol gas has a shelf life of 12 months. I have stored many boats, RV's, atv's, motorcycles, etc from Sept to May when we lived in Alaska for 35 years. Never had a fuel related issue in any of them.
Adding HEET to gas with ethanol only adds more ethanol type ingredients.
Stabilizer in non ethanol gas? A complete and total waste of money.

Gas with ethanol? Have no idea how long it will last

 

[Efisher26]

Non e, yes 12 months, e-gas is short lived


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[Giles]

so question- I used to mix my own fuel when I was running my tools on a weekly basis. Last year or so I've been.m buying the true fuel 40-1 premix at lowes and tractor supply when I need fuel. Is it worth it? Anyone ever have issues using it? I know my echo leaf blower runs a lot better with it than it did with the non-ethanol fuel with the synthetic oil I was using before. The old poulan chainsaw seems like it likes it better as well

Personally, I don't by any premix in anything, if I am able to mix myself. Strange that some people buy pre mixed anti freeze, Clorox, Herbicide, Pesticide, just to name a few.
Gasoline is priced high enough when purchased at gas station.
I only use non-ethanol gas 91 or 93 octane and add Sta-bil immediately.
I have worked on small engines for over fifty years and I can assure you, todays gasoline is completely changed over the years.
Just last year, I intentionally stored one gallon of 93 non ethanol gas, in a completely full container and also same gas with Sta-Bil added.
In one year, untreated gas was flat with smell and the treated gas, ran fine.
Just my opinion----To each his own.

 

[Cycledude]

I suppose a little off topic but last week I had my gas barrel filled with 255 gallons of regular 87 octaine, it was an extra 20 cents per gallon for non ethanol, I will use it mostly in lawn mower , motorcycle and tractors.
For chainsaw I will continue using premium non ethanol.

Antifreeze I only use premix, don't use that much and premix just eliminates chances of mistakes, I happen to use Peak Global Lifetime .

 

[7sleeper]

after about three months the ethanol will have absorbed a ton of moisture, unless you're in a dry area like arizona with no humidity.

This is plain simple stupid paranoia belief and has nothing to do with the real world. As I have already mentioned a few dozen times in thread like this, average saturated ambient air in the upper geographical latitude, contains in about 1 square yard of air a few drops of water. So to get a "ton of absorbed moisture" into your fuel, you will have to have a few dozen square yards of air pass through your fuel tank. Good luck with that venture...

Not to mention after a couple months the gasoline breaks down and begins to varnish. Stabil helps somewhat with non-eth fuel, and Heet works decent enough to help mitigate moisture problems.. Just get only what fuel you need, and a bit more. Not worth keeping five gallons around if you're not using it.

What is always funny is the belief that some snakeoil is going to save the day. As far as I remember from other threads, about all snakeoils contain mostely ethanol to bind any water.

I totally agree with only aquiring what one needs and not fuel for the next armageddon...

7

 

[user 122190]

For chainsaw I will continue using premium non ethanol.

I put the best gas I can in my equipment and toys. Not that I think it makes any real difference, but because I use them so infrequently (compared to the SUV), that the cost is insignificant.

 

[dswensen]

I have about 30 gallons of gas held in full five-gallon cans. I do that in case of the zombie apocalypse to run a generator and a motorcycle. (Seriously, for earthquake preparedness). I rotate the gas every 6 months, after treating with StaBil at the time of filling. At 6 mos, the gas goes into one of my vehicles. Never had a fuel related problem.

And you'll note, I do not live in the driest part of the US of A. Especially this year.

Not proof of anything - just sayin'

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I use a mixture of 91 octane no ethanol gas and Stihl oil at a mixture of 42:1 which works for about everything. The gasoline is priced about 20 to 30 cents above ethanol regular gas. Quite a bit cheaper than the pre-mix stuff but I would use the pre mix in a pinch..

 

[sundance]

I've been using 40:1 Tru-Fuel for the last two years or so. It works great and I like it's shelf life.

I get mine free from Home Depot.

How does one go about getting Tru-Fuel free from Home Depot?

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I used to know a guy that could get lots of stuff for free but the store cameras just about put him out of business..

 

[bang]

I use non ethanol 89-93 in all my 2 and 4 stroke motors such as weed wackers, chainsaws, boat motor, atv, etc.
Sometime an item will not be used for 7-8 months. Never had a fuel related issue with anything. No stabilizer, no sea foam, nothing.
Most people forget but modern gas is designed to have a 12 month shelf life.
Oh, and I mix my gas/oil myself.

Shelf life is dependent on the container it is stored in and temperature fluctuations. Plastic gas cans are not good for storage, metal is much better. Storing fuel directly on a concrete floor is not recommended, better on wood or a rubber mat. I have several 5 gal metal cans I use for racing fuel and it will last a long time if unmixed and in a controlled temperature, it only lasts about 2 weeks if mixed and stored in plastic. I have a fuel tester to stay up with it and I might add that the fuel is probably still good for a saw or wacker but not for a racing engine. Quite often I mix my racing gas for my saws but it's a little pricey but not as much as store bought premix. It does have higher octane than I like for low compression engines.

 

[1Alpha1]

How does one go about getting Tru-Fuel free from Home Depot?

Apply for one of their credit cards. If approved, they will give you a $25.00 credit voucher. You can apply and know if you are approved in 3-4 minutes, literally.

You can apply for up to a total of five cards. Each and every can of Tru-Fuel I have, was free. I'm down to about 14 cans now.