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To: 17strings
And lots of empty cans my husband won’t let us fill. Grrr.

The problem with gas is that it does go "stale" - that is, it is not as good after long term storage as it is fresh. Now, 2 things that can help is using gas stabilizer (Sta-Bil is one brand) to help preserve it. If you do keep a larger amount of gas stored, rotate the supply so that you use up the oldest first (use it in the mower or whatever in normal times).

Another important thing to do is not leave old gas in the fuel system of a motor - my generator has a gas cutoff valve, and after I test run it, I turn the gas off and let it run out rather than leaving gas in all the hoses and carburetor. Why? Because it tends to turn to sludge and varnish, and will clog and gum up the works. At least in the tank, it won't be as harmful.

My riding tractor barely started last spring because I left old gas in the system. And my walk-behind mower's fuel system was all gummed up because of stale gas from the previous mowing season.

2,089 posted on 06/17/2021 9:12:35 AM PDT by meyer (I swear to protect and defend the Constitution against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic!)
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To: meyer

We do all that, too.


2,093 posted on 06/17/2021 9:26:11 AM PDT by 17strings (If you've posted a good meme or cat .gif, chances are I've stolen it!)
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To: meyer

Motor slide -

In the winter, I start the lawn mower every two weeks and let it run for a minute. When it’s not winter, I do the same with the snow blower, and I run the portable generator for a minute every two weeks regardless of the season. I set an auto-reminder in my phone so I don’t forget, I do all three at the same time, and I’m disciplined about not pushing off the chore. They all start like new every time so far, so am I still likely to get gummed-up motors?


2,161 posted on 06/17/2021 2:49:43 PM PDT by LittleLinda
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