Gas disposal

frank_f15 · May 25, 2002

i don't think u need to get rid of old gas, just use it!!!! i know all the manuels say use fresh gas, but i found that if there is no water in it, it is fine to use.DO NOT try and burn it. i know a guy that tried to burn some catails out of his drainage swale, he took a gallon of old gas and poured it over the catails and in the ditch, then went back and lit a wad of paper and threw it towards the ditch, only problem was in the few min. it took him to set up, the fumes(that he could not see) built up and when it lit so did he, he was very lucky, only burned his hair and shinged his cloths. gasoline don't burn the fumes do . be very ,very careful if u go that route.

cisco · May 25, 2002

Well, I use Stabil in anything that might hang around for awhile (tractor, boat gas tanks, etc.). If stuff is over a year old, I just pore it into my car at about 2 gallons per tank of fresh gas, and slowly burn it off that way. Sometimes, nature just takes its' course. My wife recently got real low on gas (what a surprise - she knows she's low when the car sputters), so she grabbed a "gas" can in the garage and emptied such into her van. Then she noticed "Diesel" printed on the can - and came to blame me (of course) for keeping diesel in the car garage. So, I topped off her tank (about 2 gallons of diesel in 20 gallons of gas), backed the car up, stopped abruptly, drove forward, stopped abruptly (to mix the stuff) a few times, and drove the vehicle myself for a week, topping off the tank every few gallons - worked fine. Yeah, I had tried to siphon the tank, but it has an anti-siphon protector, so I couldn't get the hose past, and I did not want to drop the tank off the vehicle to drain it. The mechanic said most cars can handle 10% diesel - and he was right. That said - I've gotten my diesel stuff out of harm's (my wife's) way.
As to burning gas - check your medical policy, and property insurance.

Tom_Trees · May 26, 2002

What do you guys do?

I use it. I'm running the weed eater on six-year-old gas right now. Never used any additives (other than the oil), and it doesn't seem to be that much harder to start. I suppose I'd mix it 50-50 with new if I were having problems getting the engine to run.

Tom

bgott · May 26, 2002

Some people just spread it down the fenceline and let it evaporate. When I was a kid people used to use diesel for weedkiller. Now mind you, I would never do something like that. That wouldn't be politically correct.

jyoutz · May 26, 2002

It is common practice in the forestry profession to use a drip torch which dribbles fuel to do prescribed burning. We all use a 50-50 mix of gas and diesel to do this. The drip torch has a wick which stays lit and is bathed in this fuel mixture. The 50-50 mix is flammable but not explosive.

rancar · May 27, 2002

"...where to put the old stuff. What do you guys do?"

Save it up along with all of your old engine oil after you change oil in the car and truck and throw on burning brush pile.

rancar · May 27, 2002

After just reading through all the posts again, I would also say do this with caution. I save all my old combustible fluids in old capped plastic jugs. When I have a burn pile big and dry enough to burn, I'll stand about twenty feet away and throw the capped bottle onto the burning pile....always start the burn pile first and get it burning nicely. NEVER THROW OPEN CONTAINER COMBUSTIBLES ONTO BURNING FLAMES AS COMBUSTIBLES WILL IGNITE IN MID-AIR RIGHT BACK TO YOUR THROWING ARM.

rancar · May 27, 2002

Tony,

"...If you pour a half cup of gasoline down into an underground bees nest they will all die instantly from the fumes."

Thanks for the tip....I'll try this as I frequently have this problem and find out the hard way when cutting the lawn. Do you think this will work with groundhogs?

Bob

TonyC · May 27, 2002

Do you think this will work with groundhogs?

Well I doubt they would like it very much but no, it wouldn't work the same. For starters it works on bees because they breathe through their entire body. The gas fumes instantly permeate their systems and they don't even have a chance to move. With groundhogs, they would probably just abandon their hole when they detect the smell. They always have an alternate exit route in their tunnels. Grounhogs are a problem. Having a dog or two is one good way to keep them away!