Water in Gasoline

[fstbttms]

I've got appox. 30 gallons of gas with a little water in it stored in a 55-gallon drum. Any ideas on the best way to filter the water out and salvage the fuel? TIA

[Alan Wheeler]

Run it through a filter/water seperator.
You can also get a very fine gauzz that will allow fuel through and water will stay on top.
I would start by pouring off the main body of fuel first. Then you can deal with a small volume of water and fuel. Maybe the best is to pour off 98% of all the fuel and simply discard the rest with the water in it.

[GordMay]

Water is heavier than gas, so if you allow the mixture to settle, the water will gravitate to the bottom, with gasoline at the top.
Then, you could drain the water from the bottom, or siphon (not pour, you don’t want to re-agitate the separated mixture) the gasoline from the top.

In an emergency, you can occasionally* use CH3OH “Gas Line Anti-Freeze” (Methyl Hydrate, Methol Alcohol, Methanol & Wood Alcohol), or "Dry Gas", or even Denatured Alcohol to neutralize water in your outboard day tank.
* Overuse of this emergency technique will lead to the same problems that methanol fuels cause (older) engines.

[Lynx]

How old is the gas?

Some say if the the gas is older than 1 year it is no good. Just a thought.

I agree with the above, let it settle, pull out 30 gallons. In a different container, take out another 3. Get some water absortant cloth. Put it in a 5 gal pan and poor the rest of the stuff on it. Let sit.

All in all, this is dangerous stuff to handle. Wise caution is advised or just discard properly. It is less than $ 100, is the risk worth it?

[zephyr4]

Some say if the the gas is older than 1 year it is no good.

It is true that gasoline changes over time if a fuel stabilizer has not been added. On the other hand I have burned gasoline so old that it even smelled different and had not problems with my lower tech engines. (I do always drain my carburetors to prevent gum / varnish buildup).

[fstbttms]

I hadn't thought about the age of the fuel. It was pumped in November, making it over 6 months old. Others are telling me if it's older than 60-90 days, it shouldn't be used. This gas came out of one of my workboats (who's Johnson 100 hp engine is being rebuilt as we speak) and it's not worth any risk to the engine to save $100. I think I'll just find a way to dispose of it. Thanks for the tips, guys.

[delmarrey]

Dilution is the solution.
Rather then dispose of it at a cost. Siphon off the top a little at a time (1 part old gas; 5 parts new gas) and add it to your car then top off the tank with medium grade fuel. You'll never know the difference. It's the oxtane that is lost over time.

http://www.epa.state.oh.us/pic/facts/hhwgas.html

[Thermal]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

not worth any risk to the engine to save $100.

It's not just the cost of the fuel, proper disposal of "hazardous materials" can be expensive, and then theres the the cost of fuel just to drive it to some place that wil take it. I have used the dilution solution for years with no problems, some of the gas was over 5 years old. Just don't use it in small engines or the outboard as I find these are pretty finnicky, even with brand new gas.

[fstbttms]

Posted a "Free Gas" ad on craigslist and had 8 or 10 responses in half an hour. Problem solved.

[GordMay]

Hope you excercised full disclosure (water in gas).

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Hope you excercised full disclosure (water in gas).

I may be many things, but I'm not an *******. Thanks for your confidence.

30 Gallons Regular Unleaded Gas- Free! (concord / pleasant hill / martinez)

Reply to: sale-330034197@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-05-13, 10:05AM PDT


I have appox. 30 gallons of unleaded gas in a 55-gallon poly drum. The fuel is about 6 months old and has a small amount of water contamination. It can be filtered (although since water is heavier than gas it will settle out at the bottom of the container) and/or reconditioned by adding new gas in a 5:1 ratio. The gas and drum are yours free, just pick it up. Located in Concord.

[GordMay]

OK - I’m a jerk .... no news there.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by GordMay

OK - I’m a jerk .... no news there.

....... .......

[Strygaldwir]

I'll bet a Baja filter would have gotten the water out. Works amazingly well on diesel fuel.

Cheers

[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