The Price of Ethanol

[Bergalia]

In which case Frosty - you should acquire a boat.....

[Pericles]

Bergalia,

You'll have to seat your daughters on these.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Stock_Saddle

I must now be excused as England v Australia in the Rugby World Cup kicks off in 10 minutes and I must mentally prepare for d e f e a t .

At least I still have Lewis Hamiliton's victory to look forward to.

Regards,

Pericles

[Pericles]

Good Grief, we won! 12-10


Pericles

[Ike]

Congratulations. Were they playing by Aussie Rules?

[safewalrus]

the way they played it wern't by any rools! France lost too so thats the two big Antipodes teams out of it! (not a happy bunny thats my bets cancelled I had it down for an Aus Kiwi final - the All Blacks played like some of Bergalias goats! Does this mean - horror of horrors an England - Scotland final! Oh if only!!! eh Bergalia (now your adopted team has been sorted I suppose you'll go back to the land of your birth!)

[Frosty]

RUGBY!!!!!! OH please---***** ALERT beep--beep-beep

[safewalrus]

Frosty there are some tings in life more important than you surprisingly enough! If you don't like it shut up!

It will pass and we can all get back to 'slagging' each other and talking about our main love (aside to her "sorry darling it ain't you") BOATS!

[Frosty]

Safewalrus --we were talking about horse **** not bull ****.

At least rabble on about crap in the drivel thread. Do you like chasing after a ball then? I used to have a dumb mutt that liked doing that.

If I threw a stick would you run after that?

[safewalrus]

Yes so I could bring it back to beat the hell out of you! What a lovely thought! bit like Christmas and Birthday and Dvali and Id and anything else you fancy all rolled in to one (not Ramadan - I need to eat!)

[Frosty]

[quote=safewalrus; I need to eat!)[/QUOTE]

Ive seen your photo walrus and you definately do not need to eat.

Maybe you should run after a ball a bit instead of standing watching others with a hamburger stuck in your face.

[safewalrus]

Don't eat hamburgers Frosty - prefer fish, all walrus's prefer fish! you know nothing?

[brian eiland]

Ocotber 15 , 2007

NEWS From BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304
BoatUS News Room at www.BoatUS.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com

What You Need To Know About E-10 Ethanol Fuel And Winter Boat Layup
Last year recreational boaters in most parts of the country were introduced to gasoline containing higher concentrations of ethanol, a corn-based additive that replaced a known carcinogen, MTBE. The new fuel, dubbed “E-10” for its 10% ethanol content, unfortunately has the ability to attract greater amounts of water and “phase separate,” or form two separate solutions in the gas tank, usually over a long period of time. Once this happens, the engine may not run and internal damage can occur.

With the lengthy winter lay up period again upon us, many boaters and anglers are asking how they can avoid winter fuel problems. BoatUS has these recommendations, some of which were gleaned from midwestern marina owners where E-10 has been in use for over a decade:

The best practical recommendation is to continue to top off a boat’s fuel tanks to about 95% full, leaving room for expansion. A tank that is almost full limits the flow of air into and out of the vent, which reduces the chance of condensation adding water to the fuel. Anglers who fish over the winter should also top off their boat’s gasoline tanks between outings to prevent condensation.

Note that some mechanics mistakenly advise that leaving a tank partially filled allows you to “freshen” the old fuel by topping off the tank in the spring. Leaving a tank partially filled with E-10 invites phase separation, which cannot be remedied by adding fresh gasoline. Once E-10 phase separates, the water will remain at the bottom of the tank. Midwest marina owners report that phase separation typically occurs when boats were stored with tanks only one-quarter to one-half full.

Draining fuel tanks of E-10 gas, while completely eliminating any chances of phase separation, is potentially dangerous and not recommended.
Once phase separation occurs in E-10 gasoline, additives and water separators can’t help. The only remedy is to have the gas and ethanol/water professionally removed from the tank.

Ethanol is known to chemically react with fiberglass fuel tanks, which can cause them to deteriorate and potentially fail. This is most common with tanks built before the mid-1980s. Unless your boat’s manufacturer can confirm that your tank was built to withstand ethanol, the only remedy is to not use E-10 gas (which may not be possible) or to replace the tank with a non-reactive material such as aluminum.

While ethanol does attract moisture, never try to plug up a fuel tank vent to prevent moist air from entering a tank. Without room to expand, the additional pressure could rupture fuel system components.
With any fuel that sits in a tank for a long time, it’s important to add a stabilizer. But understand that stabilizers do not prevent phase separation.

BoatUS – Boat Owners Association of The United States – is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 650,000 members with a wide array of consumer services. For membership information visit http://www.BoatUS.com or call 800-395-2628.

[safewalrus]

Alternatively drain the tank? if you ain't got any thing in it it can't turn to mush can it? Just a thought from a non mechanical!

[brian eiland]

WHAT IS E-10 GASOLINE, AND WHAT ARE THE ISSUES

E10, Is a gasoline blended with up to 10 % ethanol alcohol and is now in widespread use in the U.S. Ethanol, ethyl alcohol, is made from corn, sugar and other grains. E-10's use in boats is State dependant. On the East Coast, MD and VA and points north use E-10 while NC uses pure gasoline. On the West Coast, Hawaii uses E-10 while the Midwest has been using E-10 for over a decade. The main issues with E-10 are:

1. The biggest concern is the level of Ethanol in your gas. Outboard motors and gas engines are now warranted by the engine manufacturers to use E-10. However, more than 10% can be dangerous to your engine. When you fill up ask what you are getting.

2. Ethanol attracts water. The water will drop out of the Fuel and settle at the bottom of the tank, taking the ethanol with it. If the water does not get to the height of the pickup you may not have problems. However when it gets rough, the water gets bounced around and gets sucked up into the engine, now you have a problem.

3. Ethanol is a excellent solvent, which means it will dissolve many particles and contaminants in your tank and even the tank itself if its fiberglass. These dissolved particles can find their way to your engine. The answer here is to use a 10 micron fuel filter and check with your engine manufacturer for recommendations. Older Fiberglass tanks can be a problem. If you suspect your old tanks you may be better off replacing them.

4, Due to its solvent nature Ethanol can eat away fuel system parts. However since the introduction of E-10, motor manufacturers have come to address these issues. The solvent issues have been addressed by making the fuel system alcohol proof. New engines are now E-10 ready.

5. In most states (not all) it's required by law that pumps pumping E-10 must be labeled.

Additional information on the subject can be found here:
http://myboatsgear.com/newsletter/2007620.asp

[safewalrus]

Not good to use then? so why is it popular?