| Author | Message | ||
     Eric B. (Ebbnyc) New Member Username: Ebbnyc Post Number: 12 Registered: 05-2003 |
Will gas last indefineitely in propperly sealed gas cans? And if so, what are some rules of thumb with regards to storing it? | ||
| Art Bitterman (Aardvark) Member Username: Aardvark Post Number: 57 Registered: 05-2003 |
If you need to store some gas, I have an ideal place..., My gas tank...  Will get good use! | ||
| Eric Pena (Evalp) Senior Member Username: Evalp Post Number: 621 Registered: 06-2002 |
My understanding is gas starts to go bad after a period of time. If in a PROPER container the best place is to keep it in your vehicle and not on the roof. http://www.expeditionexchange.com/wedco/ I would'nt keep it in my car all the time though. | ||
| Art Bitterman (Aardvark) Member Username: Aardvark Post Number: 59 Registered: 05-2003 |
Seriously... There is a product called "Stabil", Motorcylclists who don't ride in the winter (wimps!) use it to keep the gas fresh. Although a full tank will stay fresher that half full-less airspace! | ||
| Garth Petch (Garth) New Member Username: Garth Post Number: 14 Registered: 02-2003 |
Eric Petrol only has a life of about 6 months, by which time the more volitile fractions will have evaporated, In warm temperatures the life is even shorter. A full tank will not necessarily last longer as even the best fuel system will vent some gases; in winter a full tank will decrease the amount of air in the tank and therefore the amount of moisture which will condense out of the air in to the bottom of the tank. A few years ago we left our cars at my family's for about 5 months. My wife's was driven regularly whereas my old bomb was left. When I started it up it didn't have enough power to pull up a mild hill. Drained the petrol and the crap in the bottom of the tank and it was back to normal (still a bomb though) Garth | ||
| Peter Matusov (Pmatusov) Senior Member Username: Pmatusov Post Number: 997 Registered: 09-2002 |
ouch petrol has indefinite life. it won't turn into diesel fuel or water or acetone or anything. what will break down is all the additives - cleaners, octane boosters, MTBE or similar. FWIW - I've had gasoline stored for four years, and it was used without much drama. It was leaded gasoline, too, with more additives to break down than in unleaded. | ||
| Michael Villanueva (Iron_chef_air) Senior Member Username: Iron_chef_air Post Number: 342 Registered: 02-2002 |
Weighing in with my experiences. I keep 5 five gallon Gerry cans in reserve to give me my desired 500 mile range. I have found that if I do not rotate the gas every 3-4 weeks that *my* disco runs very rough. There is significant knocking and pinging. This dynamic does not seem to be a function of the quality of the gas --I consistently use Chevron Supreme, and when filled the DS does not knock and ping. However, the same stored gas a month later will do so. So I have gotten in the habit of rotating those 25 gallons every three weeks. You might want to do your own research here: the topic of gas and diesel storage is consistently discussed among survivalists, with some interesing observations and points. Stabil (noted above) is a product that has gotten alot of reviews and discussion. Michael | ||
| Max Thomason (Lrmax) Member Username: Lrmax Post Number: 220 Registered: 11-2002 |
Does anyone know how long diesel will last? I have a random 4 gallons in my garage and I don't have a diesel vehicle. I wonder how long it will last??? Max T. | ||
| Peter Matusov (Pmatusov) Senior Member Username: Pmatusov Post Number: 1005 Registered: 09-2002 |
if by "last" you mean stink, it'll last forever. I've managed to convince a couple of friends to accept 5-gal cans of diesel fuel from me as gifts, but still have one half-empty left... two years after it went there, it still stinks just as it did on the 1st day. | ||
| Robin Marshall (Sirrobin) New Member Username: Sirrobin Post Number: 1 Registered: 08-2003 |
from boating experience: Winterization for me consists of topping off the tanks (75gal) and adding plenty of stabilizer. (I will spare blogging you with the motor layup procedures). In the spring add liberal amounts of water removal and cleaning additives etc, then go boating. I change the water sperator and fuel filters after the tank has been used down significantly. The motor runs smoothly although not as well as with fresh gas. Could be that marine engines are pretty forgiving but the Yamaha HPDIs are high tolerance units. I have sucessfully skipped an entire season (2yr layup) but this definately does not represent the ideal. I would be more concerned with varnish in older carbs and fuel systems with prolonged storage. While the more volitile components of the fuel are evaporating they leave behind residues that can play havoc with an engine. | ||
| Edward Bibb (Heirless) New Member Username: Heirless Post Number: 16 Registered: 04-2003 |
as an offshore sailor, I know sailboats will sit at the slip for months on end. Diesel will develope an algae growth in the tank. Though the fuel will still burn, the problem lies when the fuel is shaken (such as sailing in waves), and the algae cloggs fuel pickups, filters, ect... |
