Q: I’m unsure if the gas in my garage is suitable for use in my lawnmower. When it comes to gasoline, how long does it last in storage before it turns bad?
A: You’re right to be concerned about the shelf life of gasoline since once it loses its capacity to ignite engines, it can cause harm to fuel system components. Indeed, verify the fuel storage time restrictions put out in the manufacturer’s directions before using any stored gas in a mower, tractor, or other piece of equipment or vehiclefilling engines with gas in storage for longer than these limits could void the product warranty. However, “old” gas is not always “bad,” that is, tainted. Read on to find out how long gasoline will last, as well as how to recognize and dispose of gas that has gone bad.
Properly stored gasoline can last up to half a year.
Gasoline usually lasts three to six months when properly stored in a labeled, tightly sealed plastic container or metal tank of the capacity recommended by your fire department, though it naturally degrades and loses combustibility over time due to oxidation (exposure to oxygen) and evaporation of its volatile compounds (usually no more than five gallons). However, the purity of the gas and the usage of fuel stabilizers can affect how long it lasts.
Is gasoline that is two years old still good?
If you haven’t driven your car in a while, you may be wondering if the gas in the tank is still OK or if it has to be removed and replaced with new gas. Here’s the answer to your question.
Is old gas in the tank bad for your car? The quick answer
In almost all cases, aging gas isn’t a problem. Gas that sits for a long time deteriorates. Gas that has been sitting for a few months, on the other hand, can be redeemed by topping off the tank with new gas. The motor will work properly once the new gas has mixed with the old gas. “The fresh gas will mix with what’s already in your tank,” explains Consumer Reports’ chief mechanic John Ibbotson, “and any discrepancy in the octane will be corrected for automatically by your car’s engine computer.” The change will restore the engine’s regular operation.
What happens when gas gets old?
When gas sits for a long time, it begins to degrade in a number of ways. Gas will lose octane over time. The combustible component of gasoline is octane. The better the air-fuel mixture and combustion in the cylinders, the higher the octane rating (think 87, 89, 93).
As gas ages, it reduces its volatility, or how explosive it is. Engine performance suffers when volatility reduces. As the engine and gas rest, residues and water from gas combustion might build up. None of this is encouraging for engine performance.
How old is too old for gas?
Degradation begins right away, but most gas remains usable for at least a month. Gas that is more than two months old, on the other hand, is generally safe to use with just small performance reductions. Engine knocking, sputtering, and clogged injectors can all be symptoms of gas that has been sitting for more than a year. To avoid engine damage, bad gas can be evacuated from the tank. One thing to bear in mind is that you can’t tell how old the gas is when you first put it in your automobile.
How long does unleaded petrol last before it goes bad?
The amount of time that fuel will be usable in your gas tank is determined on the type of fuel. Regular gasoline has a three- to six-month shelf life, whereas diesel can last up to a year before degrading. Organic-based Ethanol, on the other hand, can lose its combustibility in as little as three months due to oxidation and evaporation.
It can be difficult to keep track of the age of the fuel in your tank. It begins its existence at a refinery, where it may have been held indefinitely before being transferred. This time frame could range from a few days to a few weeks. It’s possible that the fuel will sit for a long period of time once it arrives at a gas station, depending on how busy that specific gas station is. It’s likely that the gas in your tank was pumped more than a month ago.
Is it possible to store fuel for years?
To apply this to planning your bug-out destination or having a fuel supply at home, you must manage both of these concerns, ideally without causing a fire or explosion threat in the process.
STORING FUELS SAFELY
If you wish to have a fuel supply at home or in your bug-out location, there are a few easy criteria to follow for efficiency and safety.
Get decent containers first. Plastic is used in the majority of modern containers, which is a good thing. Gasoline should be placed in red containers, whereas diesel should be placed in yellow containers, and kerosene should be placed in blue containers. The color-coding will aid organization, especially if you’re attempting to remember which can had the diesel and which contained the kerosene. Of course, you can label your cans. A Sharpie can be quite useful.
If your demands exceed a few gallons, you can purchase barrels for a variety of fuels. Barrels can be found in racing shops and farm supply stores, among other places. Standard 55-gallon drums and smaller 30-gallon drums are easily available.
Drums are great, but they’re not without flaws. Before filling them, make sure they’re fully dry, and then keep them filled and sealed tight until you’re ready to utilize the fuel. If you have a half drum, the air within will condense and introduce water. If you’re going to store that kind of fuel, keep it safe by keeping it away from your house, garage, and any sources of heat, sparks, or flame. A metal garden shed set back from neighboring structures by at least 50 feet is an excellent option.
You must also consider the sun’s and air’s heat as a concern. If you fill your drum or plastic jug with fuel in the winter, the fuel may expand and possibly burst when the ambient temperature rises. You’ll need to open it up now and again to allow the vapors out. Some moisture will get in as a result of this, but it’s unavoidable.
USING FUEL AND OIL ADDITIVES
As a result, both gasoline and diesel are refined hydrocarbons that have already had additives added to them in the refinery. What’s the point of buying fuel additive on top of that?
The answer is that both gasoline and oil meet government criteria or are established by fuel and automotive manufacturers working jointly. Those benchmarks aren’t always as high as they could be. For example, the government sets minimum gasoline specifications, but some companies choose to go above and above. That’s why some fuels perform well in your vehicle while others don’t.
Chevron adds Techron to its gasoline and sells it as an additive, to name one well-known brand. Techron is a brand name for polyetheramine (PEA), a chemical that breaks down carbon deposits so they can pass through the engine without accumulating.
Other ingredients could be as straightforward as a bottle of rubbing alcohol or kerosene. For what they are, the majority of these are marketed at excessively high costs. While these items “work” in the sense that alcohol will mix with any water in your tank and kerosene or other mineral oils can soak into carbon deposits and release them, the efficiency of these products is highly unpredictable.
Sea Foam is a substance that has been used and trusted by boat owners for decades. Sea Foam’s fundamental motor treatment fluid is made up of a lightweight oil called pale oil, a light hydrocarbon fluid called naphtha, and a small amount of isopropanol, according to its material safety data sheet (IPA). Remember when we talked about the refining process? Because pale oil and naphtha are higher on the “lightness” scale than gasoline, they assist keep gasoline from becoming thick varnish.
Sta-Bil and other gasoline and diesel stabilizers, however, are created using mineral spirits, naphtha, and chlorinated hydrocarbons, while Marvel Mystery Oil is made with mineral spirits, naphtha, and aromatic hydrocarbons.
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR FUEL?
It’s widely agreed that stored fuel should be consumed within six to twelve months. You can prolong this with additives, but for best quality, it’s a good rule of thumb to cycle through your fuel at least once every six months.
Fuel that has been well-sealed in a good container, on the other hand, has been known to last far longer. You might be hesitant to put two-year-old fuel in your brand-new truck, but it should be acceptable for the lawnmower. Pour a small amount into a mason jar and sniff it. It is still safe to use if the fuel smells like gasoline and nothing else. It has gone stale and should not be used if it smells sour. Warming stale gasoline catalyzes olefin breakdown processes, potentially releasing volatile substances in unsealed containers. This type of fuel is prone to gum formation and has a lower octane rating. In most cases, the fuel can be used by blending it with twice as much new gasoline. Because some dated fuels might lose multiple octane values, dilute liberally. Everything is, however, preferable to use it up within six months and then renew your supplies.
- A. For fuel storage, a basic red plastic can like this can be obtained at any home supply store. Having multiple of these, even if they are only five gallons, is easier to manage and handle than one enormous drum. Even if you keep a lot of fuel, having some little cans available is a good idea.
- B. Store your different fuels carefully because different engines (diesel, two-stroke, etc.) require different fuels. It would be devastating for your equipment if you combined the two. A gas can that has been sitting about for a long time should be avoided. Before you use anything, make sure you test it.
- C. Prolong is a well-known maker of petroleum and synthetic oil and fuel supplies, and they provide this diesel treatment to keep water out of your diesel.
- D. For almost two years, the jar of gasoline on the left sat unsealed in the tank of a generator, but the jar of gasoline on the right was sealed and treated with Sea Foam. You can notice the distinction.
HOW MUCH GAS SHOULD YOU STORE?
Isn’t it true that more is better? Not necessary for the purpose of obtaining fuel. Having more than 50 or 60 gallons of fuel on your property could become a liability rather than an asset due to its volatility. First, it serves as a warning to everybody who passes by, and it is difficult to maintain so much fuel properly managed. However, it is entirely dependent on your plans. If you need to go to your bug-out shelter by car, add about 50% more petrol than it will take to get there. If you simply need to operate a generator, make sure you have enough fuel to keep it running for at least a week.
What’s Wrong with Gas?
When gasoline is consumed in automobile engines, it causes two issues. The primary issue is smog and ozone in major cities. The second issue concerns carbon and greenhouse gases. When cars burn gasoline, they should ideally burn it precisely, releasing just carbon dioxide and water into the atmosphere. Regrettably, the internal combustion engine is not without flaws. Carbon monoxide, a toxic gas; nitrogen oxides, the main source of urban smog; and unburned hydrocarbons, the main source of urban ozone are all produced during the combustion of gasoline.
Carbon is a problem as well. It produces a lot of carbon dioxide gas when it burns. Because gasoline is mainly carbon by weight, a gallon of gas can emit up to six pounds of carbon into the environment. Every day, the United States emits almost two billion pounds of carbon into the atmosphere. Carbon would be quite obvious if it were solidit would be like throwing a five-pound bag of sugar out the window of your automobile for every gallon of gas used. Most of us are unaware of the five pounds of carbon since it is released as an invisible gas (carbon dioxide). Every car’s tailpipe emits carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas.
Note from the editor: A version of this article initially appeared in the print issue of American Survival Guide in June 2015.
What is the best way to revive old gasoline?
Everyone says that you should put a stabilizer in your gas as soon as you buy it. They’re all sure that no additive can bring old gasoline back to life. The best you can hope for is that adding a stabilizer to old gas will prevent it from deteriorating further.
Petroleum Distillates is listed as the principal constituent on the Sta-Bill MSDS. Kerosene and gasoline are both petroleum distillates. A petroleum distillate is essentially any product made from crude oil that has been distilled in a refinery and then purified in some way. Sta-Bil has been described as a hydrotreated mild napthenic distillate solvent extract by some. Mineral oil is another option. Some say the products are mostly Pale Oil and Isopropyl Alcohol, but I doubt we’ll ever know what’s in those bottles.
Is it possible to blend old and fresh gas?
For a multitude of reasons, old and fresh gas should not be mixed, the most important of which are:
- Because the old gas degrades with time and has already lost its combustibility, it should not be introduced.
All drivers who have inefficiently blended old and new gas in the past have experienced one or more of the concerns listed above. Fortunately, none of these problems are unavoidable; they may be effectively avoided if one understands how to securely blend old and new gas.
The gas that should not be mixed can simply be judged by its appearance and smell
Only gas that hasn’t lost its combustibility can be blended with fresh gas in a tiny amount to start the engine. As a result, determining whether or not the gas is usable is critical.
The stored gas would have a deeper hue and a strong, odd, and sour odor that should never be mixed with fresh gas. Even in little amounts, the gas that appears foggy and murky in particular situations should not be mixed with new gas.
How can you keep gasoline for a long time?
You’ll want to keep dozens of gallons of highly combustible fuel cool, fresh, and depressurized while storing it. A petrol tank left out in the sun might be dangerous.
Keep your fuel tanks in a well-ventilated area, such as a garage or shed. Keep your tanks out of direct sunlight and away from any other heat sources, such as space heaters and your vehicle’s exhaust pipes.
Inspect your storage tanks for pressurization on a regular basis. Remove the cap and allow the fumes to escape if the tank looks to be filling up with gas fumes. This will maintain a safe amount of pressure in your gasoline storage tank.
Be wary of static electricity once more. Store your gas tanks or cans away from carpeted surfaces or anything else that could cause static electricity. Static electricity can be avoided by storing your tanks on a wooden shelf or table, or in a flammable liquids storage cabinet.
Is it possible for gas to go bad in a container?
Yes, it is correct. How long does a tank of gas last? This is determined by a number of factors, including the type of fuel used and how and where it is kept. The condition of stored fuel is affected by heat, oxygen, and humidity.
If stored in a sealed and labeled metal or plastic container, pure gas will decay and lose its combustibility in three to six months due to oxidation and evaporation. Blends of ethanol and gasoline have a shelf life of two to three months. Under ideal conditions, fuel stabilized gasoline can last between one and three years. In just over a month, gas stored in an automobile tank begins to degrade.
How do you keep fuel on hand?
You want to stockpile gasoline in case of an emergency, but stockpiling a highly flammable liquid can be dangerous! If you’re going to store gasoline, you need make sure you do so safely.
The most prevalent method of storing gasoline is in red plastic cans ranging in size from 1 to 5 gallons. If you only want to hoard a few cans, this is fine. Even if you only have a tiny amount of gasoline, you must take the following precautions:
- Keep gasoline away from any source of heat, such as direct sunshine, heaters, and hot water heaters. Keep in mind that gasoline vapors are heavy and can travel to sources of ignite! Maintain a distance of at least 50 feet between the gas and the pilot light.
You’ll need to build an underground storage tank if you wish to stockpile more fuel.
What can you do with a can of gasoline that has been sitting around for a while?
Keep in mind that gasoline is extremely flammable and dangerous. Pour the gasoline into a new container through a coffee filter or two layers of fine cloth to remove the particulates. Allow the filter to completely dry before discarding it. Add isopropanol, a fuel dryer, if minor amounts of water are present.