Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

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Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

August 04, 2019, 11:04:16 am

This post applies to anyone who uses an auxiliary generator or small gas engine.

For years I have used a Honda 2000 generator as well as small outboards on a dinghy. Every year, the jets in both engines will clog and I have to disassemble the carburetor, clean all the jets, and put it back into service. This is a PITA and only becomes necessary on a day that I need the device. Since I use in line fuel filters to particles out of the fuel system and California has required main and pilot jets to be so small in order to make the engines run lean and clean, I suspect that part of the problem is the ubiquitous ethanol that we have in our gasoline.

About a year and a half ago, I drained all of the tanks and filled each with 100LL aviation gas. Aviation gas does not contain ethanol. The generator and the outboard have started every time I pull the string, even when they had not been started for several months. They run smoothly and idle correctly. There is no indication that the yearly carburetor rebuilds will be necessary this year (so far). I have stored the AV gas in five gallon plastic containers in the barn for nearly a year without a stabilizer and it doesn't seem to degrade at all, unlike regular automotive gasoline (containing ethanol) from the gas station.

Aviation fuel is about a dollar more per gallon at our local airport. (Since I can't drive the truck into the fuel station, I bring a wheelbarrow and roll three five gallon cans in and fill them at the pump. Interestingly, I have encountered another guy who uses the fuel in his antique cars for the same reason.) Since the generator uses about a gallon a day and the dinghy uses five gallons in two weeks, the increased fuel cost is easily offset by the decreased maintenance.

Naturally, AV gas must not be used in any vehicle with a catalytic converter as the low levels of tetra ethyl lead will eventually clog the catalytic converter and everyone around your vehicle will suffer immediate neurological damage from the emitted lead in the exhaust. I may have already had my IQ drop significantly from the fumes of the generator and outboard, evidenced by my continued preoccupation with boats, RV's, and motorcycles.

Using a small can of stored 100LL AV gas may make starting your generator easier in the future.

Harold

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #1 – August 04, 2019, 11:18:37 am

Harold,

It appears that others have inhaled your fumes and now suffer from the same malady. https://youtu.be/ux7Q-pk6YLM

Breath deep.

Kent

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #2 – August 04, 2019, 12:16:00 pm

a.m. Harold. We always fi ll up the MH, dingy and several 20 gals cans with non ethanal before we re-enter CA. So far so good.

Our 2000 watt gen is 8 yrs old runs great with no maintenance except oil and filter clean.

BW.

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #3 – August 04, 2019, 12:34:52 pm

When I was up in Oregon working on a farm, We had available ethanol free 91 octane.
We used it in all the small engine equipment and it made a difference for sure.
I used it in my motorcycle as well and wish it was available in more places.
Hopefully someday soon, we will realize just how bad ethanol has been for usage in fuel
and stop the silliness.

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #4 – August 04, 2019, 01:01:25 pm

I've had a Honda EU3000is for 15 years or so. I bought it primarily for back up to run the necessities in our place when\if we have extended power outages out here in rural Arkansas (11 days after an ice storm in 2009 was the longest). I keep it full of ethanol gas, and add the appropriate amount of Sea Foam Motor Treatment. Other than that, just normal maintenance. I take it out of the garage and run it quarterly for a couple of hours or so under a load. I always shut off the gas and let it run until it quits before storing again. In all of these years, I can only think of a couple of times when it hasn't started on the first pull. Maybe just lucky, but it's worked for me.

Bill

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #5 – August 04, 2019, 04:40:51 pm

"Naturally, AV gas must not be used in any vehicle with a catalytic converter as the low levels of tetra ethyl lead will eventually clog the catalytic converter and everyone around your vehicle will suffer immediate neurological damage from the emitted lead in the exhaust. I may have already had my IQ drop significantly from the fumes of the generator and outboard, evidenced by my continued preoccupation with boats, RV's, and motorcycles."
----

I know a few folks who apparently have been standing a bit too close to the exhaust pipe for some time, but I think your brain is still firing on all cylinders, Harold!

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #6 – August 04, 2019, 04:47:12 pm

Quote from: Jota - August 04, 2019, 12:34:52 pm

Hopefully someday soon, we will realize just how bad ethanol has been for usage in fuel
and stop the silliness.

Ethanol is good for business and for the economy (or at least certain parts of it). Corn farmers, ethanol distillers, vehicle repair companies, well-fed regulators - but others (as in everybody else, not so much.

Joel

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #7 – August 04, 2019, 07:09:15 pm

Quote from: joel wiley - August 04, 2019, 04:47:12 pm

Ethanol is good for business and for the economy (or at least certain parts of it). Corn farmers, ethanol distillers, vehicle repair companies, well-fed regulators - but others (as in everybody else, not so much.

Joel

OK, corrupt silliness then. I was trying to be a good boy.

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #8 – August 04, 2019, 07:25:16 pm

I take it that lawnmower engines are not subject to the ethanol/small engine dilemma.

My 30 year old craftsman mower goes through a tank ever few months. Perhaps keeping it fresh is the answer? I’ve never serviced the mower at all. Perhaps I should, but it starts the first pull after priming every time. Same oil too. 🤯

Glad I take better care of our LD.

Kent

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #9 – August 04, 2019, 10:35:00 pm

That's interesting Kent. My lawnmower is exactly the same: one to two pulls and it starts, and the tank is full of old, bad smelling gas. It must have jet orifices that you could run your finger through!

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #10 – August 05, 2019, 01:50:30 am

Probably less strict regulations on them. The gardener coalition still gets to use their gasoline powered leaf blowers. Quite the lobby, I’m sure.

Kent

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #11 – August 05, 2019, 02:10:15 am

Kent, ah-ha, it is because that lawn mower is 30 years old and made when items were well made. Hang on to it.

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #12 – August 05, 2019, 10:34:54 am

Why is ethanol available now when it wasn't before? Then new gas stations in Boise are adding it so it's easy find when before there was only one commercial location with it. You do pay a premium for it and I assume there is a nice profit margin in there
for the retailer. I can see a use for it when a longer "self life" is needed. I put it in my Volt which uses very little gas since I mostly run it on the battery. From my research I see that vehicles built before 2000 may be happier with it so it's going in my infrequently used 1999 Silverado.

From what I read those in power believe the ethanol mix is worth it due to improved emissions. And now we are looking at 15%... ?
This may all become a moot point as we switch over to electric which, like it or not, is the future for cars.
Frank

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #13 – August 05, 2019, 10:46:29 am

I'll let others who are better educated in this than me give a better explanation, but here is a quicky:

Ethanol absorbs water, which can later separate in the fuel tank leaving water at the bottom of the tank. E10 and E15 have a shorter tank life than ethanol-free gasoline. In addition, some older vehicles have components in the fuel system that weren't designed to be exposed to ethanol. This has caused some fuel system problems that weren't anticipated and can be expensive to fix. Boats, specifically those made before about 2000, have had terrible fuel system problems caused by E10 and higher ethanol blends.

Harold

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #14 – August 05, 2019, 11:01:20 am

Hi Frank; Ethanol, a biofuel, commonly made from corn, is an oxygenated alcohol. It doesen't extend shelf life. In fact it is hard to keep in solution with regular gasoline, separates out, and 'gums' up easier. In the start of this thread it was noted that you could find ethanol Free gasoline for small eqipment like older small engines, lawnmowers, leaf blowers and portable generators, that don't tolerate the ethanol well. Anything where the gas sits in the tank a long time, like your Volt; you should avoid ethanol gas, or use as small a percentage as possible. You might want to use additives to extend gasohol lifetimes.
Aviation gas has a very small amout of Lead in it to prevent exhaust valve and seat wear. So it can't be used where a catalytic converter is involved. RonB

Yes like Harold said.

Re: Fuel for auxiliary generators and small engines

Reply #15 – August 05, 2019, 01:56:21 pm

"From what I read those in power believe the ethanol mix is worth it due to improved emissions. And now we are looking at 15%... ?"

Frank,

If you're interested in the how's and why's of ethanol in the U.S, though old now, and certainly public policy has changed since then, the link below will take you to an article that gives a good overview.

US Ethanol and Biofuels Boom: Its Origins, Current Status, and Future...

Bill

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