We all know that petrol prices are super expensive at the moment and you want to make the most out of every litre, whether that be in your car or petrol garden machinery. Whilst most of us use our cars daily and all year round, this can’t be said for certain petrol garden machines. Over the last couple of weeks, we have luckily been able to experience a REAL summer and have basked in 2 heatwaves. This has given the opportunity to put your machines to good work, making your gardens look their best, even if they have been a bit dry!
However, it will soon be winter, and this means putting away and storing your summer garden tools and dusting off the likes of your trusty chainsaw ready for preparing your winter log stores.
During the summer of September 2021, the standard petrol grade (0ctane 95) became E10. This new E10 petrol contains up to 10% renewable ethanol which will help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and fuel economy by around 1%.
E10 fuel has been around now for almost a year and although big garden machinery brands such as STIHL and Husqvarna recommend that as long as you use a High-Quality Brand-Named Petrol with a minimum Octane rating of 90 and a petrol quality of 10% ethanol or less, it will not cause a problem with your petrol tool. This is fine whilst you are continuously running and using your petrol machinery but is a different story when it comes to storing them for several months. See below on how to avoid any nasty surprises next season…
Who can drink 5 litres of petrol and not get sick? - Jerry Can
(But he can infect your tools!!!)
We are all guilty of putting our machines away in the shed or garage with a tank half full of fuel mix and forgetting about it over the winter months. To then find when we come to use them again and they won’t start because the fuel is stale and needs draining. The old E5 petrol, that you may have mixed with a good quality 2-stroke oil, will have contained fuel stabilizer additives which help prolong the life of the fuel, however this is not the case with E10 due to its higher ethanol content. Manufacturers are now advising that this should be avoided and recommend that all machines should be drained completely before being put away in storage.
The new E10 petrol should only be stored for up to 30 days, any longer than that then you risk what is called “Phase Separation”. Due to the higher ethanol content, the ethanol draws in and traps water within the fuel and when this happens it separates from the petrol and drops to the bottom of the tank. This ethanol and water mixture is heavier than the petrol and is what causes the separation. So, when left in your favourite tools over winter, this trapped mix of ethanol and water can cause a whole load of problems, from rusted fuel tanks, corroded fuel lines to seizure or failure of the engine unit or carburettor.
Even when stored in a Jerry Can, if you can’t remember how long ago you purchased the fuel, it is best to not re-fill any of your machines with this stock to avoid contamination with the potential phase separated mixture.
We often see this phase separation first-hand, when customers come to us with running or starting issues of their machines. The first question we always ask is “HOW OLD IS YOUR FUEL?” and a majority of the time this will be the first time they have come to use the machine in months which they left fuel in or they have refilled from a jerry can that they mixed several weeks ago. It may not be possible for us to even see this before removing their fuel from the tank, so this will be the first check that is conducted by our technician.
During a recent repair of a customer’s trusty old chainsaw that had started having a few starting and running problems, the first thing we checked was the fuel. As you can see from the image below there is clear indication of phase separation. The ethanol and water mixture has sunk to the bottom leaving the petrol and red STIHL HP 2-Stroke oil at the top.
Unfortunately, this had caused corrosion to the fuel lines and seizure of the carburettor causing quite an expensive repair.
We recommend it becomes standard practise to become fuel savvy when it comes down to keeping your machines running healthy and being stored correctly to avoid any stale fuel damage.
Therefore, the golden rule is- Only keep a 2-stroke fuel mix for at least 30 days and to always drain your tools before storing them for a long period of time.
HOWEVER, did you know that STIHL offer an alternative, engine friendly solution. The patented STIHL Motomix pre-mix fuel has been specifically designed and blended for ultimate performance. The ready mixed 50:1 fuel is a combination of premium ethanol free, high octane petrol mixed with green STIHL HP Ultra 2-stroke oil. Guaranteeing excellent engine lubrication and perfect running conditions. It is fully synthetic, and biodegradable producing fewer emissions and can be kept in storage for up to FIVE YEARS after opening!
This is offered in either a handy 1L or 5L container (in store purchases only) and offers an extended warranty on selected machines when purchased together.
STIHL also offer a pre-mixed alternative for 4-stroke machines, The Moto4Plus is similar to Motomix again this is free from ethanol and is ideal for smaller 4-stroke engines offering reliable performance and can be kept in storage for 5 years.
To further protect your fuel against degradation we offer Fuel Fit by Briggs & Stratton. This keeps fuel fresh and protects engines from the corrosive effects of ethanol, maintaining fuel stability for up to 3 years. Simply add the Fuel Fit to the petrol within 30 days of purchase and this will ensure that your machine will be ready to start even after storage or long periods without use.
For full information on this, check out the Briggs & Stratton Fuel Fit video here.
