Has anyone heard or had any problems with Ethanol blended fuel? I noticed that pump-n-pantry in New Milford now has 10% ethanol fuel and it concerns me. We have major problems with 10% ethanol fuel in boats down here. The ethanol bonds with water and the solvents in ethanol deteriorate fiberglass and aluminum. They also break down residue in tanks which quickly clogs fuel filters, and the fuel itself breaks down rapidly. If it breaks down, the water and ethanol drop to the bottom of the tank and they are bonded together! So it gets sucked in and destroys engines upon the next start. This happens over time, but from what people have found down here it is months, not years.
Here’s what is being recommended for boats:
1. Do your best to buy non-blended fuel
2. Keep tanks filled to the top for storage or drain completely. This has always been the recommendation as the full tank has less airspace for condensation to form and fall into the fuel.
3. Use stabilizers when storing. Seafoam or Stabil are common, but some new ones specific to ethanol blends have been created. Not sure if they are just marketing gimmicks or if they hold validity.
People have also complained about loss of power from ethanol blend. Mathematically this is true, but I find it hard to believe that a 10% blend of ethanol would produce enough of a change for people to really feel. Although a lot of the complaints have been in small engines like chainsaws, weed-eaters, mowers, small outboard boat engines, etc… I guess it would be more perceptible in smaller engines where max power is used the majority of the time.
