keeping fuel fresh?

[vfddoc]

Our VFD is blessed to have several generators, as well as a recently purchased K12 rescue saw and a gas powered 2-stroke smoke ejector. My question is: do you guys have any tips on keeping the gas fresh? We put Sta-bil in the fuel, but especially on the 2 stroke units the fuel goes sour quickly and gums up the lines. How do you folks manage? Does anybody schedule test runs to keep things loosened up? Do you keep fuel in the units themselves or in a seperate portable tank? Thanks in advance. Doc

[Weruj1]

Hey dr ..................we have separate cans for each gas powered thing. Also all gas powered units are ran weekly, henceforth they get ran and use the fuel which is replaced with fresh fuel, and mixed.

[firenresq77]

Definitely run them weekly. You don't need to run them dry, but run them for a good length of time to make sure they are running properly, especially if they don't get used that often......

[arhaney]

I own a small engine shop and deal with this every day, continue to use fuel stabilizer, use high quality oil mix (most of the good brands have stabilizer in them). Always use fuel that is alcohol free!!!!!!!! In my part of the world, Amoco silver is what we recommend. Fuel with alcohol in it does more damage to 2 cycle equipment that everything else put together. Like firenresq77 and weruj1 stated already, make sure and start the equipment every week or two, and if equipped with a fuel shutoff valve, turn the gas off and let the unit run until it goes dead. Just remember, watch that alcohol, hope this helps.

[backdraft663]

We have 2 gas cans, one is regular gas and the other is 2 cycle, we use stabil to keep it fresh we just put it in the gas can. They do weekly checks on the trucks to make sure things are there and working right.

[kmacinct]

If you get your firehouse fuel thru your town garage, highway department, or municipal pumps, maybe you can work out a deal with your highway department.

Every month or so, you may be able to 'recycle' your fuel in to portable tanks (like the small ones in pickup or work trucks). Develop some plan with your highway department, for them to use the fuel in the equipment they run on a regular/daily basis. If you only have to cycle the firehouse fuel out every month or so, it shouldnt be a big burden with them. Just remember to track it if you need to with the town.

Just another idea... as not to waste.....




Kevin -
Connecticut

[SafetyPro]

We run all of our power tools every weekend during station maintenance. We have three crews that rotate the weekend duty.

All of our tools are kept fueled, except for the ones on our California OES engine. OES requires the tools to be stored empty.

Each rig with power tools carries both a straight gas and a pre-mix can. We fill them at our City Yards, which has both gas and diesel pumps for all city vehicles.

[MFDExplorer51]

We tonight had a problem with this, one of our older saws, the gas went sour. So we had to send it out to get cleaned.

As for testing, we test once a week, and if we cant, at least once every two weeks. And each saw, which we have 5 all together, have their own gas can.

[EFD840]

kmacinct, you beat me to the punch.

We've got several gas-burners in our fleet so in addition to running the tools, we keep the gas cans fresh by using them to top off the vehicles and then refilling the cans.

[SMCAPT7]

We run all of our gas power tools every Monday night. At least once a month we run them for a good hour to see if they will continuously run during a extended incident. In doing this we have found some problems that would of created a issue during a call ( i.e. hurst power plant shut off after 15 mins and after looking into we found a loose contection on the on / off switch and repaired it ).

Another thing we do is every gas can is labeled as to its contents ( either straight fuel or mixed ( at what ratio ). Also the date of last being filled is put on a waterproof tag and attached to the can. Once whatever amount of fuel is not used after 2 months is either burned up in the lawnmower or disposed of.

[firedawg803]

We have 2 gasoline generators that we use Stabil in, and thay are ran for about 30 minutes twice a month. As for our only 2-stroke saw, we mix a quarter of a gallon of fuel at a time, we start the engine on our meeting nights, but it rarely gets used, so after each, test run, and use, the tank gets drained, and we run a fogger thru the carb. As for our generators, we keep 3- 5 gallon Jerri-cans of gasoline premixed with Stabil at the station. When the gen's are running low, we fill them up out of these cans, and also use this fuel to make pre-mix. This seems to work really well for us out here in the sticks.

[mohican]

I can't prove this scientifically, but I have had the best gas with the highest octane available, with no alcohol added. Out at the farm, any gas that I keep in jugs will be at least 92 Octane. It seems to keep better than the low 87 Octane stuff. I have had two stoke mix sit all winter with 92 octane gas/Stihl oil and everything fires up and runs fine.

Sometimes when the 87 octane sits, it can even be difficult to ignite on the brush pile. (Oops, theres a confession in print)

The advise about running stuff at least once a week is very good.

If you run a chain saw (I mean a real, Stihl saw, not a 'Mart Homelite POS) once a week, it will start in several pulls. Leave it go a month, and by the time you start it, especially in turnout, you're worn out

And it let's you top off with fresh gas.

[TillerMan25]

Am I reading people correctly here? Once a week power tool test? On meeting nights? How often are the meetings?

How about running them Every DAY!? You wanna know how to keep the fuel fresh, run them every day! Trust me, it works. I cannot believe some companies would even jeopardize safety by not doing daily equipment checks.

I don't care if you run 2000 calls a year or 200 calls a year, you need to check saws, fans and anything that requires fuel once a day. Those tools are meant to make the Firefighting Environment more tenable for you to make an interior attack or to ventilate poisonous gases out of a home so you can work more efficiently. Errr, I cannot believe what I read!

[Captain5505]

We run all our gas powered tools weekly, this means gas is being used and tools are being refueled. Don't know how much this helps with stale fuel but most manufactuers require you use Super Unleaded fuel in the smaller tools.

[kghemtp]

Sorry Doc... had to kick it up a notch! Sometimes treating means thinking outside the box, right?!?

[vfddoc]

Kghemtp-

I can see how that might help... but shouldn't I use the "Wild Cherry" version if I go with the 92 octane premium? Doc

[arhaney]

Please don't use premium fuel in a 2 cycle engine!

[Weruj1]

I will bite ...............why should nt you ?

[FYRHWK1]

Originally posted by Weruj1
I will bite ...............why should nt you ?

Thats a good question, we've always used cam 2, 105 octane to my knowledge, because of how well it keeps and one saw has been fed this for several years, well over 4, and it starts good as new and runs fine every time.

They're started once a week and run for a while, they've never failed to perform in the entire history of our gas powered tools and I doubt they ever will, at least not because of how often they're run.

[firedawg803]

I can't speak for everyone else, but as for myself, I am only a "volunteer" I have a life, and a job outside of the fire department, and am not going to make a trip out there daily to run every engine that we have, and top off tanks.
In the past, we have had very good luck with the way we do things, so for now it will stay. I treat my lawn mower the same way, except it does not get ran at all during winter months, and I don't have any problems with it.