Water in Gasoline

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Wahoo Sails

Fast Bottoms,
Storage life of new gasoline is 90 days, after that (untreated) it starts degrading into varnish etc. Most water in the fuel comes from condensation ...very big problem here in S FLA ... shouldn't be such a problem in your more Northerly climate ... still, the easiest answer isn't additives ... it's simply keep the tank full. Hope this helps.
Bob

This fuel came from my Boston Whaler Outrage 21's well-corroded aluminum belly tank which had been filled in November. Not real sure how the water got into the fuel, but I am replacing the entire fuel system from the vent to the fuel line connection at the engine to eliminate all possibilities.

In any event, I had so many responses to my craigslist ad that getting rid of the whole drum of fuel was no problem.

[Ex-Calif]

Just put it out by the front gate with a sign, "Gasoline - 20 cents / liter" and a made up phone number.

Somone will steal it in 5 minutes.

[fla.sailor]

folks,

I have a similiar situation, I am going to buy a catamaran with a honda 25 (4 stroke) that has gas of an unknown age. What to do, mix, baja filter or dump? Any experience would be appreciated!

thanks!
-dennis

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by fla.sailor

folks,

I have a similiar situation, I am going to buy a catamaran with a honda 25 (4 stroke) that has gas of an unknown age. What to do, mix, baja filter or dump? Any experience would be appreciated!

I had posted my question on a few forums and received many helpful tips. The most common opinion was that if your fuel is old, mix it with new gas in a 5:1 ratio (new to old) and use it with confidence. If you suspect water in the fuel, you can siphon off the good gas from the top as water will settle out to the bottom of the container. Me, I wasn't too comfortable using mixed gas in my outboard, but I would have probably used it in my truck or lawn equipment if I didn't have so much as to make handling it a pain. I just gave away the entire barrel.