Keeping Petrol

[Jahee]

Say i bought a can of petrol and kept it in a garage for a few months or something, would it go bad so to speak? Or would it be fine? May be a stupid question just not quite sure

 

[Crono]

The can is closed, right? A few months is fine.

 

[DeadByDawn]

I have heard it starts to go bad after about a year, a couple months should be just fine. Diesel lasts even longer.

 

[FoBoT]

it is good for about 12-18 months in storage

 

[Mermaidman]

Do gasoline stabilizers really help in this situation?

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: Jahee
Say i bought a can of petrol and kept it in a garage for a few months or something, would it go bad so to speak? Or would it be fine? May be a stupid question just not quite sure

Smell it. If it does not smell like gas do not use it.

 

[squirrel dog]

Do gasoline stabilizers really help in this situation? Yes I use sta-bil on my boat,it keeps gas useable season after season.Also use it in my pressure washer/lawn tractor/chain saw/generator.Keeps me away from the repair shop(carb cleanings)

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Unstabilized in an air tight container gasoline is near fresh for 6 months, stabilized it is good for a year. Double those figures for diesel fuel. Three year plus old diesel can grow fungus and it demands a full fuel system disassemble to get rid of, injectors too.

 

[skyking]

I keep it a maximum of 6 months, unless using sta-bil. Mix does not get used up as often as the mower gas, so every tank of mix gets sta-bil in it too.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Gasoline mixed with oil for 2 stroke use has a shorter shelf life that straight gasoline.
:thumbsup: skyking

 

[AlienCraft]

Petrol, I love it when you guys call it "petrol".
Tarmack is another synonym I like to slip in also...... American English is so .... "chunky" sometimes.......

< wandering away mumbling to himself in robe and slippers and BIG Coffee.....

 

[Mermaidman]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Gasoline mixed with oil for 2 stroke use has a shorter shelf life that straight gasoline.
:thumbsup: skyking

How should one dispose old gasoline or gas/oil mix?

 

[Troll4Hire]

Originally posted by: Jahee
Say i bought a can of petrol and kept it in a garage for a few months or something, would it go bad so to speak? Or would it be fine? May be a stupid question just not quite sure

It will go rancid after time. It will depend on temperature, atmospheric preasure, the amount of unused volume in the container, and the quality of the fuel.

My best advice is to get a bottle of Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer. One bottle will treat 20 gallons and will preserve the fuel freshness for a long long time to come.


You can buy it at Wal-Mart or about any place that will sell fuel additives and Oil Filters.
http://www.goldeagle.com/sta-bil/index.htm

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Gasoline mixed with oil for 2 stroke use has a shorter shelf life that straight gasoline.
:thumbsup: skyking

How should one dispose old gasoline or gas/oil mix?

I just dump a few gallons of stale gasoline into my trucks 18 gallon tank when I fill it up.

Some truckers dump the 50+quarts of used crankcase lube oil into thier 200 gallon fuel tanks and get rid of it that way.
Gear oil must not be dumped into diesel fuel.

Gangster owned haz-mat companies are known to dump PCB laden oil into diesel fuel...Asshats!!

 

[Jahee]

Originally posted by: AlienCraft
Petrol, I love it when you guys call it "petrol".
Tarmack is another synonym I like to slip in also...... American English is so .... "chunky" sometimes.......

< wandering away mumbling to himself in robe and slippers and BIG Coffee.....

Lol, I've always wondered where the word gasoline came from

Originally posted by: Troll4Hire

It will go rancid after time. It will depend on temperature, atmospheric preasure, the amount of unused volume in the container, and the quality of the fuel.

When you say it will go rancid or off, what do u mean? what happens to it, chemically?

 

[Jahee]

Also i know additives are added to fuel in the different seasons to make it less or more volatile etc, if i used winter fuel in the summer or vice versa would it not combust as well and cause the car to run rougher or what?

 

[Troll4Hire]

Originally posted by: Jahee

Originally posted by: AlienCraft
Petrol, I love it when you guys call it "petrol".
Tarmack is another synonym I like to slip in also...... American English is so .... "chunky" sometimes.......

< wandering away mumbling to himself in robe and slippers and BIG Coffee.....

Lol, I've always wondered where the word gasoline came from

Originally posted by: Troll4Hire

It will go rancid after time. It will depend on temperature, atmospheric preasure, the amount of unused volume in the container, and the quality of the fuel.

When you say it will go rancid or off, what do u mean? what happens to it, chemically?

It will smell like a rotten pit of toxic pig feces mixed with a decomposed skunk.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline#Etymology

EDIT: if you want to discover what happens, then find a small glass jar (pint-quart) and pour some "Petrol" in to it. Fill it about 1/4 of the way Let the jar sit there for 6 months or even better a year (if your willing to wait). After about a year or more gasoline will start gum up (tar), breakdown, and leave a nasty mess in your engine, gas tank (or gas can), and fuel lines. Cleaning up after rotten fuel is a real pain in the but. Fuel lines will need replaced and engines will need to be dismantled.

 

[Troll4Hire]

Stability

When gasoline is left for a certain period of time, gums and varnishes may build up and precipitate in the gasoline, causing "stale fuel." This will cause gums to build up in the cylinders and also the fuel lines, making it harder to start the engine. Gums and varnishes should be removed by a professional to extend engine life. Motor gasoline may be stored up to 60 days in an approved container. If it is to be stored for a longer period of time, a fuel stabilizer may be used. This will extend the life of the fuel to about 1-2 years, and keep it fresh for the next uses. Fuel stabilizer is commonly used for small engines such as lawnmower and tractor engines to promote quicker and more reliable starting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline#Stability

 

[IGBT]

..I store gas 50 gal.or more for a year on a rotating basis. I use a product called Stabil. And I also use it in chainsaws and generators. I've stored generators as long as a year and they fire right up after a few pulls.

 

[Shame]

I have a 2 gallon gas can that I fill, use what I need, pour the remainder of the can into the car, then refill both the car and can each time I fill up (about once a month).

 

[FoBoT]

i thought you only needed to use sta-bil in an engine, not in a can o gas

 

[Shame]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
i thought you only needed to use sta-bil in an engine, not in a can o gas

You can do both.

 

[IGBT]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
i thought you only needed to use sta-bil in an engine, not in a can o gas

..works in storage as well as tanks. Never lost a drum of gas because of long term storage as long as Stabil was mixed wit it.

 

[M2008S]

Originally posted by: Shame
I have a 2 gallon gas can that I fill, use what I need, pour the remainder of the can into the car, then refill both the car and can each time I fill up (about once a month).

ONCE A MONTH? OMG. I USE MY ENTIRE 34 GALLON TANK IN MY PICKUP IN A WEEK. btw gas will go bad over time.. look for changes in color as well as scent. bad gas has a weird sweetish smell i guess.. its called lacquered gasoline. if its bad, dont use it. itll mess ya up. google it lolz

 

[NoShangriLa]

Old gas can be use, as long as the fuel isn't oxidized and gummed up.