When gasoline is refined, several ingredients create the finished product for car owners. Ethanol is one of these additives, which manufacturers include during the refinement process, and what gives gas its color and other characteristics.
Although that is a typical additive in the gas sold across the street, you might not know how it will affect your car’s engine or outdoor power equipment. Because of this, you can find a difference between ethanol gas and ethanol-free gas in how long it can stand and be used.
For non-ethanol fuel, is a fuel stabilizer required? Ethanol-free gas can increase its shelf life and keep it throughout the off-season by adding a fuel stabilizer. Because of the absence of alcohol, ethanol-free gas does not attract as much water as ethanol-based gas, so it is unlikely that you will experience any benefits unless you store it for an extended period.
There is more to it than this, so in our guide, you can learn more about does ethanol-free gas go bad or how long non-ethanol gas will last in a container before it’s no use. By the end, you’ll have the answer to how long does non-ethanol gas last before you need to use it or dispose of it. (Learn How Deep Are Natural Gas Lines Buried)
What is Ethanol-Free Gas?
Ethanol-free gas, also known as pure oil, is a type of gasoline devoid of the named additive. Many street-legal vehicles use gasoline that contains at least 10% ethanol, where ethanol helps oxygenate gas, which causes it to burn correctly.
Most people use ethanol gas for their lawnmowers, trimmers, chainsaws, and other outdoor power equipment. And even before you realize it, a high of ethanol gas can quickly weaken or damage the engine of your outdoor power equipment.
For this reason, you should consider switching to gas without ethanol. Besides having a longer shelf life, ethanol-free gas keeps the engine in your engine or other power equipment from deteriorating.
While it helps, does non-ethanol gas go bad?
What Are Fuel Stabilizers?
Fuel stabilizers create a layer of protection when added to a fuel tank. Stabilizers are added to a fuel tank where the equipment has been idle for six months or more, but they are not required for equipment and engines you use often.
If your ethanol-based gasoline has been sitting around for a while, there’s a good chance that it is spoiling.
The effects of spoilage manifest most quickly in gasoline with ethanol content. Therefore, if you plan to store the fuel for no longer than two weeks, stabilizers must be added to your premix if it contains ethanol-based gas.
The ethanol itself is to blame for the expedited spoilage process. Alcohol draws moisture to itself. For a 2-engine stroke, water particles from condensation, the tank itself, or the atmosphere outside can all be very harmful.
One of ethanol’s many drawbacks is that it breaks down residues in the gas tank, fuel line, and engine. These residues clog filters and cause engine failures. (Read Gas Cylinder Sizes Chart)
How Do Fuel Stabilizers Work
Fuel stabilizers keep fuel from evaporating and absorbing moisture. Instead, a solution bonds with water particles and absorbs them before fuel. Do you need to add a stabilizer to ethanol-free gasoline if there’s no alcohol? How long you store premix or gasoline is the primary factor. A stabilizer can extend fuel’s shelf life by 2 years.
Ethanol-free fuel doesn’t have moisture issues like pump gas, so adding a stabilizer is unlikely unless you’re storing it for over six months.
Do I Need Stabilizers In Premix Fuel?
Homemade pre-blended fuels should be used within two months. Gas’s alcohol content, oil quality, and freshness affect the shelf life. Even if you use only pure, ethanol-free gas, the oil in the premix may go bad as quickly as ethanol-based gas.
When To Use Ethanol-Free Gas Without A Stabilizer?
You can store ethanol-free gasoline for six months without adding a stabilizer. Since the fuel contains no alcohol, it won’t attract moisture. Here, it’s essential to store gasoline in an airtight container away from direct sunlight, 15 meters from spark sources, and at room temperature.
Water is the leading cause of damage, but temperature changes and heat sources can damage gas quickly. Ethanol-free gasoline can be used after six months without stabilizers, but you should blend oil and gas two weeks before using your equipment.
While the gas may still be usable, the oil will lose viscosity and lubrication power so the mix won’t work.
When Do I Need Stabilizers For Ethanol-Free Gas?
Add a stabilizer to the ethanol-free gas if you’re storing your weed eater and leaf blower with fuel in the tank. Sometimes it’s better to store it in an empty tank and burn off fuel in the carburetor.
Here are typical ways stored fuel is kept besides mowers and cars etc.
- Gas container: Gas stored in steel, airtight containers can last three to six months. After 6 months, ethanol-blended gasoline loses quality.
- Generator fuel tank: Draining the generator’s fuel to run it again after a long time is not recommended. Generators can store gas for six months.
- Boat: In a boat tank, gas lasts 90 days. The gas could last a year without degrading if the boat is well-kept and stored in a cool, shady place.
If stored properly, it can last, although ethanol-free gas goes bad after around six months when the performance and quality of the gas degrades.
How Long Does Ethanol-Free Gas Last?
Regular gasoline’s drawbacks are overcome by ethanol-free gasoline. In addition, the longer lifespan of ethanol-free gas makes it more helpful than regular gas in some ways. Gas free of ethanol can be stored for up to six months, losing none of its freshness. For those wondering how long gasoline will last. Gasoline typically lasts 3 to 6 months.
Unlike regular gasoline, which contains various additives, including ethanol, to make it oxygenated so it can burn completely, ethanol is not oxygenated. A car’s gas tank should contain stabilized fuel; gasoline lasts one to three years, ethanol for up to three months, and pure gasoline for about six months.
These lifespans are still typically true regardless of usage for the gas tanks of small engines, such as those found in lawnmowers and some generators. Since gas isn’t freshly made at the pump, it can be up to a month old by the time it’s pumped into your car from the gas station, which makes it difficult to track the age of gas in a tank.
For example, ensure the can or container you have stored gas is non-spill and in an air-tight container to store gas properly. (Learn How To Dispose Of Diesel Fuel)
Pros and Cons of Ethanol-Free Gas
Several benefits of ethanol-free gas encourage users to continue using it. More people are fueling their cars and commercial equipment with ethanol-free power.
Pros
- Ethanol-free gas is non-toxic, and
- Free from the usage of ethanol crops
- Extended shelf life
- Minimal engine wear
- Improves your mileage.
Cons
- Expensive compared to regular gas
- Scarce in some regions
- It emits more harmful emissions
- It can degrade because of weather and atmospheric conditions.
FAQs
How long will non-ethanol gas last and stay fresh?
Properly stored ethanol-free gas can last 6 months. So how long does ethanol gas last? Ethanol-free gas lasts longer than ethanol-blended gas. Gas like E10 contains 10% ethanol. Because of ethanol, E10 gas only lasts 3 months, while ethanol-free gas can last twice as long.
Unlike regular gas, ethanol-free gas doesn’t evaporate, oxidize, or cause corrosion.
Can I use ethanol-free gas in my lawnmower?
Of course, ethanol-free gas is the best fuel for lawnmowers, not regular gas with ethanol. Despite that, most ethanol-free gasoline is best for lawnmowers because it doesn’t absorb water like E10, which has 10% ethyl alcohol.
Can you mix ethanol-free gas with regular gas?
Is it possible to mix ethanol and non-ethanol gas in a car, and there won’t be any reactions or issues between them?
So, there is no need to worry if you add new fuel of either type to your gas tank.
However, as that is contaminated should never power equipment or vehicles because it can encourage corrosion or leave sludge or varnish deposits on fuel system components that can permanently harm them or lead to poor performance.
What are the benefits of ethanol-free gas?
There are many benefits to using gas without ethanol. First, it can be made without using grains that contain ethanol. Therefore, no chance rising gas prices will affect grain yield. However, ethanol will negatively affect your engine and decrease engine efficiency if added to the gas.
Once more, ethanol-free gas generally has a long shelf life in storage containers. The following is a list of the advantages of ethanol-free gas:
No harm to the engine:
The most significant benefit of using ethanol-free gas is that it won’t harm your engine. It will generally increase fuel efficiency and mileage and keep all the internal car engine systems in good working order.
Ethanol-free gas has a high energy content, which aids in producing more energy. So, using it in your vehicle is advantageous. (Learn How To Dispose Of Old Gas Oil Mix)
Longer lifespan in storage:
When you store ethanol-free gas, it has a much longer lifespan than conventional ethanol-based gas.
However, you must adhere to specific rules, such as keeping them in a spill-proof container and away from higher temperatures, open light, and oxygen. Keeping them in an airtight steel container is most important. This preserves the product’s quality and extends its shelf life.
High Energy and Less Crop Dependent:
It is clean energy because no ethanol is added to the gas, and unlike ethanol, it is not reliant on crop production. So, there is no possibility of a price increase for ethanol-free gas.
It is a high-energy fuel because it has at least three times as much energy for your vehicle as a gas made from ethanol.
