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Fuel Degradation Ethanol vs Non Ethanol vs Stabilizer
- Midnightsun
- CYO Supporter
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- Vessel Info: The Midnight Sun
2007 41CMY
Volvo D6-370's - Location: Montreal, Canada
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Fuel Degradation Ethanol vs Non Ethanol vs Stabilizer

- Cooler
- Admiral
- Posts: 1673
- Joined: May 22nd, 2018, 12:09 pm
- Vessel Info: 1995 Carver 330 Mariner
Twin 350XL Crusaders
Home port: Menominee, MI - Location: Green Bay, WI
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Re: Fuel Degradation Ethanol vs Non Ethanol vs Stabilizer

( All weather people have to say this on air, near lakes )
- km1125
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Re: Fuel Degradation Ethanol vs Non Ethanol vs Stabilizer
Cooler wrote:Source of the post
....
My mechanic did a test with what he thinks was 30 day time lapse, and that fuel had already separated.
....
Time lapse doesn't really have to do with separation. The separation occurs due to settling, and when the water content gets high enough to combine with the alcohol. You can do separation just by putting some water in some fresh gasohol, shake it up and let it settle (in fact, that's one way to test the percentage of ethanol in the gas, just by measuring what's left).
Time will affect the overall quality of the fuel though, especially if it's allowed to vent to the atmosphere. The lighter ingredients in the gas (or gasohol) will evaporate and leave the tank via the vent. The larger the vent, the more evaporation you get, and the more heat/cool cycles you get, the more flow in and out of the vent. That process also allows more moisture to be drawn into the tank.
I would have liked to see those tests done with various stabilizers. Not necessarily to see what helps Ethanol, but just gas storage in general and how the various products compare.
- bud37
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Re: Fuel Degradation Ethanol vs Non Ethanol vs Stabilizer
IMHO that stuff has no place in marine gas engines unless you are using your boat pretty much every day of the year and have a new power plant that is designed for that type of fuel and plastic tanks.
- RGrew176
- Admiral
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Re: Fuel Degradation Ethanol vs Non Ethanol vs Stabilizer
2022 Stingray 182 SC
2004 Past Commodore
West River Yacht & Cruising Club
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- CYO Supporter
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- Vessel Info: 1989 Carver 3807 Aft Cabin
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Re: Fuel Degradation Ethanol vs Non Ethanol vs Stabilizer
Most marinas around here are still ethanol free but it's just a matter of time before they all switch over. Ethanol free is becoming more expensive and every year fewer suppliers carry it. The ethanol is definitely nasty stuff for our application. Speaking of time lapse, you'd be amazed at just how fast the ethanol will draw moisture out of the air. On a hot and humid summer day, put some in a glass bowl and within minutes you'll see it starting to cloud up as it sucks in moisture. There is no time lapse, the process starts as soon as the fuel is exposed to air, that's why you can get water from filling up at a gas station, it's in their tank because it's vented to atmosphere. What takes more time is phase separation where it's collected enough water to reach saturation and the water and ethanol finally separate from the gasoline and sink to the bottom of the tank and is the first thing to be sucked up by your fuel pump if the separation is high enough.
Just a note while we're on the subject of additives; don't know how much this affects our members here but anyone that has catalyst engines must ensure the additives are compatible with catalytic converters, everything from engine oil and oil additives, to fogging oils, and fuel additives or you could be replacing the catalyst elements, and let me tell you they are way more expensive than automotive ones. Having said that, most of these products now fall under the compatible list as they were reformulated for automotive catalyst applications years ago. Even so, marine engine OEMs only recently and long after the introduction of their catalyst designs have labeled their oils and additive products as "now" compatible with catalyst engines, seemingly indicating recent formulation changes to accommodate the new design. Ah the marine catalyst engine....it's a whole new ball game and set of rules/dos and don'ts. In short, be very careful!!
- mjk1040
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Re: Fuel Degradation Ethanol vs Non Ethanol vs Stabilizer

I'd Rather Be Boating!
1989 Sea Ray Seville
1986 Carver Mariner 32'
1990's Thompson 22' Cuddy Cabin
1990's 4Winns 245 Vista Cruiser
1980's Thompson 19' Open Bow
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- CYO Supporter
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Re: Fuel Degradation Ethanol vs Non Ethanol vs Stabilizer
If you can't get non blended fuel, at least get E10 and stay away from E15 or E20. Can you imagine the effects of E85 that flex fuel vehicles are rated for?

- bud37
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Re: Fuel Degradation Ethanol vs Non Ethanol vs Stabilizer
Maybe Safety Clean/Clean Harbors will have a solution for what I see as an environmental mess and this corn subsidy is another topic. How can we be expected to foot the bill for all this tank changing, excessive maintenance including gas removal etc etc etc. There are a lot of boats out there, a lot...

Consider what may happen when you buy a new to you boat and the previous owner may have saved money by putting his own gas in from the local "fillin" station.....how would that be surveyed ?
Now consider, how do you make sure that fresh gas in the spring is actually fresh.....it may have been in the storage tank all winter as well.....hmmmm.
- Midnightsun
- CYO Supporter
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- Joined: March 27th, 2016, 2:27 pm
- Vessel Info: The Midnight Sun
2007 41CMY
Volvo D6-370's - Location: Montreal, Canada
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Re: Fuel Degradation Ethanol vs Non Ethanol vs Stabilizer
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