This is especially true if your gas is long past its expiration date as it will become significantly less combustible with age. Not sure if that jerry can you have kicking around in the garage is past its expiration date? Old gas is generally dark in color and has a sour scent. Using contaminated gas can quickly damage an engine or fuel system, which is obviously not what you want. When in doubt, dispose of your old or contaminated fuel at an approved site. Your local fire department or waste management service will have good advice about where to go to dispose of your old gasoline properly.
Gaby is a professional outdoor educator, mountain guide, and survival expert with a passion for helping others be prepared for whatever might come their way. It sits in the underground tank mostly but we keep 5 gallons in a plastic can in the polebarn, which is also used to get the burn pit going. I have a couple mounds of trash and junk ready to burn while they are traveling but the gas can has been sitting in the polebarn all summer, which is in full sun. How long will gas last as an accelerant?
Full sun is an absolutely horrible place to store fuel. According to the U. Energy Information Administration , most gasoline sold in the U. Ethanol-blended gas usually has a shelf life of up to three months because of the high speed at which ethanol oxidizes. Because ethanol is hydrophilic a. Generally, the higher the ethanol content in the gas, the shorter its shelf life, so E15 15 percent ethanol content , E20 20 percent ethanol , or E85 85 percent ethanol gas will expire sooner than E10 gas will.
Petroleum-based gasoline without any ethanol will still succumb to oxidation and volatile compound evaporation in a sealed container or tank, but these processes usually occur more slowly in pure gasoline, so you can usually expect it to last at least six months when properly stored.
Because pure gas is hydrophobic a. Gas stored in a car tank begins to degrade in just about a month. Old gas does not become contaminated necessarily, but rather loses its combustible properties and volatile compounds. It may also start to form a gum residue that could cause blockages. Gasoline should be kept in an airtight container.
You should always label when the gas was purchased and stored. Keep gas in a cool, low-oxygen environment. If your stored gas becomes exposed to high heat and humidity, it can increase the volatility and potential for fire and explosion. For this reason, having a container with more than five gallons of fuel is not recommended. When in question, check the color of the gas compared to fresh fuel.
As gasoline ages, it tends to darken in color. Generally, properly stored gas can last between 3 to 6 months; if you add fuel stabilizers, you can extend its shelf life by a year or so under optimal conditions, of course. We know what you might be thinking — if crude oil can last for millennia, why does gasoline have such a short shelf life? Gasoline is made up of a complex cocktail of carbon and hydrogen atoms, which bond together to create combustive hydrocarbons that make engines run.
The end product is an amalgamation of various compounds that work together to help power your vehicle of choice. This is thanks mostly to three big environmental factors: oxidation, water, and evaporation. You might recall that we mentioned oxygen as one of the main ingredients in combustion — but it also causes oxidation.
As the weeks and months go by, oxygen molecules in your gasoline will begin tapping healthy hydrocarbons and changing their structure, leading to increased oxidation.
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