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

good one have to try it thanks

You can buy a tester at an auto parts store for next to nothing.

I boycot ethanol any way, any form, for multiple reasons. Main reason is if it takes billions of my tax dollars to make free market enterprises want to bring it to market it isn't good for anyone, in any way. In addition if the results of that incentive creat negative consequences in other areas (food prices) then cut it the heck out. Most moronic thing I've ever heard. Trying to make a dent in our fuel demand with "corn" or any other ethanol based product. Trillions of our dollars and they haven't approached 1% of demand. Off my bucket. :)

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Originally Posted by kcbrown

I boycot ethanol any way, any form, for multiple reasons. Main reason is if it takes billions of my tax dollars to make free market enterprises want to bring it to market it isn't good for anyone, in any way. In addition if the results of that incentive creat negative consequences in other areas (food prices) then cut it the heck out. Most moronic thing I've ever heard. Trying to make a dent in our fuel demand with "corn" or any other ethanol based product. Trillions of our dollars and they haven't approached 1% of demand. Off my bucket. :)

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Yeah KC I agree with you on that one and right up there with it is the wind turbines that will provide all this energy when in reality they will never pay for themselves, not cost effective at all.....so I guess we've got a new tourist attraction out in the middle of Kansas...maybe "Don Quiotte" will become our new symbol!

Wind turbines, want to understand who they are good for? Follow the money. Oil companies invest the money in that market to offset taxes on their oil revenue. The ONLY people putting money in wind are those that need a tax break.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for new stuff, but all our current energy is produced and sold on free market principles and they were brought to market on that idea... make money. We need an answer, but sadly we haven't found it and the gov'ment keeps getting in the way.

I just add Marine Sta-Bil to every tank, regardless of where I fill.

If the Gov't wouldn't blow their money on Ethanol and Wind Farms, they would (and do) find some other way to blow it! At least that ethanol helps some of the corn farmers out a little bit.

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Originally Posted by tdinges

i just add marine sta-bil to every tank, regardless of where i fill.

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