prepping outdoor equipmentfor winter storage, even an optimist knows that a gas tank that’s half full is bad news. That’s because today’s gasoline is made with a percentage of ethanol, which can increase the chances of moisture buildup, corrosion and even phase separation in your engine. That can lead to expensiverepairs. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to avoid these and other problems whenit’s time to start your engines once again. Don't Drain The Tank Accordingto small engine expert Tom Bingham, when you leave the When storing lawn equipment for the winter, it’s a good idea to keep the fuel tank full. This can help to avoid a number of engine problem: the spring. seal surface, causing a leak or preventing fuel from flowing into the engine. ‘A dry fuel system can also damage seals and gaskets. to condense on the walls of your They're designed to be continufuel tank. It then runs down the ously soaked in fuel and play an fuel level low, it allows water vapor walls and collects in the fuel. This is what causes phase separation. Whenyou start your engine in the important role in keeping fuel flowing to the right places in your engine and out of the wrong spring, this water may run through places. When they are exposed to your fuel system and can cause air for long periods, they can dry engine damage or even complete out and crack. That can cause enginefailure. leaks andlead to costly repairs. Water in a fuel tank also encour- ages corrosion. Particularly in today’s ethanol-blended fuels, when water and ethanol mix, it can becomeacidic and very corrosive. Part of the problem is that when you think your engineis dry, there js still gas in your fuel system in small amounts. These tiny fuel droplets are surrounded by oxygen that can attack unprotected fuel AFull Tank And Stable Fuel That’s why it’s important to stabilize your fuel and practice proper fuel managementtech- niques with any equipment with a gasoline engine. It turns out that filling your gas tank 95 percent full of fresh fuel and adding the proper dosage of a fuel additive, such as Sta-BIL Fuel Stabilizer, can do a and cause gum and varnish lot to protect a fuel system and buildup. engine by preventing fresh fuel Even the smallest amounts of from degrading, leaving deposits either gum or varnish can cause a andcorroding the system. lot of damageinside a fuel system. To learn more, visit www.staFor example, gum cansettle on a bil.com.
