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| What Happens to Fuel When it is Stored? |
| Any fuel, be it
gasoline, diesel, or heating fuel, is made up of many different organic
compounds. These organic compounds are constantly changing over time becoming
new compounds that change the characteristics of fuel. The same molecules
that make up the best parts of gasoline can react with oxygen and other
elements in the environment and form new molecules that build up to form
gummy residues or varnish-like films that can clog up passages in fuel
lines, carburetors, and injectors.
Some fuels are treated with oxidation inhibitors to allow them to be stored for up to 3 months without generating excessive deposits. Other fuels have no inhibitors at all. In any case, storage of equipment requires some special consideration for the fuel system. |
| Why Can't These Problems be Avoided by Draining Fuel? |
| One way to avoid
most of these deposits is to completely drain the fuel tank and fuel lines.
This procedure poses a number of problems. First, it is virtually impossible
to get every drop of fuel out of the system by simply draining. In order
to remove all fuel, lines must be blown out and dried, or enough fuel will
remain to cause problems. Second, draining the fuel exposes the bare metal
in the tank and fuel system to air and moisture which, together, can result
in the formation of rust and corrosion and which can allow gaskets to dry
out, crack and shrink, leading to fuel leaks when the system is refilled.
Third, drained fuel is a fire and safety hazard and represents an environmental
problem. Properly disposing of this fuel is difficult. For these reasons,
draining is not the solution.
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| Does Fuel Stored in a Tank or Can Cause Problems? |
| Fuel stored in cans
or tanks will also oxidize with many of the "bad acting" unstable molecules
remaining in the solution. Using this fuel next season, greatly increases
the likelihood that deposits will form in fuel systems while the equipment
is used. In other words, stored fuel needs treatment too.
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| What Does STA-BIL Do? |
| STA-BIL is a blend
of scientific additives all of which act together to prevent fuel from
undergoing degradation and oxidation during prolonged storage. STA-BIL
acts as a protective wrapper around fuel molecules so they cannot combine
with oxygen or other molecules to form new "bad actor" molecules. The "sweetened"
fuel will perform its job thereafter as though it had just been freshly
pumped into the fuel tank straight from the refinery pipeline.
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| How Well Does STA-BIL Work? |
| Better than you can
imagine. On average, STA-BIL improves gasoline life 5 times. The average
gasoline is extended from 3 months oxidation life without STA-BIL to 15
months with STA-BIL. Compared to any other products pretending to extend
fuel life, STA-BIL is 4 to 9 times more effective according to accepted
standard fuel stability tests IASTM D5251.
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| What Kind of Engines Need STA-BIL? |
| Any engine stored
for 90 days or more needs STA-BIL. This includes all 2-cycle or 4-cycle
engines used in lawnmowers, marine engines (inboard and outboard, snow-throwers,
motorcycles, chain saws, recreation vehicles, snowmobiles, generators,
pumps, golf carts, automobiles, trucks, garden tillers, lawn edgers, garden
tractors, farm equipment, mini- bikes, motorscooters, you name it. If it
has an engine and is stored for a season or more, it needs STA-BIL.
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| Is STA-BIL Hard to Use? |
| It's simple. Just
add STA-BIL to the fuel according to the recommended dosage on the package.
(Measuring is easy based on the number of squeezes through the measuring
cap. Agitate the fuel tank if possible, then start and run the engine
for 5 minutes or more. After that, simply shut off the engine and store
the equipment away. Next season, the engine will start easily and run smoothly.
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| The
Gold Eagle Company, makers of STA-BIL®, HEET® gas line antifreeze,
LEAK STOPPERS for all automotive fluids, QUANTUM® additives and over
90 other products now has a catalog! If you want more information,
contact us at 1-800-621-1251.
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