GENERATORS???

Originally posted by Masternav   Your point is valid, but your math is off significantly.  Ethanol produces 70% of the energy of gas, so if gasoline has 10% ethanol content, then it will produce 3% less energy than pure gasoline, not 10% less as you stated.

So, ethanol reduces engine power on top of all the other damage to engines it can do if left untreated. In the case of any engine that is used sporadically it can kill them before you know it due to its hydroscopic nature...it draws water out of the fuel as well as from the ambient air around it(unless you take appropriate preventive steps). The more water in the air around it, the more it absorbs. High humidity means more water being absorbed into your fuel, sitting on the bottom of your tank.

For generators and other intermittent use motors you need to get as little of it in your small engines and tanks as possible, always treat your fuel to prevent the ethanol from separating from your gasoline and absorbing water with a good quality fuel stabilizer.

Empty your carb (turn off your petcock/fuel shut off or run it out of fuel) when the generator is finished being used to further prevent gum/varnish deposits, keep your tank either completely full or empty for extended periods of time to further safeguard your fuel system and extend the life of your motor as less moist air comes in contact with your fuel.

These are the best ways to get the most bang for your hard earned buck over the long term.

Sta-bil, Seafoam, Phaseguard...all very good stabilizers and did I mention do the same for your boats, mowers, chainsaws, whipper-snippers, blowers, wood chippers and infrequently used cars trucks?
Further examples of where to do the same thing and save yourself money, time and frustration.

Fuel can go bad/skunky in only a couple of months and heat can make it break down even more quickly then that as well.

Bad ethanol, bad. Now go back to your cornfield until you make something better of yourself!

:-)

Andy

Thanks for all the information in this post. I've learned a lot about gas and ethanol. In some places you can buy non-ethanol gas, but we don't have that option. 

If you're worried about damage to the generator's engine components getting hurt by the ethanol, why not buy a dual fuel inverter generator (or convert it to dual fuel)?  Our little used generator has never had a drop of gasoline in it.  It is used very, very rarely, but I never have to worry about ethanol damage to the motor.  Yes, there is a slight reduction in output, but that's a reasonable tradeoff for an engine that doesn't have stinky exhaust and the mess of adding gasoline to the engine fuel tank.  

From the Engineering Toolbox:
LHV of ethanol is 11,479 BTU/lb
LHV of gasoline is 18,659 BTU/lb
Ethanol has 61.5% of the energy of gasoline.

Ethanol does have oxygen in its molecule, but only one Oxygen atom, and requires 6 O atoms to burn. While that's less than the 15 or so required for gasoline, it is still isn't a good source of Oxygen for combustion. Its primary function is to displace gasoline molecules and raise Octane rating allowing cheaper gasoline to be used as a base. Displacing gasoline molecules probably causes the exhaust gas to appear lean, causing in the vehicle's ECU to command more fuel to reach the 14.7 A/F ratio it is designed to hold, further increasing fuel consumption.

I am always puzzled as to why more fuel consumption is eco-friendly.

Fuel injection systems using E10 (with evaporative controls on the tank) are well sealed and mostly prevent oxygenation of the ethanol and water absorption. By now, all fuel systems are built with materials impervious to ethanol damage, so there is no worry there. However, carburetted systems in small engines are not sealed and cannot prevent oxidation of the ethanol, nor water absorption. That can easily corrode ferrous parts of the fuel system (tank, float bowl, ....)

I learned the hard way not to use E10 in a carburetted 4-cyl motorcycle after I let it sit for 6 weeks over the winter. That bike ran well on E10, as long as you burned it out quickly.

Bottom line, avoid E10 in any carb'ed engine and especially one that doesn't run several days a week.

I am still disturbed by using a food source for fuel. Alas, the farm lobby likes the extra demand for corn and will not let the politicians stop it.