Gasoline guidelines

By Randy Scully

Gasoline plays an important role in everyday life, powering everything from automobiles to outdoor power equipment. However, all gasoline is not the same. With fuel containing higher levels of ethanol entering the marketplace, ensuring that you, your employees and even your customers know a few facts about fuel can help keep the engines in your customers’ power equipment running strong.

What’s the difference between an automobile engine and engines used in small power equipment?

Automobiles have comprehensive fuel and engine management systems controlled by electronics and numerous sensors. You may not feel or hear anything going on when the car is running, but there are many measurements and automatic adjustments being made to account for things like humidity, altitude, temperature and the chemical make-up of the gasoline that is in the tank. On the other hand, small outdoor power equipment is designed to be compact and lightweight, and doesn’t always have the space available for the sensors and controls found in automobile engines. This can make small engines more sensitive to fuel composition and quality.

Gasoline storage life

Gasoline can begin to decompose and break down into other compounds in as little as one month when stored. This is not usually an issue for automobiles since people drive their cars and refill their tanks on a frequent basis. Outdoor power equipment is often used far less frequently, sometimes as little as a few times a year, and then can be stored away for weeks, months or even years until it is needed again. And additional fuel is normally stored in containers that may only be refilled once or twice a year. This means there is a greater chance of the fuel breaking down and forming gum and varnish-like compounds that can easily restrict or block the tiny fuel passageways used in small engines. Any gasoline remaining in storage cans or left in power equipment tanks for more than 2-3 months can lead to expensive damage to the equipment’s fuel system and engine.

Water and ethanol (bottom) separated from gasoline (top). (Photo provided by Stihl Inc.)What you need to know about ethanol

Much of the gasoline sold throughout the United States contains ethanol. The ethanol-gasoline blends have characteristics that need to be considered when fueling outdoor power equipment.

* Until recently and except for flex fuel vehicles (FFV), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limited the maximum percentage of ethanol for use in all engines to 10 percent. Flex fuel vehicles, being the exception, are specifically designed to operate on as much as 85-percent ethanol (E85).

* Starting in January 2011, the EPA raised the allowable amount of ethanol for 2001-and-newer on-road vehicles and light-duty trucks to 15 percent. However, the maximum ethanol content allowed by law for use in outdoor power equipment remains at 10 percent (E10), and most outdoor power equipment engine manufacturers recommend using no more than a 10-percent ethanol-gasoline blend. For more information on E15, visit www.opei.org/ethanolwarning.

* Ethanol is a stronger solvent than gasoline, and it can soften, swell, and damage some rubber and plastic components that gasoline alone would not harm, especially in older engines that may have fuel system components made of materials that are not compatible with ethanol.

* The solvent properties of ethanol can dissolve varnish and gum deposits that have previously formed inside fuel storage cans, fuel tanks or the equipment’s fuel system. When these deposits become dislodged, they can mix with the fuel and plug small openings and filters within the fuel system, resulting in costly repairs.

* Ethanol easily attracts and mixes with water, and any moisture in the air can be absorbed by the ethanol-gasoline blend. This moisture can corrode metal components in the fuel system.

* If enough water is absorbed, the ethanol and water will settle out of the gasoline blend. The resulting ethanol and water mixture is heavier than the gasoline and settles to the bottom of the equipment’s tank or the bottom of the storage can, leaving a layer of gasoline floating on top. This can be a problem for customers who store their equipment and fuel cans outside in the open or in a damp shed and don’t keep their storage cans tightly closed. With the ethanol separated from the gasoline, the layer of gasoline now has a lower octane level than the original ethanol-gasoline blend. If the fuel was originally 87 or 89 octane fuel when it was fresh, the now-separated gasoline layer in the storage container or equipment’s tank has a lower octane than what the engine manufacturer intended to be used, resulting in unstable engine operation, power loss and major engine failures.

* Separation of ethanol and gasoline can also occur inside the fuel tank of power equipment. Since the fuel is often drawn from the bottom of the fuel tank, the engine is drawing in a mixture of ethanol and water with no gasoline, and, in the case of 2-cycle engines, also has no lubricating oil. This ethanol/water mix is thicker than gasoline and cannot easily pass through the fuel system. This can result in hard starting, erratic running, engine stalling, and ultimately lead to engine damage or fuel system failures.

Guidelines for using E10 gasoline in outdoor power equipment

U.S. EPA regulations make it illegal to use gasoline containing higher than 10-percent ethanol content in outdoor power equipment. If the proper precautions are taken, however, gasoline containing a 10-percent quantity of ethanol can be used reliably in outdoor power equipment. We encourage you to recommend the following to your customers:

* Check the gas pump to be sure it is dispensing E10.

* Use a fuel can that is dedicated to hold fuel only for your outdoor power equipment.

* Always use fresh fuel. Only buy enough gasoline that can be used up within a one-month period of time.

* Equipment and storage cans should be stored under cover and out of the elements in a well-ventilated and dry location.

* Keep storage cans tightly closed. Any spouts or vents on the fuel container should be closed or capped.

* If equipment is not going to be used for a couple of months, the remaining gasoline should be drained from the machine’s tank and properly disposed of.

* Equipment should be serviced regularly. Items such as fuel filters, fuel lines, fuel tanks, carburetors and spark plugs should be checked and repaired, or replaced if necessary, as part of a normal equipment checkup.

* Follow the instructions and recommendations in the equipment’s instruction manual.

* Consider using an ethanol-free fuel.

By following these guidelines and suggestions, your customers should have a relatively trouble-free experience with their outdoor power equipment, with equipment performing and operating the way the manufacturer intended.

 Randy Scully, a 40-plus-year veteran of the OPE industry, is the national service manager for Stihl Inc., which sells its products through servicing power equipment retailers from coast to coast — not mass merchants.

OPEI: Ethanol survey shows consumers not ready for changing fuel

A new online survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) — the international trade association representing 100 small-engine, utility vehicle and outdoor power equipment manufacturers and suppliers — finds that U.S. consumers are ill-prepared for the introduction of higher ethanol fuel blends.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the introduction of some mid-level ethanol blends (E15, E30, E85) for use in a small subset of automobiles in an effort to comply with the federal renewable fuel mandate; the problem is that these higher ethanol fuel blends may be dispensed alongside current fuels, but they are illegal and risky to use in hundreds of millions of small-engine products and applications.

This includes small-engine products, such as mowers, garden tractors, chain saws, boats, snow throwers, trimmers, utility vehicles, power washers, blowers, chippers, grinders, generators, jaws of life, concrete saws and other compact construction equipment, as well as small-engine applications such as water pumps and irrigation systems.

The study, which was conducted July 31-Aug. 2, 2013, surveyed 2,040 U.S. adults, ages 18 and older, about their fuel-buying behavior and fuel awareness at gas stations.

Key findings of the survey include:

The vast majority of Americans (71 percent) are “not at all sure” if it is illegal or legal to put high-level ethanol gas (i.e., anything higher than 10-percent ethanol) into engines such as those in boats, mowers, chain saws, snow mobiles, generators and other engine products.
Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans say they assume that any gas sold at the gas station is safe for all of their cars, as well as boats, mowers, chain saws, snow mobiles, generators and other engine products.
For Americans who drive up to the fuel pump, price is overwhelmingly the number one thing they notice (91 percent). Whether the pump accepts credit cards (64 percent) and the octane rating (55 percent) come in second and third place. Only a quarter (25 percent) of these Americans notices the ethanol content.
Seven-in-10 (71 percent) Americans say they use the least-expensive grade of gasoline whenever possible.

“Obviously, the ethanol survey responses are troubling to the outdoor power equipment industry since our products are designed and warranted to run only on 10-percent-or-less ethanol-blended fuel,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI. “The data shows us that consumers are unprepared for the rollout of higher ethanol-blended fuels at today’s gas stations, and the potential for misfueling is high.”

According to Kiser, “Many consumers are determined to buy the least-expensive gasoline, while they still assume that the same fuel can go in their car, as well as their mower, chain saw or generator. This points to a huge awareness gap and dire need for education.”

To protect current owners and future purchasers of small engines, utility vehicles and outdoor power equipment, OPEI will be launching an ethanol education and consumer protection campaign at the 2013 Green Industry & Equipment Expo (GIE+EXPO), the annual green industry and equipment exposition, to educate consumers about the variety of fuels available at the pump, and how to identify the right fuel for their outdoor power equipment. To register for GIE+EXPO, go to www.gie-expo.com.

For the full report, visit http://opei.org/executive-summary-report-ethanol-study-by-harris-interactive-from-july-31-august-2-2013/.