There has been a thread about the E10 and E5 fuels. Might be of interest to anyone with petrol garden machinery if you haven't already seen it. I use the better grade fuels now in my machinery as advised by service engineers about twelve months ago, so I get E5 for mowers and shredder. E10 should not be left in machinery over a certain time, certainly not over winter. There are additives you can buy but I am staying with E5. I put E10 in my car.
I was just thinking … during lockdown petrol sat in my car’s tank for months and months. If it had been the new stuff that would’ve been a real problem, n’est-ce pas? 🤔Â
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
That crossed my mind too. I got a new car in March 2020 and the tank was full when I collected it. I didn't go anywhere in it apart from shopping once a fortnight, about a six mile round trip, so it was months before I first put fuel in. Given the fact that I'm still not travelling far very much and the possibility of being snowed in or floodbound in winter I guess it's better to top up little and often', not keep the tank full?
Apparently if left in machinery too long it damages the engine.Â
The machinery service engineer who advised me to use the better grade last year said it was because there is less of a certain ingredient put in standard grade petrol now, which though better for the environment in one way, is detrimental in others. My strimmer was faulty when I used fuel from the filling station mixed with oil. When he recommended Stihl pre-mixed fuel I thought he was just trying to sell me something extra, but with much work waiting back home I bought some and my strimmer has run like a dream on it all this year. He advised never to put the cheaper fuel in mowers etc so I have taken his advice.
Sorry, I'm not good with technical things or I'd post a link to the thread about fuel and machinery. Do think about it if you have a petrol mower or other equipment.
As mentioned there are additives, to stabilize fuel for garden machinery, even the previous E5 was less stable than the old leaded fuel, but all petrol degrades if stored for a long time. The higher volatile fraction evaporates a bit and some of the heavier fraction settles out. Gums and residues build up, with old carburettors the jets block and so starting becomes an issue. All fuel absorbs water from the air and this causes corrosion. Modern petrol is a very complex mix with all sorts of additives in it to mitigate these problems. In normal times if you are not doing a long journey then keeping no more than 1/2 a tank, that you can use within a month is best. From an economy perspective fuel is heavy so NOT lugging round and extra 60kg if you are only going to the shops is what is recommended by motoring Which.
There has been a thread about the E10 and E5 fuels. Might be of interest to anyone with petrol garden machinery if you haven't already seen it. I use the better grade fuels now in my machinery as advised by service engineers about twelve months ago, so I get E5 for mowers and shredder. E10 should not be left in machinery over a certain time, certainly not over winter. There are additives you can buy but I am staying with E5. I put E10 in my car.
I'm planning to run my mower dry and then put in a litre of Aspen which has no ethanol and a lot less other additives too. It's expensive stuff at nearly £5 per litre but cheaper than a service when the normal fuel turns to carp over winter.
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I use the better grade fuels now in my machinery as advised by service engineers about twelve months ago, so I get E5 for mowers and shredder.Â
E10 should not be left in machinery over a certain time, certainly not over winter. There are additives you can buy but I am staying with E5.Â
I put E10 in my car.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Given the fact that I'm still not travelling far very much and the possibility of being snowed in or floodbound in winter I guess it's better to top up little and often', not keep the tank full?
Edit : Apparently your engine won't run so smoothly
The machinery service engineer who advised me to use the better grade last year said it was because there is less of a certain ingredient put in standard grade petrol now, which though better for the environment in one way, is detrimental in others. My strimmer was faulty when I used fuel from the filling station mixed with oil. When he recommended Stihl pre-mixed fuel I thought he was just trying to sell me something extra, but with much work waiting back home I bought some and my strimmer has run like a dream on it all this year. He advised never to put the cheaper fuel in mowers etc so I have taken his advice.
Sorry, I'm not good with technical things or I'd post a link to the thread about fuel and machinery. Do think about it if you have a petrol mower or other equipment.
Will that eventually be phased out and only the E10 available.Â
I'm planning to run my mower dry and then put in a litre of Aspen which has no ethanol and a lot less other additives too. It's expensive stuff at nearly £5 per litre but cheaper than a service when the normal fuel turns to carp over winter.