Gasoline Stabilizer, Is It Needed?

What happens when gasoline oxidizes too much? I've heard rumors that without stabilizer gasoline will be completely useless. I don't really understand why that is the case.

I have a generator that I started with 4 year old fuel in it. It seems to have worked. What am I missing here? I hope I didn't ruin the engine somehow :/

 

Long term storage of gas should be stabilized. And then it just extends the life of the fuel. it still breaks down but much slower. fuel stored in a container that is full ( least amount of air in container ) in a cool place last longer. Higher octane fuel lasts longer as octane levels drop as fuel degrades. extremely low octane in modern engines is hard to start. lower octane levels ignite easier, burn fast & unpredictably. can cause detonation ( spark knock ) that if severe can cause engine damage.

 

I've treated our gasoline with Sta-bil over the years and it has worked great. I keep the fuel supply treated and rotate it through.

Though a slightly different topic, note some equipment does not work well with fuel with ethanol in it. Our chainsaws and Kawaski MULE, for example, are only run with ethanol-free fuel.

 

Gasoline will pretty much turn to lacquer and lose its effectiveness after a time. You would want to use a stabilizer if you are storing it long term, but I would try to keep what you are storing as fresh as possible.

 

If you have a diesel vehicle and SHTF REALLY BAD and the electric grid is off with no chance of coming back on for years, the insulating oil in electric utility transformers will burn in a diesel. Just don't try sucking any out if the utilities are on - you'll be an instant crispy critter.

 

I use fuel stabilizer in lawn and gardening engines.

 

I use Pri-G for a 55 gallon drum of gasoline we rotate every two years. Supposedly it can even regenerate gasoline that is going bad. Near the end of the season I'll add some to gasoline for the lawn mower/chainsaw/weed-whacker/etc and run them for at least a few minutes so it gets distributed through the lines and carb. Not sure it helps, but figure it can't hurt.

 

To run some things like chainsaws and small generators I use alkylate fuel/gasoline/petrol. Its very pure and has a very very long shelf life without treatment. Its not cheap but it runs clean with no worries about it going 'off'

 

I have three 15-gallon cans of unleaded 89-octane gas with Sta-bil that I've started to rotate for use in my Honda generator and riding mower/tractor. The car and XTerra use regular 85-octane unleaded

I think that's a bad plan. Admittedly, we're all going to run out of fuel if we suffer a major infrastructure breakdown, but just think: I might have a working generator or off-road bike for another year, and that could be the difference between life and death. In other words, I can't solve all my problems, but I can maximize my chances of pulling through.

For me, that's what prepping is all about.

 

I got some things for you to watch . YOU DONT NEED GAS










https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrbSsdwQtmw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAcyLlw5FqE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyTqo4mCUUY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6e3CprVTi8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR1YQ4ZQtLU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqWOCHI9wuo



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-un1jcdT1yw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXe7r0XPGhU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwMTNe1Okz8 quietst generator

so what I have sent you is solar cooking, a steam generator made from a gas engine, and gasafiers so you can replace gasoline. But if you realy need gas Ill show you a video on that.

 

Everyone prepares somewhat differently and I certainly would continue to use gasoline if it was available at a reasonable price however I prepare to survive without it if need be . A prepper that has to have it for whatever reason hasn't prepared properly . If fuel for motors , electricity , and community water was lost the death toll would be enormous . I occasionally read on here about someone has a stream they can access but I suspect that stream is somewhere that they would need a motorized vehicle to haul any meaningful amount back home . Riding down the road observe how many houses you see that has a water source that isn't reliant on electricity or community water system . --- How long do you think it will take for the desperate Democrats here in the U.S. to move on from burning down and looting cites to attacking the community water and electrical supply ? With no electricity the gas stations close down " if they don't get burnt down " .

 

Stabilizer can last for up to a year. The lower the octane the longer it lasts. The higher the octane the cooler and slower the burn. However the same chemical will cause fuel oxidization faster. On the farm large amounts of fuel in a 45 gal. drum lasted up to a year.. keeping it cool slowed down the process. The hold under the barn with sawdust and ice from the winter pond is what we used. This is why a duel fuel vehicle on propane is best. Propane is so easy to make. Easier than gasoline and you dont need to store octane boost to get rid of the knock. A gasafier is a proven tool used since WW2. A 3/4 ton panel truck for example will burn through 100 gal of fuel in 4 hours at hwy speed of 60 mph. But if you relay want to know how to make gas or diesel Ill tell you but not in here.

 

air oxidizes the fuel. So if sealed in a cold dark place without air it can last a long time. When it gets moisture in it it can get milki yellow . as the gs ages it looses its energy potential to say it simply. Less hp. Each persons bug out depends on there location and family needs. If your leaving new York city... lol a beast of burden is not practical. My level of experience is greater than yours. I can get primal if needed.You cannot. Not yet. So you need to do what is practical for you. Not everyone here can be a Sourdough. Not everyone can be a Rambo and not everyone can be a Ghost. So you need to find the level that is equal to your physical health, age , group status,money and learned experience. I could show you a video on my training and you could go try it and end up in a hospital picking what looks like the right plant. This is a like style. Its done gradual over years. its lots of weekends out practicing. using one week vacations getting real with this stuff. No one here Ive seen has SAS training. If someone here has they sure as hell would not come forward. Everyone skill sets here are different and the knowledge is varied. So pick your plan. pick some brains. Trust your gut. Your plan will change over time as you gain knowledge and experience. If If you are serious try many things. Find out which is feeling natural. Some here are attackers, some here are sheep. You may wish to be a hunter, or a forager. What ever it is there is no one here who has the right to tell you different. Seek out the ones most knowledgeable in your area and learn. A true leader will not criticize you. A real mentor will encourage you to learn. Survival is not about ego. As I have seen there are a few Vets in here they will tell you EGOS get you killed. Often I have seen more deaths from a wound, a scratch, a bug bit and allergic reactions then then I care to mention. Gentlemen.... this isnt a pissing match. Bug if you want to know ask and you shall receive.

 

Gasoline without a protective stabilizer turns to varnish. This varnish forms onto all engine parts coming in contact with gasoline. The varnish is a pain to remove.

I protect my gasoline-powered lawn & garden equipment with a gasoline stabilizer each year to get them into the next season. This has bought me years of use without having to scrub the engines.

If you perpetually use this equipment throughout the year, then there will be no problem. If however you let equipment just sit there unused, the gasoline will start going bad. At end of growing season, some folk will run an engine all of the way dry -- run it till the engine dies of lack of fuel. This is to attempt to leave no fuel residue which will of course turn into icky-sticky varnish that can disable the engine. This is a mess to clean-up.

There are how-to sites that instruct one how to get the varnish out, but for me, I just do not want that crap forming in the first place. The men of my family would put their boat motors in a 55 gallon drum and run them every week -- even through the winter. "Use it or lose it." My dad would run his gasoline powered equipment engines dry. Next season, he'd buy fresh fuel. Once the varnish forms, that's it, the engine must be cleaned.

Here's one product among many competitors:

https://www.berrymanproducts.com/fuel-stabilizer/

There's Sta-bil. How do you spell that product? I'm too tired now to look it up. Time for a bourbon, shower, hit the sack. Been staying up way too late. Gotta stop that even though I'm a night person.