J
JD
Guest
Mother wrote:
> Here's an interesting one. I'd always thought petrol to have a shelf
> life of 3 maybe 4 years max. I have an old jerry can with some
> unleaded from 1996 (chalk mark) which I usually use for cleaning stuph
> with.
>
> Well (erm) I accidentally filled my Honda EU10i Genny with the
> contents...
>
> Runs a treat! Certainly no noticable difference from the 'new' lot
> filled a month or so ago.
>
> So, what determines the shelf life of petrol, anyone?
>
> As an additional interesting aside, the jerry can it was in was the
> most rancid one I have, previously filled with all sorts, including
> Red Deisel for mi boat at one point. The only thing about that can
> that was 'new' was the rubber seal around the cap.
Two things limit the shelf life of petrol
1. Evaporation of the light ends - this can be stopped completely by having
it tightly sealed, and if this is the case this factor does not limit the
life.
2. Bacterial attack. The time taken for this varies enormously, and depends
on :- humidity/water contamination, temperature, agitation, and to a minor
extent access to air. It can be completely prevented if the petrol and
container are not infected, but although there are probably some around
that aren't, it is probably safest to assume that it is infected. Best
precautions you can take are to keep it absolutely dry, and add one of the
antibacterial additives - or do what most of us do, and don't store it for
more than a month or two.
JD
> Here's an interesting one. I'd always thought petrol to have a shelf
> life of 3 maybe 4 years max. I have an old jerry can with some
> unleaded from 1996 (chalk mark) which I usually use for cleaning stuph
> with.
>
> Well (erm) I accidentally filled my Honda EU10i Genny with the
> contents...
>
> Runs a treat! Certainly no noticable difference from the 'new' lot
> filled a month or so ago.
>
> So, what determines the shelf life of petrol, anyone?
>
> As an additional interesting aside, the jerry can it was in was the
> most rancid one I have, previously filled with all sorts, including
> Red Deisel for mi boat at one point. The only thing about that can
> that was 'new' was the rubber seal around the cap.
Two things limit the shelf life of petrol
1. Evaporation of the light ends - this can be stopped completely by having
it tightly sealed, and if this is the case this factor does not limit the
life.
2. Bacterial attack. The time taken for this varies enormously, and depends
on :- humidity/water contamination, temperature, agitation, and to a minor
extent access to air. It can be completely prevented if the petrol and
container are not infected, but although there are probably some around
that aren't, it is probably safest to assume that it is infected. Best
precautions you can take are to keep it absolutely dry, and add one of the
antibacterial additives - or do what most of us do, and don't store it for
more than a month or two.
JD
