TOPIC: HOW TO REMOVE ETHANOL FROM GASOLINE

HOW TO REMOVE ETHANOL FROM GASOLINE

One way of removing ethanol is to mix water with the fuel and let it sit for a while. The ethanol will combine with the water. After this happens drain both off the dissolved mixture of water and ethanol. Along with this mixture comes with any other soluble compounds in the fuel. You will now need to bring the octane back up. So, add 1/2 to 1 & 1/2 oz of Toluene or Xylene per 4 Gal to the ethanol free mix (source: The Home Depot or any paint store).

Use a 5 Gal plastic water cooler jug. Add 2 quarts of water to 4 gallons of fuel. Mark the water/fuel line. Shake well and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes when warm outside. If it’s cold, then let it sit longer. If you marked the starting water line, you will see that the water line will move up to about 3 quarts after shaking; this difference is the ethanol absorbing into the water.

Siphon off the gas being careful to leave about 1/2 inch of fuel on top of the water. Siphon this off into another can to add to your next shake up.

This was past on to me by my Brother in Law...now retired from Exxon

I use it more now then buying avgas....cheaper.

Although this process does separate out the ethanol (same basic info is posted all over the internet) I think a lot of very scary things must be considered:
-what octane rating do you end up with, even with boosters etc., you may not have the minimum rating needed for your engine
-water jugs are not rated for fuel and may soften over time
-gas fumes are proven to be carcinogenic, inhaling fumes would be unavoidable even if doing this outdoors
-the EPA has mandated unvented gas tanks, portable containers, and in some states fuel station hoses have fume capture devices. I don't know how seriously they would respond to your home grown "fuel purification lab" using open containers but if your neighbors complain it could get ugly
-what do you do with the water/ethanol mix you have drained off? You certainly can't just dump it on the ground, pouring it down the drain isn't an option, the hazardous waste depot in your town (assuming you have one) isn't going to take in this brew so where does it go?
-if your doing this inside the garage gas fumes pool near the floor, right about the same level as that spark creating starter motor on your car and of course inhalation is even more concentrated (oh yea that ventilation fan motor also creates sparks and pulls the fumes right past the motor housing)
-what do you do if you knock this over and spill gas all over the place (Murphy's law says your neighbor walks in right about now with a cigarette)
-after the resulting fire/explosion (assuming you and the rest of your family survives) how do you explain this to your insurance company? I can just see the conversation

Insurance agent: "so how exactly did this fire start?"

Homeowner: "I was in the process of removing ethanol from gas in my garage"

Insurance agent: "hmmm that's interesting, claim denied"

Homeowner: "but my house, garage, cars, Boat and motor collection are worth $400,000 what am I going to do"

Insurance agent: "I don't know what your going to do but we ain't going to pay"

Still it's up to you what you do in your own home but you may just want to think long and hard about doing this.

If you are dumb enough to do this in a closed (or even with the doors open)garage you should not be able to get insurance. However they cannot insure against stupid

Starting with 87 octane gas with 10% ethanol removing 100% of the ethanol and adding 1/2 ounce of Xylene brings the (lab tested) to an octane of around 80 to 85 More than what many fuels had in the 50s.

1.5 oz brings it up (again lab tested) around 98 to 102 octane.

Why worry about pouring out the now nonflammable left over. let it sit in an open container out in the sun and evaporate. It is not a Hazmat

the border line fuel and water/ethanol is stored in a gas can to be reused next mixing.

What I would worry about is where many insurance Co can denied a a claim if you have more then X # of gal of fuel stored in your building in portable tanks (aka boat tanks).

We better stop working on our motors, for when I rebuild a carb or many time a fuel pump I get more gas on my hands and inhale more fumes then I ever have doing the shake. and what about the carb cleaners paint and other items one use while working on a motor. I need to go around all my life worry about items that may cause me problems because some lab rat was exposed to something 100 times greater per body weight then that I would ever see in a lifetime.

HEY guys stop glassing for it has been proven to be carcinogenic

And by the way the jugs do not soften they get brittle and crack after about 1 1/2 years of use.

Many of us are smarter then to take the jug to the gas station and fill it ...we go with a gas can and fill it and transfer it later. and the jugs are for removing, not storage. Then again many of us have higher IQs then a few

Doing this in your garage would put you on the same level as the guy that was frying turkeys in his garage. The Dumb*ss did not only burn down his house but two others. However as said before they cannot insure against stupid. The claim was paid.

Hey look out there is something on the ground that you should be scare of...your shadow

Gotta go with the Texan on this one....
What about the health risk of Waaaaaay too much worry???
Also, with fingernails always bitten down to the nub, it stings when washing those parts in gas....

Stupid people do stupid things so yes some dummy is going to try this in his garage. Stupid people and their lawyers have created the stupid people labels that warn of all manner of ills for just about any item you buy today. And those labels don't work, a case in point, during the ice storm and it's resulting multiple day blackout in Toronto last December several people died from C.O. poisoning by running propane heaters and BBQ's in their living rooms. I bet those appliances had labels saying DO NOT USE THIS INDOORS. Stupid people read posts on the internet and then try out what they have learned so pointing out the hazards involved in your method isn't just being a worrier it might make a stupid person think for a change, although I doubt it.

So this stuff has been lab tested and depending on how much booster is added has an octane rating between 80 and 102? Can you please scan and post those tests or provide a link to a site where they can be viewed? Call me skeptical but I'd kind of like to see that for myself.

You claim that the left over is nonflammable but the process you are describing is phase separation where the gas sits on top then the ethanol then the water, the ethanol does not stay suspended in the water. This layer of ethanol is highly flammable, I do agree though that letting it evaporate is most likely not harmful to the environment. From Wikipedia: "An ethanol-water solution that contains 40% ABV (alcohol by volume) will catch fire if heated to about 26 °C (79 °F) and if an ignition source is applied to it. This is called its flash point.[34] The flash point of pure ethanol is 16.60 °C (61.88 °F), less than average room temperature.[35]" So even while still blended your water mix sitting out in the Texas sun could be flammable.

Insurance companies will look for any reason possible to deny a claim so blending fuel at home just might be the reason they are looking for, I wouldn't want to be the one to test them on this.

Your right lots of stuff we use to repair and restore boats and motors is hazardous to our health however tight fitting solvent proof gloves can protect our hands , proper ventilation, clothing and respirators will keep us safe from fumes, if you choose not to use them.....

Ahh so the water jugs don't soften they dry out and crack, clearly that is much better, regardless they are not designed to come in contact with gasoline. I never said you took the water jug to the gas station and I'm glad to know that your IQ is high enough that you figured that out.

Turkey fryers have warning labels too.

Not scared of my shadow or much else for that matter.

Ethanol free gas is available at 87 locations in Texas according to puregas.org so is this process really necessary?

I gotta go with both of you on this one, good info, but I wouldn't bother when I can just drive a mile down the road and buy no Ethanol Gas for $.05 a gallon more.

Good info though, and if I find myself in a Zombie Apocalypse and just got to take my Glassic out, I may just use it...

Yes, you can't fix stupid, but apparently you can insure against it...lol...

The fire protection engineer in me cringes when I hear this stuff. That is a very volatile and dangerous procedure. One errant spark could be catastrophic. Even static electricity could set it off. Way too dangerous for the home gamer, in my opinion.

I agree with what cc1000 has said. Try to find a gas station or marina that sells ethanol free fuel. We are VERY LUCKY here in eastern N.C. to have several stations and marinas that sell the ethanol free gas, but I also realize some areas of the country DON'T have this option. I regularly test the ethanol free fuel I buy to make sure it is really "ethanol free" and so far, so good!

Another alternative is to order the ethanol free fuel from suppliers "VP Fuels" or "Tru Fuel."

To ALL,

TallTexan, imVho, is 100% CORRECT about this being a reasonably safe procedure, PROVIDED that it's done OUTSIDE & by a person of reasonably normal IQ.

Fwiw, most of the 6 gallon tanks LEAK vapor after more than 4 decades, to some degree or another, and I think that those who store them inside a garage/enclosed structure "need their head examined". - Indoor storage of OB gas tanks, imVho, is a MUCH bigger fire hazard than "cleaning gas" outdoors.
(Fwiw, NOTHING can be made "idiot-proof, as idiots are so ingenious.)


NOTE: There is NO ethanol-free gas within a reasonable distance of my current residence, at this time.

Just my OPINION, satx

satx78247 wrote:

To ALL,

TallTexan, imVho, is 100% CORRECT about this being a reasonably safe procedure, PROVIDED that it's done OUTSIDE & by a person of reasonably normal IQ.

Fwiw, most of the 6 gallon tanks LEAK vapor after more than 4 decades, to some degree or another, and I think that those who store them inside a garage/enclosed structure "need their head examined". - Indoor storage of OB gas tanks, imVho, is a MUCH bigger fire hazard than "cleaning gas" outdoors.

NOTE: There is NO ethanol-free gas within a reasonable distance of my current residence, at this time.

Just my OPINION, satx

I do agree that this would be relatively safe if done by someone of reasonably normal IQ, I would probably try it myself if there were nowhere close by to purchase.

"""""Ethanol free gas is available at 87 locations in Texas according to puregas.org so is this process really necessary?""""

The Puregas site is so outdated. Of the stations it list, one was a customer of one of my Cos. They have been out of business (owing me) for 3 years. The other one listed within 80 miles of me is also gone.

Just to show you how Big TX is to you small staters, if we had 100 places to buy and they were all equally spaces apart they would be over 268 miles apart.

BTW to check out if the left over would catch fire we tried to light it. First by tossing a match at it and it went out when it hit it. Then we took a small amount and stuck a lighter to it, then a torch; we then poured it on to some paper and lit the paper. The paper burned but did not where it was wet

I Accidentily performed this process when draining the water/gas/alcohol mix out of my nephews 1992 Ranger. Don`t know the proof of the water alchol mix but it would not burn or freeze at 26 F in the Texas sun. Aapplied a small amount to a metal bowl and tried to light it with a propane torch. No ignition.
I left the gas/water/alchol mix out in the weather to see if the mix would freeze so that I could just pour the gas off, but no joy. It would not freeze a 26 F.

Alcohol/water mix will not sustain combustion under somewhere around 40% alcohol.

The concept of "reasonably normal IQ" is way too subjective and is not enforceable. I've seen a lot of really dumb stuff done by people who should have known better. You can make your own bio-diesel but it is a pretty dangerous process and has resulted in explosions.

As far as storing tanks of gas, storing it in the boat under a tarp or cover out in the sun is way scarier that storing it in a garage.

FWIW, when I got the Aqua Ray, I had the hoses/gaskets/floats changed to ethanol resistant materials and I also put Stabil in each tank (about 2x what they recommend) and I have had no problem with the motor (40hp Johnson)

Guys,

I'm not going to get into the whole argument about safe or not safe, 'casue folks are gonna do what they do, and sounds like Tall Texan's been doing it for a while with no consequence. I don't get the need to criticize.

While I am no fan of ethanol I have had no choice. We've had ethanol here in NY for around 10 years I think, with only a few stations on LI that you can even get non-ethanol, it costs 30%+ more, and always a line.

After the initial introduction when it screwed up a bunch of stuff, it's been fine. I've stored it, with stabilizer, over the winter in my former 4 winns vista tanks, and in gas cans in the garage. The only issue I had was with a lawnmower I forgot to treat and run dry. Do I miss "real" gas? Damn right! Better mileage, better "storeability", more stable... but here I have little choice. My point is if treated right, the ethanol is fine FOR ME and not worth going thru all this. But if it is for TT, what's the big deal? So how 'bout we start talking boats again? I'll start.....So how nice was that club mariner that won the award in the Sunnyand boat show?!