Petrol - stabilising

[demented dale]

How can one stabilise Petrol for longer if one want to extend its normal lifespan?

And more importantly what are peoples actual experiences of doing this and adding agents and how long after were you able to use the Petrol?

I looked into it and whatever you do it does not store long term. I gave up looking because I wanted to have it for years. I did reach a solution for some things in that I bought a dual fuel generator that runs on petrol, LPG and butane. I now store the bottles which are not only more economical but the gas will never go off for ever and ever amen. DD xxxx

 

[Chris]

When it gets down below halfway I tend to fill it up at the first decently priced petrol station I drive past. Diesel though, so I get about 200 miles from half a tank.

 

[bobnewboy]

At the end of the motorcycling year, I fill my bikes to the brim with Esso E5, and then add a generous amount of Motorex fuel stabiliser. That was at the end of November, and I’ve just been out for my first ride of the year today. No problems at all. Esso E5 is, or was, supposed to be one of the better super unleaded fuels, with low ethanol levels - 5% is the maximum it could be.

Motorex products are very good, if a little expensive, but they do work. If you wanted to stabilise a large amount of fuel (50+ litres), or for longer than 3-4 months I’m not sure what I’d do, but I’d avoid E10 completely.

Motorex fuel stabiliser

 

[Silverclaws2]

How can one stabilise Petrol for longer if one want to extend its normal lifespan?

And more importantly what are peoples actual experiences of doing this and adding agents and how long after were you able to use the

You're the second person I have heard from that has asked that very same question in the last 24 hours where perhaps you like them are thinking about the same. Where if I will offer you the same solution as I told that other for I in a professional setting have had to find a solution to problem of stale petrol.

Stale petrol in that after having to ditch large quantities of stale petrol we kept to run a fleet of single cylinder motors and of course fed up with having to fit new diaphragm kits to the carburettors of two strokes stored with fuel in them over the winter ( stale fuel does nasty things to diaphragms), I was forced to discover petrol companies in their bid to stop consumers gaming their system, removed the preservative from petrol.

The solution I discovered was already well known for octane preserving products to be available and not expensively either for the product I came to use was called ; ' Sta-bil ' whereas iirc the product claimed to stabilise petrol for up to two years.

The product you are looking for is called ' petrol stabiliser '

Now as to storing petrol, that's a question to consider given the laws on bulk fuel installations concerning the where and how. To remember when I had on occasions forgotten to lock the jerry cans of petrol away in the gas cage out in the yard overnight, the pong I was met with in the workshop the next morning to forbid folks from doing anything that could cause a spark until we had well vented the pong

 

[TeeDee]

You're the second person I have heard from that has asked that very same question in the last 24 hours where perhaps you like them are thinking about the same. Where if I will offer you the same solution as I told that other for I in a professional setting have had to find a solution to problem of stale petrol.

Stale petrol in that after having to ditch large quantities of stale petrol we kept to run a fleet of single cylinder motors and of course fed up with having to fit new diaphragm kits to the carburettors of two strokes stored with fuel in them over the winter ( stale fuel does nasty things to diaphragms), I was forced to discover petrol companies in their bid to stop consumers gaming their system, removed the preservative from petrol.

The solution I discovered was already well known for octane preserving products to be available and not expensively either for the product I came to use was called ; ' Sta-bil ' whereas iirc the product claimed to stabilise petrol for up to two years.

The product you are looking for is called ' petrol stabiliser '

Now as to storing petrol, that's a question to consider given the laws on bulk fuel installations concerning the where and how. To remember when I had on occasions forgotten to lock the jerry cans of petrol away in the gas cage out in the yard overnight, the pong I was met with in the workshop the next morning to forbid folks from doing anything that could cause a spark until we had well vented the pong

Thanks . I did ask the question in 2024 , but yes I guess its a question that comes up every now and then.

 

[Silverclaws2]

Thanks . I did ask the question in 2024 , but yes I guess its a question that comes up every now and then.

Yes now, now the Straits of Hormuz are reported to be closed for prepper fraternity to be suggesting within a week to ten days we might start experiencing problems at the pumps, with the advice to not let one's fuel tank to fall below half tank

 

[johnnytheboy]

Super unleaded is more stable we use it in our quads and Argos, also the product from screwfix does work as I use it for my lawnmower and power tools!

https://www.screwfix.com/p/mountfield-ms1220-universal-fuel-stabiliser-250ml/8365j

 

[HorseGuy]

Stale petrol in that after having to ditch large quantities of stale petrol we kept to run a fleet of single cylinder motors and of course fed up with having to fit new diaphragm kits to the carburettors of two strokes stored with fuel in them over the winter ( stale fuel does nasty things to diaphragms), I was forced to discover petrol companies in their bid to stop consumers gaming their system, removed the preservative from petrol.

I heard that due to them regularly being used in third-world countries the old Honda 50 Cub mopeds were designed to be able to run on stale petrol if needed.

 

[GeraldTheBonsai]

I've used fuel stabiliser for many years, mainly when storing things like lawn mowers and generators over winter. Means I don't have to drain anything and, in the case of the generator, its available for immediate use. Just got the generator out of storage yesterday and it fired up fine after a couple of pulls.

 

[slowworm]

Well one of the petrol stations down here in Sussex has run out of E10 petrol. Hopefully it's just temporary....

 

[Chris]

Paid £1.38 a litre for diesel yesterday at an empty petrol station, having driven past about 5 others which all had petrol/diesel and no queues.

I suspect it’s localised and probably down to a few idiots on social media stoking fear.

 

[Billy-o]

There is about 20 gallons of petrol in a 42 gallon barrel of crude. The current US strategic oil reserve is about 400 million barrels of crude (= about 180 million barrels of petrol, = 7.5 billion gallons petrol). Estimates vary, but the EPA currently says that the US uses 135 billion gallons of petrol, diesel, aviation fuel a year - about 400 million gallons a day. Based on that, the US strategic oil reserve on its own can keep the US in petrol for, say, a month. I guess it is unlikely in a crisis that it would be released at that everyday rate, so probably a bit longer. Apropos nothing at all, except maybe the sun doesn't stop shining and the wind doesn't stop blowing and the tide doesn't stop tiding. Oh, yes, it has also been recently reportedthat the UK has two days of reserve gas supply.

 

[HillBill]

I looked into it and whatever you do it does not store long term. I gave up looking because I wanted to have it for years. I did reach a solution for some things in that I bought a dual fuel generator that runs on petrol, LPG and butane. I now store the bottles which are not only more economical but the gas will never go off for ever and ever amen. DD xxxx

You sure about that? Gas is affected by temperature... What you buy in the summer, becomes half of in the winter... thats thing with gas.... you need gas, not liquid... and all gas is liquid when bought..... Temp, pressure etc... all matter. What once was one, is not always the other. You might think you've got 2 cans of gas... and you might have... Sometimes. Need it in the summer... You might have 2 cans... Need it in the winter.... Well... cross that bridge when its cold outside.... Propane? Butane? Hope you have both... xxx

 

[demented dale]

You sure about that? Gas is affected by temperature... What you buy in the summer, becomes half of in the winter... thats thing with gas.... you need gas, not liquid... and all gas is liquid when bought..... Temp, pressure etc... all matter. What once was one, is not always the other. You might think you've got 2 cans of gas... and you might have... Sometimes. Need it in the summer... You might have 2 cans... Need it in the winter.... Well... cross that bridge when its cold outside.... Propane? Butane? Hope you have both... xxx

I don't get your point Mark. I have a LPG generator. You just hook it up to the bottle. Runs on petrol as well. To change over you run the carb dry and prime the propane to the carb. I have never seen one till recently. Runs on butane as well but this can run slightly less efficient. I have had some of my gas bottles for years and they still weigh the same regardless of the weather. x

 

[Silverclaws2]

There is about 20 gallons of petrol in a 42 gallon barrel of crude. The current US strategic oil reserve is about 400 million barrels of crude (= about 180 million barrels of petrol, = 7.5 billion gallons petrol). Estimates vary, but the EPA currently says that the US uses 135 billion gallons of petrol, diesel, aviation fuel a year - about 400 million gallons a day. Based on that, the US strategic oil reserve on its own can keep the US in petrol for, say, a month. I guess it is unlikely in a crisis that it would be released at that everyday rate, so probably a bit longer. Apropos nothing at all, except maybe the sun doesn't stop shining and the wind doesn't stop blowing and the tide doesn't stop tiding. Oh, yes, it has also been recently reportedthat the UK has two days of reserve gas supply.

As I heard it the reserve has been depleted by just over half for the current administration at the break out of hostilities to have only refilled by about 2%. Usually the US makes sure that reserve is brimming before they wage war

 

[Billy-o]

I must admit I am scratching my head as to the purpose of provoking this new oil crisis. It's not as if it wasn't an entirely necessary and most obvious outcome.

 

[johnnytheboy]

I must admit I am scratching my head as to the purpose of provoking this new oil crisis. It's not as if it wasn't an entirely necessary and most obvious outcome.

Surely they are strangling the oil supply to China?

Iran and Venezuela?

 

[TeeDee]

Is this now GeoPolitics?

 

[johnnytheboy]

Everything is Geopolitical, especially fuel!

 

[Dave Budd]

As this thread has been resurrected, I thought I would share my latest discovery with the Aspen I use. Just before Christmas I filled and used a pedestrian tractor I have, but very rarely use. It's been sat unused for maybe 3 years and the tank was empty (any fuel in there had evaporated). I put some Aspen 4 stroke in there and after a few pulls to get the fuel through the engine, the thing started and ran fine for the hour or so I needed it to

That was all great and as I expected. What I didn't expect was that when I looked at the bottle, the label faded in the sun despite being stored in a lean to shed, I noticed that it was from the batch I bought 14 years ago!

So that's unleaded petrol, in a bottle that is still good after 14 years!