Even though this was specifically written with regard to boat engines, I think it might interest everyone: Ethanol Myths
Three Ethanol Myths Clarified
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I left my 46 gallon boat gas tank pretty much empty for the whole winter and never saw any water in the water separator.
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Disreguard my post above. I didn't know the water would actually soak into the fuel and pass through the separator.
Good article. I know a lot of boaters who just do not worry about their gas during the winter.
One real bad thing E10 did to some large boats is to ruin the actual fuel tank by dissolving the resin of the fiberglass tank. The boats needed major surgery to replace the tanks.
Keeping the tank full is also expensive for boaters who do not use the boat a whole lot. My tank is 75 gallons and the boat is 24', so the people with 32' to say 36' have huge tanks. When you get much larger they are probably diesel.
One real bad thing E10 did to some large boats is to ruin the actual fuel tank by dissolving the resin of the fiberglass tank. The boats needed major surgery to replace the tanks.
Keeping the tank full is also expensive for boaters who do not use the boat a whole lot. My tank is 75 gallons and the boat is 24', so the people with 32' to say 36' have huge tanks. When you get much larger they are probably diesel.
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The most a gasoline boat holds is about 220 gallons. After that it's diesel powered. You're correct.
^ Not always. Our 86 Chris Craft has twin 210 gallon tanks (gasoline). We usually fill them at the end of the season before winter (with Sta-bil added), and they may or may not get filled once during the season depending on if we take any trips, rather than just weekend boating.
I saw a device at a boatshow that went in your fuel tank vent line and absorbed any moisture. The manufacturer claimed that even ethanol fuel could be stored indefinitely without absorbing moisture, but it also eliminated the growth of algae in diesel tanks.
Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
I saw a device at a boatshow that went in your fuel tank vent line and absorbed any moisture. The manufacturer claimed that even ethanol fuel could be stored indefinitely without absorbing moisture, but it also eliminated the growth of algae in diesel tanks.
H2OUT tank vent dryers.
http://www.h2out.com/products
Algae grows on the oil-water interface. No water = no algae. The algae also needs some warmth and needs to have the algae, bugs, bacteria, whatever introduced, usually in a fuel delivery.
I saw a device at a boatshow that went in your fuel tank vent line and absorbed any moisture. The manufacturer claimed that even ethanol fuel could be stored indefinitely without absorbing moisture, but it also eliminated the growth of algae in diesel tanks.
H2OUT tank vent dryers.
http://www.h2out.com/products
Algae grows on the oil-water interface. No water = no algae. The algae also needs some warmth and needs to have the algae, bugs, bacteria, whatever introduced, usually in a fuel delivery.
Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
I saw a device at a boatshow that went in your fuel tank vent line and absorbed any moisture. The manufacturer claimed that even ethanol fuel could be stored indefinitely without absorbing moisture, but it also eliminated the growth of algae in diesel tanks.
I've seen many clever devices at boat shows that seemed to extend into my wallet and absorb money!
I saw a device at a boatshow that went in your fuel tank vent line and absorbed any moisture. The manufacturer claimed that even ethanol fuel could be stored indefinitely without absorbing moisture, but it also eliminated the growth of algae in diesel tanks.
I've seen many clever devices at boat shows that seemed to extend into my wallet and absorb money!
Long term storage/sitting is aspecial circumstance that the ethanol may indeed help. Who wants water pooling in the system?
Kinda like brake fluid that absorbs moisture - a happy coincidence.
Kinda like brake fluid that absorbs moisture - a happy coincidence.
One thing I like about ethanol gas is that here in the NE we no longer have to add dry gas in the winter to prevent gas line freeze up--the ethanol takes care of the problem.
When I had boats they had twin 150 gallon tanks. I always stored them full with a double shot of Stabil. Never had any starting issues and they ran fine in the Spring.
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