Posted on 10/06/2022 7:36:48 AM PDT by kjam22
Lol- sounds like what a fella did who had to send a stool sample in a “paint can” basically, through the mail. They poked holes in the can to “allow it to breathe” lol.
Not having ethanol will extend the life. You want to keep the barrel as full as possible and we’ll sealed. That keeps the condensation and evaporation to a minimum. A well sealed, refreshed, none alcohol, gasoline with stabilizer should last a while.
But…with modern engines their design is much more finicky than a 1975 V8 with a carb.
You can search this subject on you tube and get a good answer by people who have tested various methods.
I use Seafoam which will keep the gas good for a year. You are correct in storing gas without ethanol.
Depends ALOT on the ambient air moisture content. Assuming the fuel will deteriorate over time, even with stabilizer, adding new fuel will dilute not renew.
The biggest concern is that even for 5 gallon storage, *where* you store it is critical. Anything more than 5 gallons should be in a specialized container, outside of any building, and preferably in a well drained covered trench. It should have pressure venting.
When vaporized, gasoline is about as explosive as an equal mass of dynamite.
The military stores mogas in 55 gallon drums, but their turnover is quite high, so storage is typically short term.
Get two barrels so you can rotate stock
FIFO
First in first out
I think Stabil-ized fuel is good for about 12 months.
That's how you posed the question. This is the kind of question calculus addresses. I'm done with calculus. Retirement is good.
You can run the calculation though with good ol’ algebra.
1. Assume 40gal barrel, use 20gal a year and top up once per year.
2. Use 50% a year (20/40)=0.5
Year 1: 40 x 0.5 = 20 gal of original left
Year 2: 40 x 0.5 x 0.5 = 10g gal of original left
Run this as far as you want to go, it will never equal zero.
Calculus is tool to derive an equation. The derived equation is used for the calculation itself. In this example, you can eyeball the equation as Gal original left = 40gal x 0.5 to the power of the year number. This is just a button push on a scientific calculater.
As far as the stabilizer goes, read the manufacturer's instructions for usage. As far as common sense, if the manufacturer says something like a 1-year shelf life for the stabilized fuel, don't exceed that.
Keep the storage barrel or tank topped up and vented but assure a 100% turnover a few times a year. If you know a rancher or farmer, they will have the best practical advise. They always have onsite fuel storage for trucks and tractors in a volume making an off the shelf stabilizer uneconomic to use.
If storing fuel for emergency or shtf supply, avoid any partial use as much as possible and keep the tank sealed properly. Add stabilizer. Read manufacturer instructions. Call the manufacturers directly and talk to their technical service experts with your exact details and plans. Customer service is normally not competent for this kind of assistance - Ask specifically for technical service for application assistance. If you have a backup generator for example, the system manufacturer should have exact instructions for fuel storage. If a person wings it and fouls up the fuel system, that's likely an out of warranty issue at the owners cost and could completely invalidate the warranty. Your decisions.
Diesel and gasoline have different storage considerations. Both will have water issues but diesel has additional problems with sludge and bacteria contamination.
Make sure that any tanks, barrel, pumps, hoses, valves, jerry cans, vents, etc. are UL or USCG certified for the exact fuel duty. Don't want to blow yourself up. Outdoor storage is easier than vented indoor.
I once had a diesel fueled backup generator system built within a shipping container. Industrial system. I absolutely dreaded the monthly running of that system personally if my operators were unavailable. Call the alarm and power company, start the generator, manually switch power loads, etc. Several page checklist and easy to foul up and damage something, service trucks racing to the remote site and calling corporate a 1000 miles away.
Stored fuel is helped by a fuel additive. Auto gas will break down over time. One year will likely not hurt it, as long as it’s ethanol free.
Most fuel preservatives have added benefits for performance. Clean the carb, jets, etc.
Agreed. There is a gas station near me with no ethanol gas, and that is all I use for my lawnmower and generator.
And, like you, I have had no problem starting either after them sitting all winter.
Agreed. There is a gas station near me with no ethanol gas, and that is all I use for my lawnmower and generator.
And, like you, I have had no problem starting either after them sitting all winter.
Agreed. There is a gas station near me with no ethanol gas, and that is all I use for my lawnmower and generator.
And, like you, I have had no problem starting either after them sitting all winter.
I would say completely empty it and refill, at some point.
I was thinking that if the fuel was being refreshed continuously, this would be a differential equation. Darned glad I never had to do these, no tables on the inside of my copy of Thomas.
Glad there are some nerds here.
Calculus comes into play when things are not constant. Let's stick with an open top barrel and fill it with 40gal of water. Known water depth. Drill a 1/8in hole in the sidewalk to empty the tank.
Question…. When will the barrel be empty?
There's an equation that gives the flow rate of a liquid through a round orifice as a function of pressure drop, viscosity and orifice diameter. Orifice diameter and viscosity are constants. Flowrate will vary with head pressure (depth of water).
Using this orifice equation, calculus would be used to calculate the time when flow rate equals zero or at any midpoint between starting and ending.
A professional acquaintance and I were working together on a weird process water problem at a geothermal power plant in the Salton Sea area of CA. He was a tech engineer for water treatment chemicals in the region and one of his clients was across the border at a Mexican power plant.
So the crazy story goes, the tech guy was at the Mexican power plant and with an operator inspecting the chemical additive system. No metering pump was present for adding chemical. So the tech guy asked the operator how he added and controlled amount of chemical added.
The operator rolled a barrel over the grate covering the sump, unholstered his 45 and shot a hole (orifice) in the side of the barrel. When the barrel level was lower and chemical pressure addition rate too low, he would shoot a second hole.
Reading the comments I agree that you should at some point, say two years, let it run down to half or lower then use it in your car and totally refill.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.