Over the weekend I was tinkering with making some ethanol free fuel to see if actually works. I used two lanterns of fairly similar sizes, one was a Coleman 290a powerhouse ,this was run with rug. the other was a 295 powerhouse and this was run with the homebrew,this is what I have found after two tanks full each. I wasn't too concerned with power out put/ performance or how long each full tank lasted,it was to see how badly the additives in rug gums up the workings in the generators. Both generators were cleaned in acetone and the springs were soaked and scrubbed before I put them back together and started this little experiment. I would like to add that I offer no scientific proof or evidence this is fact, I was simply curious after watching it. The first picture is the lamps that were used . The generator on the left is the 295. The messy one in the right is the 290a. The 290a did have the card tube and the spring, well I managed to get the spring out but the card tube crumbled into a gritty soot . The picture of the 295 shows that it is blackened but it is no way as sticky as the 290a. You can also see a slight difference between the two cleaner rods ,the 290a has a very slight amount of deposits that didn't wipe off in to the tissue ,the 295 however wiped off a little easier as if the gum was thinner .
RUG still has additives in it that will definitely gum up the Genny. I might have expected that the ethanol in the new formulation helped dissolve away some of the crud.
Yes the the pump gas still has other additives but with the ethanol removed it is from what I've been reading supposed to be a little more lantern friendly . About twenty five years ago I got my first 295 and that was run on nothing but unleaded and it worked without fault. It's only in these last couple of years that the ethanol has been added to the unleaded that I've noticed a change ,the factory tank coating didn't like it too much either as I've had the stuff come out when draining the fuel .
Why would pump gasoline with ethanol removed be “supposed to be a little more lantern friendly”? Tony
That'd be an interesting experiment. There's nothing like trying things out in-the-flesh. RUG wouldn't be ideal. It'd eventually form gummy deposits all over the internals including the fount over a relatively short period of time. With added ethanol or any other alcohols, it'd make things worse because of the oxygen molecules that it contains. Basically, modern petrols/gasolines contain substantial 'oxygenates' which, if being utilized for internal combustion engine applications, improves the overall combustion by making it more complete(easing the combustion a little). However, for pressurized lanterns, these benefits are not being brought about. The oxygenates accelerate the degradation of gasoline when they're heated in the generators. They are not directly responsible for the gummy deposits. These are mostly caused by the degradation of olefins in the gasoline. The ethanol and/or other oxygenates(ETBE, MTBE, etc) speed up the process, especially when things get hot.
Some "super unleaded" in the UK has no ethanol at all (but the rules say it must carry the E5 label as it may be up to 5%). Check the webiste of the brand. I will stick with my Holts brake cleaner at 2.58 a liter, it burns well and smells nice...
I'm with fireexit on this one. Holts brake cleaner works superbly, I've also found I never have to operate the cleaning needle when using it because it burns so cleanly, I've also been experimenting with Aspen 4, just as good as the brake cleaner but twice the price so I wont be buying any more. Regards Ian.
David Not that I will ever use pump gasoline in a lamp or stove unless in an emergency, but I use the same viton seals in petrol, kerosene, and alcohol stoves and lamps. My alcohol stoves and lamps operate just dandy. My Subaru 9 year old is engineered to run on E10 (10% ethanol) and has done since the day I bought it. Tony
I agree Tony but not everyone uses Viton seals. Also, as Ross reports, there's Viton and then there's Viton - some of the stuff sold on eBay contains less of it than others...
Most modern gasolines or petrols(unleaded),...those with octane ratings above 90 (RON) come with compositions having substantial additives. The percentages of these have actually turn them into major constituents of the working fuel instead of just 'minor additions'. These chemicals are not easily removeable from the light naphtha distillates(alkanes) because they have similar boiling points as the light naphthas. Except for alcohols(ethanol, methanol, etc), the majority of the constituents are not water-soluble and therefore cannot be separated out by mixing and agitating the gasoline with water. Except for possibly the dyes, the rest of the additives cannot even be separated out by distillation alone due to their similar boiling points as the light naphthas. One of the ways to make them water-soluble is treat the gasoline with concentrated sulphuric acid and then separating those out by mixing the reacted stuff with sodium hydroxide solution and water. Extremely cumbersome, troublesome, costly and dangerous too. The alkanes(light naphthas) would not react with the above chemicals due to their inherently inert natures. Only the additives would react. The real deal in order to get the RUG back to the intended alkanes(light naphthas) is by using molecular sieves, together with distillation under highly controllable vessel pressures. Not something that we can practically do at home.
If you want to remove ethanol from petrol, then there are several videos available on the 'Tube' in how-to's. Basically a 10litre transparent container will be needed (to see what's cooking) into which pour ethanol loaded petrol, say 5litres. Add to this 2litres of clean water (tap water can be used, but de-ionised is cleaner). You can add a few drops of food colouring to make it more 'visible'. Shake vigourously for a minute. Leave to stand several hours (or overnight). Syphon out the water from the bottom, or drain with a suitable placed tap, all of the water content which will now include the ethanol. Left to stand, the ethanol will appear as a gelatinous layer on top of the water. This now needs to be disposed of correctly. The remaining petrol will now be 10% (if E10 fuel is the original 5litres) less than original, leaving you with 4.5litres. This needs to be topped up by adding octane booster at a 10% volume of the original. Now you have high octane petrol with no ethanol. Bit of a faff, but if you are only using small amounts of fuel infrequently, probably worth the effort. Needless to say, all of the above procedure will of necessity be done away from any naked flames, in a well ventilated area with a suitable fire extinguisher to hand. But you're not going to need that - are you? Ethanol will attack older types of flexible fuel lines, certain seals, and some aluminium parts. Vehicles built from 2005 and after should be constructed to use E10, although if used often enough, older ones will run it OK, but check lines and filters periodically. My mower, strimmer and chainsaw run on E whatever, no problems yet! And yes - Hi! I've crept back again.
Yes, and other things too. Next time you're in a supermarket and treat yourself to a squirt of alcohol-based hand cleanser before starting to shop, have a look at the area under the nozzle. The paint's been loosened / stripped off by now and the steel underneath will have started to go rusty. Long time no hear from, Derek...
Hullo Derek! How u diddlin’ ? :-). Great explanation there.. and very tempting to try just for.. well, because it’s there ps have you tried it?
Thanks guys - I'm fine. No, I haven't tried it - but it seems a better bet than some of the 'snake oil' additives that claim to counter ethanol without removing it.
