What to do with stale petrol?
 

I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that kerfuffle
about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the back of the garage
ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it again and now I need to get
rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).
I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've got no facilities for
handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but it's
electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol lawnmower?
If so, I can pas it on to a mate.

Alan
--
email ~= s/nospam//

What to do with stale petrol?
 

"Alan" wrote in message
et...
I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that kerfuffle
about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the back of the garage
ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it again and now I need to get
rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).
I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've got no facilities for
handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but it's
electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol lawnmower?
If so, I can pas it on to a mate.

Alan
--
email ~= s/nospam//

Pour it down the drain.

What to do with stale petrol?
 

Clive wrote:
"Alan" wrote in message
et...
I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that kerfuffle
about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the back of the garage
ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it again and now I need to get
rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).
I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've got no facilities for
handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but it's
electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol lawnmower?
If so, I can pas it on to a mate.

Alan
--
email ~= s/nospam//

Pour it down the drain.



But wait until you see someone walking along the pavement with a
cigarette between his lips and watch closely as he tosses the stub down
the drain :-)

--
David in Normandy.

What to do with stale petrol?
 

In article ,
Alan writes:
I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that kerfuffle
about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the back of the garage
ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it again and now I need to get
rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).
I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've got no facilities for
handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but it's
electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol lawnmower?

Yes.

If so, I can pas it on to a mate.

Good idea.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

What to do with stale petrol?
 

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol
lawnmower?

Yes.

I used loads of 'stale' petrol in my youth from rusty old Duckhams old cans
the my dad had in his garage. Used on various 4-stroke motorbikes with no
problems.

Al.

What to do with stale petrol?
 

Alan wrote on 10/05/2009 :
I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that kerfuffle
about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the back of the garage
ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it again and now I need to get
rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).
I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've got no facilities for
handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but it's
electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol lawnmower?
If so, I can pas it on to a mate.

They say it goes stale in just a few months, but I have never had a
problem using old petrol stored for lawn mowers or in the bike which
can stand throughout winter. I suppose you could always mix it with
some fresh petrol if there are doubts.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

What to do with stale petrol?
 

On Sun, 10 May 2009 18:36:21 +0100, Alan wrote:

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol
lawnmower?

It'll be fine.

If so, I can pas it on to a mate.

Pass it on to anyone with an engine that runs on petrol it'll be fine.

--
Cheers
Dave.

What to do with stale petrol?
 

On Sun, 10 May 2009 18:36:21 +0100, Alan wrote:

I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that kerfuffle
about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the back of the garage
ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it again and now I need to get
rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).
I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've got no facilities for
handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but it's
electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol lawnmower?
If so, I can pas it on to a mate.

Alan

For such a small amount, just chuck it in the petrol tank when it's three
quarters full. AFAIK stale petrol is just petrol that has had some of the
lighter molecules dissipate to atmosphere. There's nothing actually wrong
with it, it just doesn't burn as well as fresh stuff.

SteveW

What to do with stale petrol?
 

Harry Bloomfield coughed up some electrons that declared:

Alan wrote on 10/05/2009 :
I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that
kerfuffle about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the back of
the garage ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it again and now I
need to get rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).
I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've got no facilities for
handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but it's
electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol
lawnmower? If so, I can pas it on to a mate.

They say it goes stale in just a few months, but I have never had a
problem using old petrol stored for lawn mowers or in the bike which
can stand throughout winter. I suppose you could always mix it with
some fresh petrol if there are doubts.


I just broke out the petrol mower that's had a tank of petrol going idle for
6 months. Worked fine. Never understood this "going stale" business...

What to do with stale petrol?
 

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Alan
saying something like:

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol lawnmower?

Of course. In a low-tuned engine like that, no worries. If in a higher
state of tune you might want to add it to a nearly-full tank, but
otherwise, ok.

What to do with stale petrol?
 

In uk.d-i-y, David in Normandy wrote:
Clive wrote:
"Alan" wrote in message news:2sudnQWok98DjZ
...

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol lawnmower?

Pour it down the drain.

But wait until you see someone walking along the pavement with a
cigarette between his lips and watch closely as he tosses the stub down
the drain :-)

A cigarette won't ignite it. :-(

--
Mike Barnes

What to do with stale petrol?
 

On Sun, 10 May 2009 22:16:06 +0100, Mike Barnes wrote:

But wait until you see someone walking along the pavement with a
cigarette between his lips and watch closely as he tosses the stub down
the drain :-)

A cigarette won't ignite it. :-(

I wouldn't like to bet on it or is that a :-( of experience?

Flash point for petrol is -43C above that enough vapour is released to
become a danger if enough heat is provided and air/vapour mix is right.

But baring having the right vapour mixture the spontaneous ignition
temperature of petrol is somewhere bewteen 200 and 300C, a cigarette
smoulders at about 400C. So even if the vapour doesn't go boom from the
cig butt when that hits the petrol puddle it's quite likely to start a
fire. And petrol burns rather too well.

--
Cheers
Dave.

What to do with stale petrol?
 

Alan wrote:

rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).


Odd as it sounds, it would do no harm to chuck it into a nearly full
tank of diesel. (HGV drivers often mix small/moderate quantities of
petrol into diesel to prevent waxing in very cold weather).

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

What to do with stale petrol?
 

On Sun, 10 May 2009 23:59:06 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
had this to say:

On Sun, 10 May 2009 22:16:06 +0100, Mike Barnes wrote:

But wait until you see someone walking along the pavement with a
cigarette between his lips and watch closely as he tosses the stub down
the drain :-)

A cigarette won't ignite it. :-(

I wouldn't like to bet on it or is that a :-( of experience?

Flash point for petrol is -43C above that enough vapour is released to
become a danger if enough heat is provided and air/vapour mix is right.

But baring having the right vapour mixture the spontaneous ignition
temperature of petrol is somewhere bewteen 200 and 300C, a cigarette
smoulders at about 400C. So even if the vapour doesn't go boom from the
cig butt when that hits the petrol puddle it's quite likely to start a
fire. And petrol burns rather too well.

In a GPO depot in the 60s there was a petrol-pump attendant who used
to look after an indoor petrol pump. He was a smoker and used to
extinguish his ciggies by squirting them with petrol from his pump.
He lived to retirement age...

--
Frank Erskine

What to do with stale petrol?
 

Dave Liquorice brought next idea :
But baring having the right vapour mixture the spontaneous ignition
temperature of petrol is somewhere bewteen 200 and 300C, a cigarette
smoulders at about 400C. So even if the vapour doesn't go boom from the
cig butt when that hits the petrol puddle it's quite likely to start a
fire. And petrol burns rather too well.

I could get it to ignite, I tried it several times. Take a very small
quantity of petrol (thimble full) and a lit cigarrete on the end of a
long stick. The fuel extinguishes the cigarette. I have not checked the
temperatures, but could this be a similar principle to the fire walkers
not suffering burns on the feet?

The ash on the burning coals insulating and the brief time protecting
the walkers feet from the heat - ash on the cigarette preventing
ignition?

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

What to do with stale petrol?
 

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Dave Liquorice brought next idea :
But baring having the right vapour mixture the spontaneous ignition
temperature of petrol is somewhere bewteen 200 and 300C, a cigarette
smoulders at about 400C. So even if the vapour doesn't go boom from
the cig butt when that hits the petrol puddle it's quite likely to
start a fire. And petrol burns rather too well.

I could get it to ignite, I tried it several times. Take a very small
quantity of petrol (thimble full) and a lit cigarrete on the end of a
long stick. The fuel extinguishes the cigarette. I have not checked
the temperatures, but could this be a similar principle to the fire
walkers not suffering burns on the feet?

The ash on the burning coals insulating and the brief time protecting
the walkers feet from the heat - ash on the cigarette preventing
ignition?

Entirely possible to stub out a ciggarette on your tongue without burning
it. Never done it myself, being a chicken, but a non smoking mate of mine
does it as a party piece.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

What to do with stale petrol?
 

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Alan wrote on 10/05/2009 :
I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that
kerfuffle about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the
back of the garage ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it
again and now I need to get rid of it (especially as we've got a
diesel these days). I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've
got no facilities
for handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but
it's electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol
lawnmower? If so, I can pas it on to a mate.

They say it goes stale in just a few months, but I have never had a
problem using old petrol stored for lawn mowers or in the bike which
can stand throughout winter. I suppose you could always mix it with
some fresh petrol if there are doubts.

How does petrol go 'stale' then?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

What to do with stale petrol?
 

in 201150 20090510 191120 David in Normandy wrote:
Clive wrote:
"Alan" wrote in message
et...
I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that kerfuffle
about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the back of the garage
ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it again and now I need to get
rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).
I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've got no facilities for
handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but it's
electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol lawnmower?
If so, I can pas it on to a mate.

Alan
--
email ~= s/nospam//

Pour it down the drain.



But wait until you see someone walking along the pavement with a
cigarette between his lips and watch closely as he tosses the stub down
the drain :-)

See the end of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation for a demonstration.

What to do with stale petrol?
 

Alan wrote:
I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that kerfuffle
about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the back of the garage
ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it again and now I need to get
rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).
I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've got no facilities for
handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but it's
electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol lawnmower?
If so, I can pas it on to a mate.


Yes, bit not in its pure state. Old petrol loses the volatile fractions
fastser than the less volatile, so it will have distilled itself a bit
into a less explosive mix.

But cut say 2:1 with fresh, it should be fine.

The key is how much of the can is left compared with when you parked it
up? If its say half gone, its OK, but needs more fresh. If its still
more or less all there, it will probably be fine.

I left a ride on for 2 years unstarted..it wouldn't start. A new can of
petrol on its tank leaving the old there, and it was fine.


Alan

What to do with stale petrol?
 

Tim S wrote:
Harry Bloomfield coughed up some electrons that declared:

Alan wrote on 10/05/2009 :
I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that
kerfuffle about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the back of
the garage ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it again and now I
need to get rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).
I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've got no facilities for
handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but it's
electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol
lawnmower? If so, I can pas it on to a mate.
They say it goes stale in just a few months, but I have never had a
problem using old petrol stored for lawn mowers or in the bike which
can stand throughout winter. I suppose you could always mix it with
some fresh petrol if there are doubts.


I just broke out the petrol mower that's had a tank of petrol going idle for
6 months. Worked fine. Never understood this "going stale" business...


Depends on evaporation rate from where its stored.

What to do with stale petrol?
 

Huge wrote:
On 2009-05-10, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Alan wrote on 10/05/2009 :
I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that
kerfuffle about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the
back of the garage ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it
again and now I need to get rid of it (especially as we've got a
diesel these days). I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've
got no facilities
for handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but
it's electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol
lawnmower? If so, I can pas it on to a mate.
They say it goes stale in just a few months, but I have never had a
problem using old petrol stored for lawn mowers or in the bike which
can stand throughout winter. I suppose you could always mix it with
some fresh petrol if there are doubts.
How does petrol go 'stale' then?

It doesn't. But the low boiling point fractions evaporate, which can make
it hard to start whatever it is you're using it in. But like everyone
else here, I've never had any problems with restarting the mowers in the
spring.



Its 2 years on it gets a bit hard.

Likewise 2-stroke mix left in not well sealed tanks can leave the oil
behind and gum up clunks and carbs..

What to do with stale petrol?
 

After serious thinking The Natural Philosopher wrote :
Alan wrote:
I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that kerfuffle
about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the back of the garage
ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it again and now I need to get
rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).
I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've got no facilities for
handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but it's
electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol lawnmower?
If so, I can pas it on to a mate.


Yes, bit not in its pure state. Old petrol loses the volatile fractions
fastser than the less volatile, so it will have distilled itself a bit into a
less explosive mix.

But cut say 2:1 with fresh, it should be fine.

The key is how much of the can is left compared with when you parked it up?
If its say half gone, its OK, but needs more fresh. If its still more or less
all there, it will probably be fine.

I left a ride on for 2 years unstarted..it wouldn't start. A new can of
petrol on its tank leaving the old there, and it was fine.

They do say that carbs can become gummed up with the deposits of petrol
after being stood a long time unused, but as already said, I have never
had any problem.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

What to do with stale petrol?
 

On Mon, 11 May 2009 18:48:35 +0100, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
They do say that carbs can become gummed up with the deposits of petrol
after being stood a long time unused, but as already said, I have never
had any problem.

Hmm, the carb in our 40 year old truck was full of all sorts of
crud - gooey stuff as well as deposits which had managed to escape
through the fuel filter over the years. I only discovered it was that way
after the needle valve jammed open and it started pouring fuel all over
the exhaust manifold underneath :-)

I gather it had sat for quite a while at the previous owner's place, but I
don't know if the gooey stuff was a gradual build-up or just a result of
this.

cheers

Jules

What to do with stale petrol?
 

On Mon, 11 May 2009 00:25:29 +0100, Frank Erskine wrote:

In a GPO depot in the 60s there was a petrol-pump attendant who used
to look after an indoor petrol pump. He was a smoker and used to
extinguish his ciggies by squirting them with petrol from his pump.
He lived to retirement age...

That is a little different to having poured a large quantity of petrol
into an enclosed place, leaving it for "a while" the dropping a lit
cigarette into the now nice vapour build up... The temperature and volume
of the fuel hitting the cig is enough to cool the small amount of heat
available below that required for ignition.

Mr Bloomfield's example is also some what different to the case we are
exploring. Not enough fuel to produce a high enough vapour concentration.

As a lad I used maybe a table spoon full of petrol to start a fire. It
started alright! The whole pile of wood (about 18" across and a foot high)
expanded several inches and fell back whilst the flame front had a good
attempt at removing my eye brows and hair... Source of ignition an
ordinary match after the chemical fire had finished. I have a deep respect
for petrol. Paraffin or diesel are harmless by comparison.

--
Cheers
Dave.

What to do with stale petrol?
 

On May 10, 7:54*pm, Steve Walker wrote:
On Sun, 10 May 2009 18:36:21 +0100, Alan wrote:
I bough a gallon can of lead-free petrol when there was all that kerfuffle
about fuel prices a few years ago which has sat at the back of the garage
ever since. During a clear out I unearthed it again and now I need to get
rid of it (especially as we've got a diesel these days).
I tried taking it to the council dump but - "we've got no facilities for
handling liquids guv - do you have a lawnmower?" - yes I do but it's
electric :-).

So the question is - will this old petrol be usable in a petrol lawnmower?
If so, I can pas it on to a mate.

Alan

For such a small amount, just chuck it in the petrol tank when it's three
quarters full.

And what will that do to his *diesel* car?

MBQ

What to do with stale petrol?
 

On Tue, 12 May 2009 04:17:42 -0700 (PDT), Man at B&Q wrote:

For such a small amount, just chuck it in the petrol tank when it's
three quarters full.

And what will that do to his *diesel* car?

Nothing worth worrying about.

--
Cheers
Dave.

What to do with stale petrol?
 

In uk.d-i-y, Man at B&Q wrote:
On May 10, 7:54*pm, Steve Walker wrote:

For such a small amount, just chuck it in the petrol tank when it's three
quarters full.

And what will that do to his *diesel* car?

Most diesel cars don't *have* a petrol tank.

--
Mike Barnes

What to do with stale petrol?
 

On Tue, 12 May 2009 23:17:36 +0100, Mike Barnes
had this to say:

In uk.d-i-y, Man at B&Q wrote:
On May 10, 7:54*pm, Steve Walker wrote:

For such a small amount, just chuck it in the petrol tank when it's three
quarters full.

And what will that do to his *diesel* car?

Most diesel cars don't *have* a petrol tank.

Pedant! Next you'll be saying that your telephone isn't connected via
a telegraph pole.
OK - it may not use a pole at all.... :-)

(to be extra-pedantic, telephony is generally regarded as a subset of
telegraphy). So is data such as Prestel/internet/broadband whatever
....

--
Frank Erskine

What to do with stale petrol?
 

On May 12, 11:17*pm, Mike Barnes wrote:
In uk.d-i-y, Man at B&Q wrote:

On May 10, 7:54*pm, Steve Walker wrote:

For such a small amount, just chuck it in the petrol tank when it's three
quarters full.

And what will that do to his *diesel* car?

Most diesel cars don't *have* a petrol tank.

So the advice to "just chuck it in the petrol tank" is even less
useful.

MBQ