dave1949
Super Star Member
Ran across this magazine article in Northern Woodlands. Sorry it's not online yet. Maybe it's old news, but it was new to me.
A small engine repair mechanic, Dwight Broome in Concord, VT cut the bottom off a propane tank (large enough to hold 5+ gal) and unscrews the valve fitting replacing that with a pipe that will be a drain. Then he turns it upside down so the drain pipe is at the bottom. He built a stand to hold it upright.
He pours 5 gallons of E10 gas in, then two quarts of water. The water combines with the ethanol and turns milky white. The water+ethanol sinks to the bottom where he drains it from the tank using the pipe. What's left in the tank is ethanol free gas which he drains back into his 5 gal. jug.
He uses the water+ethanol as windshield washer fluid (good down to -40F he says, although I doubt it's been -40F in Concord, VT ?), or to fill small lawn/garden tractor tires.
So, if you can't find ethanol-free gas, you can separate it. Dwight says he got tired of repairing the stuff ethanol eats in chainsaw and other small engine carbs, especially older equipment not made to withstand the corrosive ethanol.
He uses an ethanol content tester like this one:
Tiny Tester - Alcohol/Ethanol Content Tester | Accessories | Fuel, Lubricants & Mixes | www.baileysonline.com
and says it's not uncommon to find E10 with more than 10% ethanol--which would exceed some small engine specs. We've had a lot differences noted from posters who have or have not had ethanol problems, maybe the variation in supplier's batches accounts for some of that.
As usual he recommends draining the fuel tank and running the carb dry when not using small engines.
A small engine repair mechanic, Dwight Broome in Concord, VT cut the bottom off a propane tank (large enough to hold 5+ gal) and unscrews the valve fitting replacing that with a pipe that will be a drain. Then he turns it upside down so the drain pipe is at the bottom. He built a stand to hold it upright.
He pours 5 gallons of E10 gas in, then two quarts of water. The water combines with the ethanol and turns milky white. The water+ethanol sinks to the bottom where he drains it from the tank using the pipe. What's left in the tank is ethanol free gas which he drains back into his 5 gal. jug.
He uses the water+ethanol as windshield washer fluid (good down to -40F he says, although I doubt it's been -40F in Concord, VT ?), or to fill small lawn/garden tractor tires.
So, if you can't find ethanol-free gas, you can separate it. Dwight says he got tired of repairing the stuff ethanol eats in chainsaw and other small engine carbs, especially older equipment not made to withstand the corrosive ethanol.
He uses an ethanol content tester like this one:
Tiny Tester - Alcohol/Ethanol Content Tester | Accessories | Fuel, Lubricants & Mixes | www.baileysonline.com
and says it's not uncommon to find E10 with more than 10% ethanol--which would exceed some small engine specs. We've had a lot differences noted from posters who have or have not had ethanol problems, maybe the variation in supplier's batches accounts for some of that.
As usual he recommends draining the fuel tank and running the carb dry when not using small engines.
