Startron and/or stabilizer?

[Mack]

Empty or Full?

Shceduled to haul out for the season on Tuesday.

Replaced my tank last year with a new 255 gal. aluminum. Tank is presently half full with gas treated with Startron-

1) Keep gas as is (half full) and add stabilizer?
2) Fill up and add stabilizer?

Our winters here have been going between warm and very cold during the last several years- lots of temperture change and potential for condensation.

Thoughts/recommendations from the faithful?

Thanks in advance.
Mack

[In Memory Walter K]

The thoughts have been all over the place. Empty the fuel? Where and how to do it safely? You've solved the biggest part by changing your tank. That being the case, and with it being half full in an area with major temperature changes, leaving it as is is almost asking for condensation. I'd fill it, add stabilizers and hope for a mild winter. Just my thoughts. I'm sure better minds than mine will chime in soon. Walter

[Peter]

There is little consensus on store full vs. empty discussion.

Full means less free air over the top of the fuel...less air means less moisture to condense and collect, more fuel means more ethanol to absorb the moisture that does collect. Sounds pretty good, except for the evaporation of the ethanol. That could be remidied in the spring with a bottle or two of Dri-gas...but how much should one put in?

Empty, or nearly empty means there is more air over the remaining fuel, more moisture in that air to condense, and less fuel to absorb it.
It also means that he tank can be mostly full of fuel vapors and if the vessle is involved in a fire there is a risk of those vapors exploding. That is why most yards want you to store your boat with the tank nearly full. But if your boat isn't in a yard the choice is up to you.

I prefer the mostly empty approach. I figure if there are only a couple of gallons left in the tank over the winter, then in the spring when I top up there will be a whole lot of fresh fuel mixing with only a small amount of questionable gas...thus the resulting mixture is more likely to be in good spec.

The alternative (storing nearly full) means you start your season with a whole load of questionable gas.

However,other factors might enter your decision as well. Is your boat in indoor storage where there isn't much moisture? Maybe even in a shed where the day/night temperature swings are not extreme? Are you out for only a few weeks or is it several months?
Shorter haulouts and indoor climate might tip the scales for you toward mostly full.


Imagine it is the spring. You are about to fill up your lawn mower for the first trim of the season. You have a choice of two jerry cans of gas that have been siting (vents open) on the back porch all winter. One is mostly full of gas from last season. The other only had about a pint left over in it and you just topped it at the local gas station yesterday. Which one do you pick? I know it isn't scientific, but my choice would be the fresh gas.

Peter

[dougl33]

Not so sure about adding dry-gas in the spring. That's pretty much all ethanol is.

I'd say do whatever you feel more comfortable doing. I've got several friends with gas powered 33's and 35's. Some store full, some nearly empty, some half full. None have had any issues.

[Peter]

Yes, Dri-gas is essentially ethanol. That is why I said you could add a little to the tank in the spring to replace the ethanol that evaporated over the winter.....but the big question is how do you know how much to add??

The answer is that you probably don't have any good way of telling, so even though in theory it sounds OK, in practice it would be difficult to impliment properly.

Peter

[Mack]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I went ahead and topped the tank off and added Startron. I will be back in the water in just a little over 3 months so I did the full option. Last year we had a week or two with temps in the 70's during January, followed by a deep freeze. I couldn't bear the thought of condensation in my new aluminum tank! I guess we will see how it works out in the spring.

[Harv]

Mack,

Startron is just an additive, it is not a stabilizer. I was using Startron with every fill up and still ended up with a dissolved glass fuel tank and blown motor. You shouldn't have that problem with aluminum, but I would still add the proper amount of commercially available stabilizer to the tank.

[Bruce]

Stor and start should be added to all gasoline products that will sit over 30 days.

A customer who is an engineer at Prat/Whitney did some experimentation with gasolines from the NE and South. He lives in both places as he also works at the Con. plant.

He has seen a marketable decrease in storage life over the years, which leads to poor running engines, increased deposits and shortened life.

There was a time he said that additional additives weren't necessary in both gas and diesel. Now he says he won't burn either fuel without using them.

I also have a customer who has diesel boats both in Europe and the US.
He has much more fuel related problems and repairs with US diesel.

[Mack]

I just double checked and Startron actually claims to be a stabilizer as well. They say it will work for up to a year, however I am only on the hard for a little more than 3 months.

No question that gas shelf life has declined, even before the introduction of ethanol. About 3 years ago a buddy and I tried to fire up his duck boat to scout our blinds just before the season opener. We got the boat started but couldn't get it to accelerate past idle while in gear. After a few stops and starts in the middle of the river, I asked him how old the gas was- five months with no stabilizer. Went to go get some fresh gas and all problems were solved. Which reminds me that I need to go run the gas out of my lawnmower for the winter.

Thanks for all of the help guys.

[dougl33]

I think it all depends on how/where the gas is stored. I've been running from the same 2 gallon tank for my lawmower for 2 summers now. Always starts on first pull.

[Rawleigh]

At least close off the fuel valve and let the engine run out of fuel.