Cheap Test for Ethanol in Fuel
I have found an inexpensive way to test the fuel for presence of ethanol for those of you like me who refuse to run ethanol containing fuel in your boat or other vehicles for that matter. Ethanol is Hygroscopic which means it is attracted to water and this test is based on that property of Ethanol.
I went to walmart and bought a glass rain gauge for around 2 dollars. (It must be glass as the gas will melt plastic) When you are ready to test your fuel, add exactly 1/2 inch of water to the gauge. Fill the gauge the rest of the way with the gas you want to test but leave a little room at the top of the gauge for expansion and bubbles. Hold your thumb over the top of the now full rain gauge and shake it very well. Once it has been shook up, stand it upright in its holder (make sure the outside of the gauge is dry or it will melt the holder) and let the water settle back out.
After it has settled take a reading of the amount of "water" in the bottom of the gauge. If there is any ethanol present it show up as more "water" than you started with. It will not be a lot but your water reading will certainly be more than the 1/2 inch you started with if there was any ethanol present in the fuel.
I will not buy anything but ethanol-free fuel for my boat, lawnmowers, weedeater, ATV, etc and I have learned that even though the clerk says there is no ethanol in a particular blend of fuel, I can not trust this.
The two places I know for sure that carry ethanol free fuel are Wil-Mart in Pomona and Green Acres out at Pomona Lake. In both locations the Premium fuel is ethanol free. ;)
Keith