On Fri, 3 Oct 2003 21:17:29 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

From: "Halcitron"
Subject: White Gas, Coleman Fuel, and Unleaded Gasoline
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2003 4:31 PM

White Gas, Coleman Fuel, and Unleaded Gasoline
© 1995 E. Michael Smith



These fuels are all related in that all of them are of similar boiling
points
and are distilled from petroleum from the same 'cut'. Gasoline is more
broad
in the 'cut' and has a wider range of materials in it. It also has
additives
that make it store less well. Coleman Fuel is a particular brand of the
more
generic product, white gas. White gas is gasoline without the additives in
it
yet, and may or may not be a broad cut like regular gasoline.

They all have some very nice properties as a storage fuel. They also have
some
profound differences.

Coleman fuel doesn't age and varnish up the way gasoline does. White gas is
not as clean a cut as Coleman Fuel, but I've not done long duration storage
tests on it. It might, or might not, store as well. I've used several year
old Coleman fuel with no problems at all. Gasoline more than 1 year old is
marginal. Store it for a couple of years and it will smell of varnish and
have
odd deposits on the bottom of the can.

All of these fuels are of a moderately high vapor pressure, so they can puff
up
cans in a hot trunk. Gasoline does this more, since it has more 'light'
hydrocarbons. In some cold climates, these can even include Butane! You
will
need a fuel bottle that can take some internal pressure if you intend to
store
gasoline or white gas fuels in a hot car trunk. I've done a multi year test
with Coleman Fuel in a Sigg fuel bottle in a Honda. It worked well. I've
not
tested Unleaded in similar circumstances. If you do store gasoline, use
summer gas. It has a higher boiling point and less light hydrocarbons.

These fuels burn very cleanly. They are easy to light. They evaporate
readily, so spills are to some extent self policing. The fuels are cheap,
and
readily available. Unleaded gasoline is about the most commonly available
fuel
you could want. Stoves and lanterns to use them are available from many
manufacturers just about everywhere.

So why not just use gasolines or Coleman Fuel as your camping and
preparedness
fuel of choice?

Why not, indeed. It would be a reasonable choice for most people. The
stoves
and lanterns do require pumping, which some folks find a bother. They must
be
refilled with a liquid, so you have a chance for leakage and spillage.
Getting
them lit when cold can take a while and does require a bit of a knack,
especially for the lanterns. (You wait and wait and just about when fear
has
led you to believe that the lantern will blow up any minute, the gas finally
reaches the mantle and lights, often with a startling POOF!) For folks with
no
or little mechanical aptitude, Propane or Butane are better choices.

If you have low availability of unleaded gasoline (such as someone living in
a
country where leaded gasoline still is the most common) or want a safer fuel
in
storage and don't mind the esthetics of use quite as much, then Kerosene
is
a good choice.

For most folks, though, Unleaded or White Gas is the fuel of choice, and
Coleman Fuel is just about the best brand.

Once per year, about August, I cycle my stored gasoline. The old stuff gets
dumped into the car (easy with a gas car, a bit trickier but still doable
with
a Diesel car). Then I buy a new fresh 5 gallons worth for the next
year.
The gas, being above the 2 gallon limit imposed by my home insurance for
garage
storage, goes into a detached shed away from the house. Check your
insurance
limits for flammables restrictions.

On a general use basis, I use Coleman Fuel. When fishing or camping, the
clean
burning of it, the lower smell, and the general convenience of a fuel that
treats my appliances well is worth the added cost to me. In an emergency,
I'd
use my stored gasoline. There are an increasing number of stoves these
days
that can burn your choice of {unleaded, white gas, kerosene}, so the issue
of
which fuel to choose for storage is a bit less coupled to stove choice.

If you have a gasoline car, I'd opt for Unleaded Gasoline and a 'Dual Fuel'
stove/lantern that uses unleaded and improve the storage system by putting
the
fuel in an insulated container like an ice chest (sans ice). The goal is to
cut the peak temperature experienced by the stored fuel. The insulation of
the
ice chest would help do this.

Coleman fuel is my emergency stove and lantern storage fuel of choice for
all
things other than my present car, where I use Kerosene, since I can run my
Diesel on that in a pinch. For the average person driving a gasoline car,
I'd
use Unleaded gasoline in a Sigg or MSR type fuel bottle and appliances made
for
white gas/Coleman Fuel/Unleaded.

"People are more violently opposed to fur than leather,
because it is easier to harrass rich women
than it is motorcycle gangs." - Bumper Sticker