Ethanol Fuel Stabilizer
Fuel stabilizer is a great way to maintain gas for long periods of time. Stabilizer can preserve gasoline up to an impressive 12 months. Motorcycle owners will use fuel stabilizer in their motorcycles when storing them for the winter. Without stabilizer gasoline would corrode and cause build up of materials that could damage the motor and fuel system. But fuel stabilizer isn’t just for cars that run off of normal gasoline. The use of ethanol as a reliable alternative fuel source is on the rise. Because of this, ethanol fuel stabilizer has been formulated to preserve ethanol fuel over a long period of time.
Before the use of ethanol, gasoline contained MTBE which is an additive that is associated with the fuel’s octane. Over the past years MTBE isn’t being used as much anymore. The reason is that ethanol has become an alternative fuel additive. Today’s gasoline contains 10% ethanol and MTBE is completely being phased out. Ethanol has interesting properties but some of them may cause future complications. Inside the gas tank may contain corrosive coatings, dirt and varnish on the lining of the walls. Ethanol has dissolving properties that break down these materials in the gas tank that ultimately leads to plugged fuel filters. What little may get by the filters will be able to cause other major mechanical problems in the engine.
These corrosive properties that are known to be associated with ethanol, also promotes a higher possibility of corroding fuel lines. The material that would other wise not be dissolved from the inner lining of the gas tank finds its way to fuel lines that are more accessible to corrosion. These factors can contribute to less horsepower and lower gas mileage by up to 5%. Over time, that 5% starts to add up and cost money, not to mention the possibility of need of repair costs.
Ethanol will start to dissolve these materials when left in the gas tank over time. Vehicles that are not being used and end up sitting around for awhile are recommended to use ethanol fuel stabilizer. The stabilizer will prevent the 10% ethanol that is found in gasoline from acting as a solvent. Stabilizers for ethanol will also preserve the gasoline for up to 12 months. The shift from MTBE additives to ethanol are directly caused by the concerns of environmental issues. Ethanol is a more efficient and clean way to provide fuel and energy efficiently.
However, ethanol is proving to be more expensive and more difficult to harvest than previous additive methods like MTBE. Ethanol is harvested from corn crops and large amounts of land are needed to provide the corn used to make ethanol as a reliable alternative to MTBE. The move away from MTBE is a slow move because of these difficulties. Technology today is constantly contributing to new sources of fuel. The science behind these fuels provides more stable and efficient ways in providing the fuel and energy to power mankind. Ethanol is the first step in finding cleaner alternative fuels. The problems that are associated with ethanol such as its dissolving properties are easily remedied by using ethanol fuel stabilizer. It’s a small price to pay when preserving the fuel and the engine.
Gasoline today doesn’t last as long as it did when MTBE additive was being used. People with motorcycles, boats, hot rods and other vehicles that may lay dormant for a period of time should use ethanol fuel stabilizer. Vehicles that don’t have ethanol fuel stabilizer added may not be able to start at all and other mechanical failures may result from corrosion and the break down of the gas. Ethanol fuel stabilizer is easy to add and fairly inexpensive. The price of stabilizers is nothing compared to the price of repairs.
