Gasoline condensation

[JDgreen227]

Last fall I filled several five gallon cans with fresh fuel to keep for winter use in my snowblowers, etc. I also put two gallons into a smaller can and mixed oil into it for a 40/1 ratio that I used in my smaller blower and chain saw during the winter. Last week I tried using the remaining 30 ounces of 2-stroke mix in my weedeater. It would not run properly so I drained the fuel in the tank and can into a clear glass container, then let it settle.

I measured an actual 5 ounces of water in the 30 ounces of mix and the color before it separated was a pale green. Because the fuel was fresh and I had been buying gasoline from the same station for 15 years with no problems, I didn't add stabilizer to the fuel. The unused five gallon can of straight gasoline had about 10 ounces of water inside it. I've never had a condensation problem with stored fuel before and I'm wondering if storing the cans (plastic) on a bare concrete floor in an unheated building could have caused that much condensation. Any comments? Thanks.

 

[ericbx1500]

I also store my fuel in 5 gal plastic containers, but mine are on a wood floor (unheated). I have never had a condensation problem but then again I use stabil stabilizer all year long. As far as the pale green color that is from the 2-stroke oil in the mix.

 

[Highbeam]

That's a ton of water. I use stabil in any gas not put into my truck's tank year round. The stuff is cheap but I don't think it would have absorbed 5 oz of water per 30oz of fuel. I have seen the plastic fuel tank on my motorcycle sweat heavily on the outside in the winter but not the summer. Were the fuel tanks open to air somehow? It's hard to get water from the air if there is no air touching the gasoline, this is why I top of all equipment after use and shut the gas cap tightly. Another benefit is that the saw/tractor/mower/generator is ready to go in an emergency.

If the weed eater's tank was full for storage then I would suspect you bought bad fuel last year.