Question about shelf life for gasoline

Natureboy · Jan 5, 2011

I recently invested in a new electric start gas generator (easier for the wife :thumbsup

and transfer switch for power outages that seem to occur at the most inopportune times. It runs most of the house, well pump included. I want to have a good amount of fuel on hand for those prolonged outages.
I checked around and have found a company that does residential gas delivery. They supply the tank and pump for a very reasonable yearly rental charge, the smallest tank they rent is 190 gallons. The smallest drop they make is 150 gallons on an " as you need it basis ". I have figured out that it will take me about 2 months to use 150 gallons, less time in the warm months. I would use the fuel for my vehicles & toys

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Would I be able to store 150-190 gallons of 10% ethanol fuel (cant get the good stuff around here anymore), gradually using the fuel over a 2 month period. Right now I am going the 5 gallon cans route, treated with red Stabil for the small engines, and am refueling the vehicles at a gas station as needed. Would I be better off using the green Stabil in the rented fuel tank after a drop of 150 gallons, and would that keep it fresh for the 2 months if used in the proper amount?
Thanks, I appreciate any input.

Craig Clayton · Jan 5, 2011

I am playing some what the same game with fuel.I am storing 4x5gallons plus +3gallon in gen. I fill up the gasoline powered equipment every 2 months with in stock gas and take that can down for refilling. In the winter because the gas is stored in a unheated building I do not bother to rotate the stock.
In hind sight if you had purchased a diesel generator then you would not have to worry about the shelf life of diesel. Diesel I am guessing should be good for 5 years. Another thought that I looked into is a propane generator because the storage of propane is good for the life of the tank. What you saved on the gas gen you might loose in the work of rotating the gasoline stock.
Craig Clayton

Craig Clayton · Jan 5, 2011

I looked for some info.
The Straight Dope: Why does gasoline go stale so quickly?
Craig Clayton

Natureboy · Jan 5, 2011

Thanks for the replies.

Craig, I thought about the propane or diesal alternatives. Propane was a no go because we presently use heating oil for occasional furnace use (we burn mostly wood) and hot water tank. Did not want another tank in the yard, and smaller tanks would not last too long in a prolonged outage, even if I had a convenient place to get them filled. Diesal was not the answer either, as the only thing I own that runs on it is my CK20. While the diesal may last 5 years, I cant say for certain as I would use that amount of diesal in a reasonable time. Plus I dont like the idea of using fuel that old in my tractor.
The link to the article you included was helpful, thanks.

K7LN, back in Oct. 2006, we had what the weathermen called "the October surprise storm" (they probably called it that because not a one of those highly paid predictors saw it coming) in which we got massively heavy, wet snow in a short period of time while the leaves were still on the trees. Long story short, most did not have power for 1 to 2 weeks. Until that time, I was also keeping the genny tank full with a couple of spare cans being rotated. Gas stations were also without power, and you couldnt get thru the clogged roads to get out of town to one that had power. Hence my interest in a longer term solution. Even if that situation never happened again, I would still have a decent amount of gas that could be used up in my vehicles in a 2 month period. Thats why I was wondering if anyone else has had luck storing gas for that amount of time. Yes the tank rental, occasional bottle of Stabil, and few cents more per gallon adds to the cost, but it is not an outlandish amount for the convenience.

Diamondpilot · Jan 5, 2011

A diesel genny will run just fine on HHO as will your tractor. In my area they do not actually even have HHO anymore, they just use #2 off road diesel. This would solve your storage problem since you already have a tank on site. Just add a pump. Many on this site have done just this to fill diesel equipment around the home.

As for storing gas, here is what I do. I fill my boat up every time I bring it home. It has a 70 gallon tank. It has a electric fuel pump so if needed in a emergency I pump it out into 5 gallon cans via that pump. I also keep 3 5 gallon cans on site. I have been without power too many times to count. My genny uses 9 gallons per 24 hours so I have plenty on hand if needed. I rotate the gas in the boat just by using it every weekend in the summer. The 3 5 gallon cans gets used up in the genny, mowers, cars, ect. After a few months I always have fresh.

Make sure you keep fresh fuel in the genny itself no matter what you do. I drain mine once a year no matter what and use it in other stuff.

I also use Sta-Bil Ethanol. Its a Marine product that is black, not red. $20 at WalMart and treats 300 gallons or so for upto 1 year. The red stuff is a waste of money with ethanol gas.

Chris

Skyco · Jan 6, 2011

Curious about the Stabil Marine...I've seen it called green and now black! Around here it is blue. Are there different versions?
Makes me wonder if it is regionally produced...years ago I bought some Castrol GTX on a road trip and it looked and smelled nothing like the "same" product at home...thats when I found out Castrol was blender who bottled it in different plants.

DEWFPO · Jan 6, 2011

I have found that gasoline is not a fragile as many would have you think, especially companies like Sta-Bil. I have never used Sta-Bil in anything I own and have never had any problems (not one) whatsoever in starting equipment that hasn't been run in over 2 years (2 stroke and 4 stroke). The gasoline might not be the freshest but all the equipment has always started and run just fine, even in some vehicles. With the way you are planning on using it I wouldn't worry about it at all. And yes, I am talking about 10% ethanol fuels as well.

DEWFPO

Ironhand · Jan 6, 2011

Skyco said:
Curious about the Stabil Marine...I've seen it called green and now black! Around here it is blue. Are there different versions?
Makes me wonder if it is regionally produced...years ago I bought some Castrol GTX on a road trip and it looked and smelled nothing like the "same" product at home...thats when I found out Castrol was blender who bottled it in different plants.

The marine stuff looks black in the bottle, but pours dark blue. Same product, and in my experience better suited for the crappy gas available. The other concern with long term storage is phase separation. Essentially the ethanol in the gasoline wants to absorb moisture and will eventually settle out of the gasoline leaving you with a corrosive water/ethanol layer and a low octane fuel layer. You might also consider a product called Star tron. According to the marketing hype, it is supposed to prevent the above problem.

I run a 5000w Honda to power most of my house during outages. I learned the hard way that untreated fuel causes issues of not used within 6 months.

Diamondpilot · Jan 7, 2011

Skyco said:
Curious about the Stabil Marine...I've seen it called green and now black! Around here it is blue. Are there different versions?
Makes me wonder if it is regionally produced...years ago I bought some Castrol GTX on a road trip and it looked and smelled nothing like the "same" product at home...thats when I found out Castrol was blender who bottled it in different plants.

The color is dependent on the brand. I like the STA-BIL brand avaliable at TSC, Rural King, WalMart, ect. $19.99 will treat 300 gallons or so and its black.

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We have had the best results with it taking care of about 75 engines from tractors, boats, ect.

Chris

Diamondpilot · Jan 7, 2011

DEWFPO said:
I have found that gasoline is not a fragile as many would have you think, especially companies like Sta-Bil. I have never used Sta-Bil in anything I own and have never had any problems (not one) whatsoever in starting equipment that hasn't been run in over 2 years (2 stroke and 4 stroke). The gasoline might not be the freshest but all the equipment has always started and run just fine, even in some vehicles. With the way you are planning on using it I wouldn't worry about it at all. And yes, I am talking about 10% ethanol fuels as well.

DEWFPO

Go buy a lottery ticket. I see stuff on its rear weekly after 4 months of sitting idle.

Chris

Diamondpilot · Jan 7, 2011

Ironhand said:
The marine stuff looks black in the bottle, but pours dark blue. Same product, and in my experience better suited for the crappy gas available. The other concern with long term storage is phase separation. Essentially the ethanol in the gasoline wants to absorb moisture and will eventually settle out of the gasoline leaving you with a corrosive water/ethanol layer and a low octane fuel layer. You might also consider a product called Star tron. According to the marketing hype, it is supposed to prevent the above problem.

I run a 5000w Honda to power most of my house during outages. I learned the hard way that untreated fuel causes issues of not used within 6 months.

The Star Tron is blue as you can get, sky blue to be exact. I see it all the time at WalMart in the fishing section where they keep Outboard 2 Cycle oils. Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment - HOME

Chris

SARG · Jan 7, 2011

Just for info..... I recently read that the Sta-Bil Marine (green) and the Sta-Bil diesel formula (brown) are a different color because of the issues created from putting "red" Sta-bil into diesel fuel ......... making it appear like the dyed home heating #2.

The Sta-Bil website even mentions this situation.

Natureboy · Jan 7, 2011

Diamondpilot, cant use HHO around here for tractor or genny. Its 100% kerosene ( keeps the outdoor tank from gelling ), but lacks the lubrication of the diesel fuel. They might run, but not very long. Thanks for the opinion on the marine grade Stabil.
Ironhand, if you have had treated fuel last 6 months, then I guess I would be safe pouring in the correct amount of the marine grade Stabil to treat 190 gallons and keep it fresh for the 2 months it would take to use it up.

Duffster · Jan 7, 2011

Natureboy said:
Its 100% kerosene .

I find that extremely hard to believe.

SARG · Jan 7, 2011

Duffster said:
I find that extremely hard to believe.

Not hard to believe at all. Most smart folks up here that have their tanks exposed to the cold use either full kerosene or a strong mix with #2 fuel oil nearing 50/50 at least.

BobRip · Jan 7, 2011

I am trying to dispel the myth "my outages only last a few hours or a day". If you have a major event (hurricane, ice storm, wet snow) that affects a large area, then your outage can last a long time. Also the longer an outage last the more you will need a generator. Admittedly the longer outages are rare, but when you have then you need the generator. Two hour outages don't really require a generator, unless you have some medical needs.

I like the 5 gallon cans since you can rotate your stock. I put the newest gas towards the back of the storage shed and use what's in front first. I always add Stabil when I fill the cans at the gas station. I try to fill vehicles if I see a storm coming (not always easy to do). I have a method to get gas out of all of my vehicles.

Duffster · Jan 7, 2011

SARG said:
Not hard to believe at all. Most smart folks up here that have their tanks exposed to the cold use either full kerosene or a strong mix with #2 fuel oil nearing 50/50 at least.

You guys like paying more for weaker fuel?

We just treat #2 diesel but if you want something thinner than #2 wouldn't diesel #1 be cheaper?

Duffster · Jan 7, 2011

Natureboy said:
cant use HHO around here for tractor or genny. Its 100% kerosene .

So what do you use in the tractors?

SARG · Jan 7, 2011

I suppose the answer is a weak fuel beats a frozen fuel hands down .... especially during a blizzard.

Skyco · Jan 7, 2011

Diamondpilot said:
The color is dependent on the brand. I like the STA-BIL brand avaliable at TSC, Rural King, WalMart, ect. $19.99 will treat 300 gallons or so and its black.

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We have had the best results with it taking care of about 75 engines from tractors, boats, ect.

Chris