End of season, minimize fuel left in tank or fill up ?

[kungpaoshizi]

Re: End of season, minimize fuel left in tank or fill up ?

Empty the tank, costs less. Especially if phase separation happens.

After having to clean this gas tank from the PO I got when I got this boat, I'm never doing that again. Whatever he put in the tank, left a thin sheen of red at the bottom of the tank. He said he winterized it, but it looked horrible with all the red floating particulates. Not sure what it was, but if I clean out the tank and give it a good rinsing, there's nothing to cake onto the tank walls.

 

[JimS123]

Re: End of season, minimize fuel left in tank or fill up ?

The gas in our Party Cruiser's generator fuel tank is 8 years old, and the generator still starts and runs fine. ........I've never had gas "go bad". .....Anyway, my answer to the question at hand: Do It However You Want, Because It Doesn't Matter.

I pushed 60 awhile back, and I've also had tons of experience with all those items as well. I have stabilized ever since adulthood, having skipped it when I was a poor college kid. I've had my share of bad gas.....LOL. That 8 year old gas comment belongs in the Book of Records.

Stabilized 3 year old gas won't run my snowblower worth crap. It won't run my electric generator AT ALL. My father's rototiller wasn't used for about 5 years and it wouldn't start with what was in the tank.

My personal anecdotes were all with items that are in dry storage, in the north, with a winter climate and not real high humidity.

I realize Salt Lake is beyond dry. I wonder how that factrors into the equation.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: End of season, minimize fuel left in tank or fill up ?

Stabilized 3 year old gas won't run my snowblower worth crap. It won't run my electric generator AT ALL. My father's rototiller wasn't used for about 5 years and it wouldn't start with what was in the tank.

My personal anecdotes were all with items that are in dry storage, in the north, with a winter climate and not real high humidity.

My experience is the same as yours, and similar location. Year old gas is questionable but I'll burn it in small engines. Beyond that, the gas turns to varnish. Easy to detect, just give the gas a sniff. Gas that has gone bad has a much different smell. Once it gets to that point, it gums up everything it touches, and burns horrible, even with a match.

8 years for 1 tank of gas? That must be under absolutely perfect, ideal conditions!

 

[bassman284]

Re: End of season, minimize fuel left in tank or fill up ?

+2 HC....
I forgot that not everyone has a 50 gal. below deck tank:noidea:

I do put Stabil in every gal of fuel I buy. That way I don't have to worry if the boat doesn't get used for a while, or if I wind up with a nearly full tank at the end of the season. Last summer for example, my Dad had a bad accident and I only put about a half tank through the boat all season.

Yeah, I do the same thing. (Have you and I talked before?) I only have a 19 gal tank but I boat almost entirely on no-wake lakes (~2,000 rpm) and even in retirement, that 19 gal will last me most of a season (60 hp Merc 4 stroke). When I bought this boat in 2001, the salesman recommended that if I didn't burn a tankful every month and a half or so, I should use Stabil all the time, due to some issues they saw with the carbed 4 strokes.

I generally don't store it with much less than half a tank and have stored almost full. My season is roughly mid-March to mid-November. A few years ago, I started the season with about a half tank of 1 1/2 year old gas. I was a little leery, but it started right up and ran like a champ. I went ahead and put it on the one go fast lake around here and ran it dry. These days I tend to run it on the lower half of the tank.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: End of season, minimize fuel left in tank or fill up ?

I don't much care about anyone's opinion on this matter. I'm pushing 60 years old, and my entire adult life has revolved around many many MANY gasoline powered engines. Motorhomes, cars, trucks, motorcycles, ATV's, boats, go-carts, tote-gotes, snowblowers, lawnmowers, generators, weedeaters, snowmobiles, post-hole diggers-- some of which sit around for years with the same gas in them. My wife's car hasn't been started in months, the tank's half full, but I know for a fact I can go out right now and it'll fire right up. The gas in our Party Cruiser's generator fuel tank is 8 years old, and the generator still starts and runs fine. The gas in the 130 gallon toy tank in our house boat gets 30 to 40 gallons a year added to it in the spring to top it off, and the 60 gallons that was in it when we bought it was 6 years old, and we've owned it 7 years. I've never stabilized any gas, and I've never had gas "go bad". A couple of months ago I did find water in a gallon of gas I bought for my mowers, but that was from the station. Don't know if it was from alcohol absorption, condensation, or just what, but that was brand new gas.

Anyway, my answer to the question at hand: Do It However You Want, Because It Doesn't Matter.

Sir!..ya nailed it! I'm 63, retired 19 years, 5 boats, 5 MC's, 5 lawn mowers, and on and on. I ONLY do once a year fresh gas, in the "static..(think generator, 5 g tank). Rest mostly not used? Same. Only I have red "Stabiled" any and all gas. BUT its sealed tight, out of sunlight, and ZERO probs!
On the 1/2 tank fuel, vs full or M/T boat in hull tank? Just Stabil the last gas before maybe parked. And forget about it for the season. And ..(theres one smart person here, that said...)..,tape of the damn vent!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: End of season, minimize fuel left in tank or fill up ?

this thread has gone awry.

 

[Jasoniboat]

Re: End of season, minimize fuel left in tank or fill up ?

Wow, yes, lot's of good arguments for either side here. I agree with all have said. I have done it both ways and so far haven't had any troubles. However much I have left, I will stabilize and hopefully that should be fine, either way.

thanks for the info !

Jason