I have a 5 gallon can of top tier gas that I bought for emergencies. I plan on pouring it into my gas tank periodically and then refilling the can with fresh gas. How long can I keep that 5 gallons without needing to add Stabil ?
How Long To Store Gas Without Stabil ?
- Thread starter DwightFrye
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IME, pump gas (typically containing ethanol) is good for 6 months. Any longer, I use Stabil, in which case it lasts for a couple of years. If the gasoline is E0 (no ethanol), it lasts longer. Why not just use Stabil and eliminate all concern?
And whether it’s Top Tier or not isn’t really the determining factor.
Its a chemical reaction. More time in cold weather, less in hot. Better to get E0 gas.
Seems like a PIA. Add blue marine Stabil and swap it out yearly.
Seems like a PIA. Add blue marine Stabil and swap it out yearly.
And sometimes it doesn't. Earlier this year I spent a few days troubleshooting my lawmower, removing & cleaning out the carburetor, coil, etc. It had spark, compression, fuel, yet would not run. Long story short, it turned out to be 2 year old gas that had gone stale despite the fact that I had used Stabil.
Lesson learned. Now I only use E0 for my gas (with Stabil) for the mower, pressure washer, etc. since it can sit in the can for over a year.
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I’ve always been told 9 months is the longest you should store it without anything added to it.
Rotate your gas every 90 days. You can go 6 months if you add Stabil, but if you are rotating it, you don't need waste your money on it. In 5 gal quantities, it isn't really bad at these time frames, but it goes bad pretty fast after this. For some reason, gas goes bad faster in smaller quantities. E0 lasts longer than E10.
Most generator manufactures suggest Stabil for storage over 60 days. Ed
Our Ca gas turns to yellow goop in a few months even with Sta-Bil added.
Stabil will not preserve the alcohol portion of E10 or prevent phase separation, it also does not prevent evaporation of the VOC's blended in differing amounts depending on your region. To be safe cycle your stash every 3-6 mos and keep it tightly capped. You can extend this a bit if you buy premium as the drop in octane will not be as bad.
I keep gas for about 4 months for my OPE. If I don't use it up in 4 months I pour it in my van and buy fresh gas. I treat it with Stabil 360 because I do store seasonal OPE with fresh gas tweaked with the Stabil and MMO or TCW3.
Pfft.... I have 35 gallons worth of gas treated with Sta-Bil in my garage. I use it for my ATV, mower, all my pull start stuff, and as emergency fuel for the generator in the winter. Ethanol free 91 octane treated with Sta-Bil is absolutely good for at least two years. Guess how I know? Yeah. Kept one sealed up for three freaking years. Guess what my mower did on the second pull using it? Mini bike? Yup. He liked it too. Mixed with 2 stroke in the Stihl weed eater? Leaf blower too?! Yup. If you guess ran like a champ in every engine I tried you'd be correct. I have 7 Honda GX200 clone engines that gobbled it down like a fat kid eating donuts. Then again Predator, Champion, and HiSun engines will run on a mix of pee and dirt.
Trick to it? Not really. Air is bad for gas. Fill your can pretty full, add stabilizer, seal it up, store in a cool dark place. Once you open it use it all up.
Trick to it? Not really. Air is bad for gas. Fill your can pretty full, add stabilizer, seal it up, store in a cool dark place. Once you open it use it all up.
Briggs & Stratton says 3 weeks. IMO 1 cylinders need to have fresh gas, not only to start but to prevent varnishing. I rotate my gas to the car every 4-6 weeks.
You can tell if the gas has gone bad by getting a whiff of it. Being in a five gallon can, it will last much longer than a small quantity in an engine's fuel tank. I have used one year old untreated gas stored in a five gallon can without any problems.
I don't really give it too much thought.
I fill up a 5 gallon can when I need it, add Stabil 360, and use it until it's gone. Never had an issue.
I fill up a 5 gallon can when I need it, add Stabil 360, and use it until it's gone. Never had an issue.
What the heck?
So what is going to happen to the millions of gallons of gas sitting in tanks at my company that might not go anywhere till next fall? Guess we will just throw it out.
When I bought my current DD it had been sitting for about two years. I jump started it (fired instantly) and drove it it straight to the gas station because the low fuel indicator was on and no problems 'til this day. Fuel quality had never even crossed my mind for some reason, I guess I was more concerned with the tires, brakes and underbody from sitting on the previous owner's lawn for two years. One thing I did notice was the DTE info was VERY conservative and after driving it now for almost two years it has slowly corrected however now, the gauge sometimes fluctuates while driving. Meanwhile, last year at this time I was asking advice to store a vehicle for a few months not realizing I already had the answer.
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I would expect stored gas to stay "fresh enough" up to 6 months. And yes it will last longer if stored in cool conditions. Storage in high temps tends to break it down faster. Fuel stabilizer helps but it is not a magic wand -- stabilized fuel will eventually turn.
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