Re: Fuel Stabilizers
Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 10:42 am
Here is a little bit of trivia...
The shelf life of all STA-BIL® brand products is 2 years after the bottle has been opened, provided it has been tightly capped and stored in a cool, dry place. If the product has not yet been opened, you should use the color of the fluid as an indicator. If the product is still bright red, it is fine to use. If the product has turned to a very dark red (or brown) color, we recommend purchasing a new bottle. It will not harm anything if you use an old bottle of STA-BIL® brand, it just won't be effective.
All my lawn and garden equipment must be garbage by now because I never drain or put additives to any of it for years. Yet they all start and run fine with exception of one snow blower which I mixed fuel incorrectly... thus my mental block with additives
poor old snow blower, Homie fried it.
The shelf life of all STA-BIL® brand products is 2 years after the bottle has been opened, provided it has been tightly capped and stored in a cool, dry place. If the product has not yet been opened, you should use the color of the fluid as an indicator. If the product is still bright red, it is fine to use. If the product has turned to a very dark red (or brown) color, we recommend purchasing a new bottle. It will not harm anything if you use an old bottle of STA-BIL® brand, it just won't be effective.
All my lawn and garden equipment must be garbage by now because I never drain or put additives to any of it for years. Yet they all start and run fine with exception of one snow blower which I mixed fuel incorrectly... thus my mental block with additives
poor old snow blower, Homie fried it.
Why is it so hard to believe that gas can oxidize slowly too? Gas stabilizers work by stabilizing otherwise unstable aromatic hydrocarbons. Ever smell old gas - it sours? Gum and varnish in gas are oxidized hydrocarbons that turn into something else. Sta-Bil really works but it only slows the oxidation process down from a few months to 12-15 or so. I think I currently own a few dozens different engines and keeping up with all of them to be run every few months and have the fuel refreshed with new fuel isn't practical. 
