Hawaii Gasoline Test

Week 20 (4.5 months)

2007-10-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

May, 2007: full

September, 2007: half gone

Observing what happens to gasoline while it sits around is about as interesting as watching paint dry. But after 20 weeks, it's time to take some close-up pictures and retire a couple of samples. And some are getting hazy.

Temperature and humidity data (logged every 6 hours; average: 81 degrees F, 68% relative humidity):

Hardly any gasoline left in these - definitely no phase separation!

But a great deal of evaporation.

The two gasoline samples (E10 and "classic") without any additives are shown below - more than half of the gas has evaporated. We'd guess the more volatile components have gone. So if your gas sits around for 4.5 months and then your equipment is hard to start.. well, now you know why, the components that help gas engines to start up easily have gone.

Here you can see that the classic gasoline has developed some haziness. E10 is still clear.

Below are the family photos of the "classic" gasoline samples. They've all evaporated significantly. No water bottoms noted. Some haziness. Although some of the samples have evaporated less than others, there could be other factors at work (not just the type of additive...for example, the specific location of the test sample). The test was not designed to compare the additives to each other, just to see what the gasoline samples did over time.

From this top view, the clarity of the classic gasoline samples can be seen. They're somewhat hazy.

Below are the family photos of the E10 gasoline samples. They've all evaporated significantly. No water bottoms (or "phase separation") noted.

From this top view, the clarity of the E10 gasoline samples can be seen.

Week 16

2007-10-13T19:34:00.001-07:00

Week 12

2007-10-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

Week 11

2007-10-13T19:31:00.001-07:00

Week 10

2007-10-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

Week 9

2007-10-13T19:29:00.001-07:00

Week 8

2007-10-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

Week 7

2007-10-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

Week 6

2007-10-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Week 5

2007-10-13T19:22:00.001-07:00

Week 4

2007-10-13T19:21:00.001-07:00

Week 3

2007-10-13T19:20:00.001-07:00

Week 2

2007-10-13T19:16:00.001-07:00

June 3, 2007

2007-06-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

One week has passed. Here are this week's pictures:

Welcome

2007-05-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

If gasoline sits around (like when it's in a gas can, power tool or boat tank), what happens to it?

We've heard "it gets gummy" ... "it oxidizes" ... and "the volatile components evaporate."
(http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/fuels/bulletin/longterm_gasoline/background-info.shtml)

OK, but the practical question is:

How long does it take ... here in Hawaii?

We'll take pictures every week until something happens.
A frequent suggestion is to "use a fuel stabilizer" to keep it fresh longer. So, the next question is:

Do fuel stabilizers really work?

If so, which one is best?
And finally,

What's the scoop on phase separation?

It's been said that E10 gas in vented fuel systems may have "phase separation" from pulling water from the air.
If so, how long does that take?

Others say that phase separation occurs from liquid water that was in the system or from rain water.
We'll leave the caps on loose, let the humidity in, and keep the rain out ... and see what happens.

Gasoline Test Start Date: May 27, 2007


Start date: May 27, 2007, 2 PM

Gasoline                ...     Additive     ...     additive rate  
----------------------------------------------------
Aloha Classic Gasoline  ...  no additive
E10                     ...  no additive 
Aloha Classic Gasoline  ...     Sta-bil       ...     1 oz per 1 gal
E10                     ...     Sta-bil       ...     1 oz per 1 gal
Aloha Classic Gasoline  ...     PRI-G         ...     1 oz per 16 gal
E10                     ...     PRI-G         ...     1 oz per 16 gal
Aloha Classic Gasoline  ...   Startron        ...     1 oz per 8 gal
E10                     ...   Startron        ...     1 oz per 8 gal
Aloha Classic w/ West Marine EZstore     ...     1 oz per 5 gal

The temperature and humidity logger will record temperature
and relative humidity every 6 hours.

We'll take pictures every week.

Check back to see how it's going!