Who says you can't run a generator on 7 year old gas?

Had an interesting morning. A big storm came through and knocked out power for a couple hours.

Not knowing how long it would be until power was restored I figured I would fire up my little Honda generator. I got it as a backup power option prior to the 2017 solar eclipse and haven't used it or gassed it up since. I might have added some stabilizer to it at some point.

The thing fired up just fine on that ~7 year old gas and allowed me to run my sump pump. I was also going to run my fridge for a bit after the water was cleared but by then the power was restored.

I have had many experiences using very old gas and never once had an issue with it. This was the oldest gas I've tried.

I'll probably fire it back up again soon and let it run so I can get some newer gas in it and maybe it'll be good for another 7 *.

* Given my need to keep a sump pump going at my new place (that's a whole 'nother story) I probably will run the generator almost any time there is a power outage so it likely won't see that age of fuel again.

Good to know!

I have a BMW R100RT motorcycle that's been sitting for 11 years...! I think I put stabil in it?? I know for sure I sprayed argon gas in the void awhile back to eliminate the O2 interface.

What I don't know is if the argon will fuse with the petrol...?

It depends on the gas - and on the local atmospheric conditions and climate.

Ethanol in gasoline, soaks up water like a sponge. I saw this in old motorcycles that unconcerned owners filled/stored with eth gas - tanks rusted out. I never ever saw such crap 20 years ago - lawn mowers, tractors, gas cans, outboard gasoline tanks...they never rusted.

Now they do.

A newer Honda generator probably has a plastic gas tank, so you're protected that way.

If the gas is straight gasoline, and the air dry and the winters mild...and the gas was quality to begin with...you should be okay. I've started and run two-year-old straight gas, several times. But I've also seen ten-year-old gas...looks like stain or varnish, and stinks.

I have a Honda generator I seldom use, but I've come up with a way to keep the gas fresh. Every couple of months, I'll pour the tank into a jug and pour that into the car or truck gas tank - and then refill, off a fresh gas can. I always keep 20 gallons of gas around, because...Bidenomics and Davos Man.

I had a neighbor who borrowed my power washer and ran dirty old AV gas in it without telling me. What a total dick move. The carb rattled itself apart which required a clean out and tighten up. It has an old Subaru motor in it, so it's hard to kill and runs fine now.

I never loan tools to anybody anymore because they always come back broken

I don't add stabilizer to my gas powered mower in the Fall when mowing season ends and it works just fine come the Spring.

I keep a 5 gallon gas can with gas to top up the mower and it generally lasts 2-3 years before I need to refill it. Mower doesn't seem to care how old the gas is.

I also have a large gas powered generator that I can hook up to the house power line should we get a nasty storm/hurricane. I do pull it out once a year at the beginning of hurricane season and run it for 10 min or so while checking the oil and such.

nickndfl said:

I had a neighbor who borrowed my power washer and ran dirty old AV gas in it without telling me. What a total dick move.

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Avgas is probably going to be 100 LL (3 grams) and zero ethanol , so I would not fault him for the choice of gas.

Casey Jones said:

It depends on the gas - and on the local atmospheric conditions and climate.

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Yep.


If one is going to buy gasoline that they think they'll have for awhile, at least buy it in the Winter. Or at least, after they've changed from the Summer blends. The Winter blend is more volatile and burns better.

pmbug said:

I don't add stabilizer to my gas powered mower in the Fall when mowing season ends and it works just fine come the Spring.

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That's been my experience, too. I've never had gas go bad.

Casey Jones said:

It depends on the gas - and on the local atmospheric conditions and climate.

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Great points. Minnesota law requires 10% ethanol in all gas sold.

My generator was stored in my unheated garages. So I would guess it was in temperatures anywhere from ~90 F to -10 F.

EricTheCat said:

Great points. Minnesota law requires 10% ethanol in all gas sold.

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I'll bet that's fun, in the land of 10,000 lakes.

One reason eth-free is so readily available here, is, outdoor recreation and powersports. Flathead Lake is a major draw; and snowmobile trails are readily available. AS WELL, we have the Smokejumper School and the Forest Service fire-fighting network. As well as a number of search-and-rescue units - Forest Service, Highway Patrol, and county.

First, the rescue groups need their equipment to START, after sitting idle, maybe in not-ideal conditions, maybe for an extended time. Second, they don't want an epidemic of weekend boaters stuck in the middle of Flathead Lake with water in the gas. And looking for a snowmobile user who's disappeared, say, over a weekend...is like looking for a needle in the haystack.

And the odds aren't good on their mortality, if they just disappear after planning an afternoon ride out to Bannack or Garnet.

So, ethanol-free is available EVERYWHERE. Our county, with 120,000 residents (most from California) have criminalized putting it into road-licensed vehicles; but it's still here. My little car gets me 45 mpg, and I don't drive that much; so I buy the off-road gas in a jerry can, go down the road, fill it up somewhere (seven gallon tank) and I've got the kind of gasoline my car was intended to have.

Not everyone can do that - one moar reason I'm staying put here. There's still some memory of freedom in Montana.

Casey Jones said:

I'll bet that's fun, in the land of 10,000 lakes.

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Minnesota government loves screwing over the people and why wouldn't they when the people are so dumb they will keep voting for more. If I didn't have family and a great job here I'd probably be living in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota.

Glad to be way off the beaten path where I am now so at least there's that.

Ethanol free Gas makes a huge difference.....stabilizers help a lot too...I have run 14yr old prepackaged chainsaw gas with no issues.....usually the problem comes from gas left in tank and carb evaporating and leaving a shelac type coating that messes up orifaces etc .......i may use old gas but i run engines dry before putting them up

Ttazzman said:

Ethanol free Gas makes a huge difference.....stabilizers help a lot too...I have run 14yr old prepackaged chainsaw gas with no issues.....usually the problem comes from gas left in tank and carb evaporating and leaving a shelac type coating that messes up orifaces etc .......i may use old gas but i run engines dry before putting them up

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Good point. No one has yet found a way to replace steel in carburetors. Or, for that matter, fuel-injection parts (although they're less exposed to oxygen).

A plastic gas tank will help with corrosion problems; and I expect (don't know, haven't owned a lawn mower in 16 years) tanks are no longer vented - are essentially sealed with a low-pressure release valve (about 5 psi or something, to prevent venting to atmosphere).

So, running the carb dry when it's put away, no matter how hard it is, is essential.

Ttazzman said:

Ethanol free Gas makes a huge difference.....

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I use that in the lawn mower. If you have a weed eater and can't get it going, use ethanol free gas and it will run great!

Now that farmers are 'in the loop' producing ethanol it's going to be difficult to remove them from the supply chain. Too much money being made.

Goldhedge said:

I use that in the lawn mower. If you have a weed eater and can't get it going, use ethanol free gas and it will run great!

Now that farmers are 'in the loop' producing ethanol it's going to be difficult to remove them from the supply chain. Too much money being made.

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Fake money.

Fiat money.

Once the dollar collapses, ethanol-in-gasoline, like those stupid windmills, like these lethal mRNA injections, like the bioweapons research...it all disappears.

EricTheCat said:

Great points. Minnesota law requires 10% ethanol in all gas sold.

My generator was stored in my unheated garages. So I would guess it was in temperatures anywhere from ~90 F to -10 F.

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I buy ethanol free gas all the time in Minnesota.

Viking said:

I buy ethanol free gas all the time in Minnesota.

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Interesting. Where do you find that? Might be worth sourcing next time I fill up the generator.

EricTheCat said:

Interesting. Where do you find that? Might be worth sourcing next time I fill up the generator.

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Used to stop at a gas station in Grand Rapids Minnesota when we had property up there. I go to one in Saint Paul now. I think they’re all over. You can buy leaded gas too for older cars “race” cars, etc.

Try: https://www.buyrealgas.com/index.html

A station that has it close to my place:

Holiday Station, 1331 Industrial Blvd NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413

Viking said:

Try: https://www.buyrealgas.com/index.html

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Thanks for the info! Found one about 30 minutes from me. A different site lists one in a nearby town so I might have a couple options.

EricTheCat said:

Interesting. Where do you find that? Might be worth sourcing next time I fill up the generator.

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around here acohol free gas is always a high octane....91 or 93 .....sometimes it will be marked on the pump but i usually just ask ......its very common here

Then there is always one genius every hurricane who runs a gas generator in his garage and kills his entire family. He also has a cousin with no eyebrows who checks the fuel level with a lit candle.