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E10 petrol for lawn mowers.

bédébédé Posts: 3,095
edited September 2021 in Problem solving
I will need to buy some more petrol before the winter.  I am advised that my Hayter/Briggs and Stratton will run on E10, but will not be OK during the winter.  Any additive will only work for 30 days.

Any experience?
 location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Use E5 Super Unleaded petrol. It is more expensive, but you'll not be needing much over the winter.
    I use it for my car and also use it for my mower with a Briggs and Stratton engine for the last 5 years.
    I also leave E5 petrol in the mower tank over winter and have no starting problems the following spring.
    Briggs and Stratton also make a fuel additive for E10 petrol

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    edited September 2021
    No don't be leaving E10 fuel in the machine over winter it will go off , it starts to go off after 30days . turn the fuel tap off and burn the rest off what's in the carb. 

    They are fuel stabilisers available but I don't keep petrol long enough to need them, another forum member should be able to help on this matter.    
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    The additives on sale are not guaranteed for more than 30 days.  The problems are:
     1.   moisture pick-up and consequent internal corrosion 
     2.   gum deposit
     3.   evaporation of ethanol, with consequent difficulty in starting.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    MY "man who does " told me to use super unleaded in all garden equipment from now on, otherwise he'll have to move in to keep fixing my stuff.
    Devon.
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    I've been advised that if I'm leaving a machine for any length of time, to make sure I run the machine dry, put some (not a lot because it's expensive) Aspen in the tank, then run it briefly so that the engine is full of Aspen. I've not been doing it long enough to say whether it works for me, but I trust the mechanic who gave me the advice.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    I've been given the same advice by my lawnmower servicer. Don't store equipment containing E10 fuel for longer than a couple if weeks. You can buy (very) cheap hand pumps to remove fuel from equipment if you don't want to burn it off and the suggestion to run some Aspen through the equipment before storage is probably a good idea.

    My engineer strongly advises only buying E5 fuel for garden equipment. It is more expensive but - as he said - it's not like you're driving your lawnmower to John O'Groats and repairs are expensive.

    He thinks any two-stroke engines will probably be ok as the oil should protect things.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    The Briggs Stratton   fuel stabilizer I have just bought says it works for up to 2years. I  wouldn't trust it that long but I am sure it will keep "in the can" over winter.  I will drain the engine though. 
    AB Still learning

  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    StephenSouthwest said:
    I've been advised that if I'm leaving a machine for any length of time, to make sure I run the machine dry, put some (not a lot because it's expensive) Aspen in the tank, then run it briefly so that the engine is full of Aspen. I've not been doing it long enough to say whether it works for me, but I trust the mechanic who gave me the advice.

    ...just to add that the 4 stroke chipper shredder started first time after a winter of a little Aspen left in the system...
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    I was given the same advice about using Aspen.  I'd run the mower dry so didn't actually need to last winter.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    My lawn mower and the petrol container were left fullish all winter with E5.  I did a mow late November and have just done another.  No problems.

    Additives are I think just a marketing idea, "Like taking sweeties off children".
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
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