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Chuck Gould

Press Contact: Scott Croft, 703-461-2864,
Date: October 18, 2007

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT E-10 ETHANOL FUEL

AND WINTER BOAT LAYUP

Last year recreational boaters in most parts of the country were
introduced to gasoline containing higher concentrations of ethanol, a
corn-based additive that replaced a known carcinogen, MTBE. The new
fuel, dubbed "E-10" for its 10% ethanol content, unfortunately has the
ability to attract greater amounts of water and "phase separate," or
form two separate solutions in the gas tank, usually over a long
period of time. Once this happens, the engine may not run and internal
damage can occur.

With the lengthy winter lay up period again upon us, many boaters and
anglers are asking how they can avoid winter fuel problems. BoatUS has
these recommendations, some of which were gleaned from midwestern
marina owners where E-10 has been in use for over a decade:

The best practical recommendation is to continue to top off a boat's
fuel tanks to about 95% full, leaving 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 condensation adding water to the fuel. Anglers
who fish over the winter should also top off their boat's gasoline
tanks between outings to prevent condensation.

Note that some mechanics mistakenly advise that leaving a tank
partially filled allows you to "freshen" the old fuel by topping off
the tank in the spring. Leaving a tank partially filled with E-10
invites phase separation, which cannot be remedied by adding fresh
gasoline. Once E-10 phase separates, the water will remain at the
bottom of the tank. Midwest marina owners report that phase separation
typically occurs when boats were stored with tanks only one-quarter to
one-half full.
Draining fuel tanks of E-10 gas, while completely eliminating any
chances of phase separation, is potentially dangerous and not
recommended.
Once phase separation occurs in E-10 gasoline, additives and water
separators can't help. The only remedy is to have the gas and ethanol/
water professionally removed from the tank.
Ethanol is known to chemically react with fiberglass fuel tanks, which
can cause them to deteriorate and potentially fail. This is most
common with tanks built before the mid-1980s. Unless your boat's
manufacturer can confirm that your tank was built to withstand
ethanol, the only remedy is to not use E-10 gas (which may not be
possible) or to replace the tank with a non-reactive material such as
aluminum.
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.
With any fuel that sits in a tank for a long time, it's important to
add a stabilizer. But understand that stabilizers do not prevent phase
separation.
BoatUS - 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 www.BoatUS.com or call 800-395-2628.

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