| E-10 and Winterizing Your Boat |
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| Don't Let Ethanol Give You Wintertime Blues |
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Recommendations on storing ethanol-enhanced gasoline -Seaworthy Magazine, BoatU.S.
For better or for worse, a shotgun wedding took place between boat owners and ethanol-enhanced gasoline. Everyone wore black. Now, it seems that some of the warnings of matrimonial acrimony may have been premature. The key word is some. The fiasco with deterorating fiberglass tanks has been painful for owners of many Bertrams, Hatterases, and other, typically high-end boats. BoatU.S. Techical Services has documented over 70 reports of failures, including leaking tanks and wrecked engines from boat coasts and Hawaii. In all cases, tanks had to be replaced.
But what about the widespread reports of clogged filters that boat owners on Long Island Sound experienced when ethanol was introduced there five years ago? Why are there fewer complaints of clogged filters when ethanol began arriving last spring at pumps through the rest of the country?
John McKnight at the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) speculates the answer has to do with preparation: Boat owners in 2006 were better prepared for the arrival of ethanol than boat owners on Long Island Sound were in the spring of 2004. That's not to say that boat owners in other parts of the country haven't had plenty of problems this year, but there is now a widespread consensus on how best to cope.
Another, perhaps larger test comes in winter when boat owners prepare boats for seasonal lay-up. One of the unfortunate properties of ethanol is its ability to attact and absorb water. Ethanol-enhanced gasoline can absorb roughly 10 times as much water as MTBE and still burn safely through the engine. But if ethanol becomes saturated, which can happen when it sits for long periods, the ethanol separates from the gasoline, forming two separate solutions. This is called phase separation and it's bad news for the engine. An engine won't run on the (water-soaked) ethanol solution, which sinks to the bottom of the tank and is highly corrosive.
There is no miracle fix. When MTBE becomes saturated with water, it remains bonded with the gasoline -MTBE doesn't phase separate - and a water separator can eliminate the excess moisture.
With ethanol-enhanced gasoline, however, once phase separation occurs, additives and water separators can't help; the only remedy is to have gasoline/ethanol/water pumped from the tank. The good news is that E-10 has been a fact of life in the Midwest for several years and there have been relatively few problems. Seaworthy talked to marina operators, surveyors and boat owners in the Chicago area who had the same reaction to ethanol: "It's no big deal."
How can E-10, which attacts moisture and can fall apart, be expected to survive the winter? With any fuel that will be sitting for a ling time, it's important to add stabilizer, an antioxidant, to extend the life of the fuel. (E-10 and gasoline with MTBE have the same shelf life -roughly a year). What a stabilizer won't do, however, is prevent phase separation. Several sources, including one prominent engine manufacturer, recommends running the tank down to almost empty and then adding stabilizer. The following spring, the tank can be refilled with fresh gas. Lew Gibbs, a senior engineering consultant at Chevron, worries that leaving a few gallons of gas might attract enough condensation to cause phase separation. If that were to happen, the highly corrosive ethanol/water mixture would settle to the bottom of the tank and remain there even after the fresh fuel was added in the spring.
Gibbs said his first choice would be to completely empty the tank when the boat is laid up and then refill it the following spring with fresh gasoline. No ethanol = no ethanol-related problems. Unfortunately, completely emptying a built-in tank safely is nearly impossible. His next choice, one that's more practical; is to top off the tank to 95-percent full (to allow for expansion). A tank that's almost full reduces the flow of air into and out of the vent, which reduces condenation on the tank walls. Condensation that does form will be absorbed by the gasoline. (The National Fire Protection Association requires tanks to be topped off to minimize explosive vapors).
Gibbs said the worst choice, which was confirmed by marina owners in the Midwest, is to leave the tank half-full over the winter. Jerry Metzger, the general manager of Chicago Harbor's nine marinas, said phase separation problems typically occurred when boats had been stored over the winter with tanks that were a quarter to half full. The tanks have more "lung capacity" and attract larger amounts of moisture. Boaters in the area have learned to fill the tanks before the boat is laid up.
Note, however, that phase separation can occure anytime E-10 sits for a long time. On Long Island Sound, which has been using ethanol-enhanced gasoline for the past couple of seasons, Mitch Kramer at TowBoatU.S. Oyster Bay said they haven't had any problems with their own boats, which are used every day. Kramer says the problems now on Long Island Sound seem to be with boats that are used infrequently. Perhaps because of fuel prices, some owners don't use their boats as often and are also less likely to top off their tanks. Half-empty tanks that sit for long periods are more likely to attract moisture, which causes phase-separation. The key: Use your boat! One final note: don't try to polug up the vent to prevent moist air from enterning the tank. Without room to expand, the additional pressure could rupture fuel system components.
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| BoatUS Recommends Leaving Your Boat's Gas Tank Full This Winter |
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The Problem with Ethanol Fuel: Phase Separation
ALEXANDRIA, VA, Sept. 9, 2008 -- Ethanol-laden gasoline, dubbed "E-10" for its 10% ethanol content, is now commonplace at marina fuel docks across the country. However, as winter approaches and boaters lay up their vessels for the season, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) has some recommendations to ensure that spring commissioning will go smoothly. That's because E-10 can phase separate, or form two separate solutions in the gas tank - water and fuel - over a long winter storage period. Once this happens, the engine may not run and internal damage can occur.
BoatU.S. has these recommendations for storing boats fueled with E-10 this winter:
· Top Off: For boats with built-in gas tanks, stop at the fuel dock and top off the tank before you haul out, leaving it nearly full with just a little 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 fluctuating temperatures adding condensation (water) to the fuel, inviting phase separation. Anglers who fish over the winter should also top off their boat's gasoline tanks between outings to prevent condensation. Draining built-in fuel tanks of E-10 gas, while completely eliminating any chances of phase separation, is not practical and potentially dangerous.
· Freshening doesn't work: Midwest marina owners, who have dealt with E-10 for many years, report that phase separation typically occurs when boats are stored with tanks only one-quarter to one-half full, which cannot be remedied by adding fresh gasoline in the spring. Once E-10 phase separates, the water will remain at the bottom of the tank.
· Additive issues: With any fuel that sits in a tank for a long time, it's important to add a stabilizer. But stabilizers do not prevent phase separation. Once it occurs, additives and water separators can't help. The only remedy is to have the gas and ethanol/water professionally removed from the tank.
· Fiberglass tanks beware: Ethanol is known to chemically react with many fiberglass fuel tanks, which can cause them to deteriorate and potentially fail. Unfortunately, unless your boat's manufacturer can confirm that your fiberglass tank was built to withstand ethanol, your only remedy may be to replace the tank with a non-reactive material such as aluminum.
· Let it breathe: 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.
· Portable gas tanks: Any un-mixed gas (without 2-cycle oil) remaining in portable tanks may be carefully poured into your automobile gas tank. However, if you do have to store gas over the winter in a portable tank, keep the tank out of the sun and in a well-ventilated area away from ignition sources, keeping in mind that gasoline fumes are heavier than air. Recent BoatU.S. Foundation tests of portable jerry jugs confirmed that over time, gasoline can evaporate through the walls of some plastic containers.
· The good news: Next spring when you start the boating season you will already have a tank full of last year's gas, likely saving yourself some money on a fill up.
BoatU.S. - 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.
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| Winterizing How-To Video's on YouTube! |
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Step-by-step instructional videos...
Winterizing your boat can seem pretty daunting, but when you do it once, it's like riding a bike -it gets easier. If it's your first time winterizing your boat yourself, here are a few instructional video links that can help!
From the experts and posted on YouTube:
Learn how to clean the engine and lower unit, what to do with waste water, how to clean the cabin and interior, and inspect and store your boat.
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