Gas Choice

My small engines get E0 gas.
I don't use a stabilizer but I will run a bit of 2-stroke gas / oil mix in them before storing them to keep the gaskets from drying out. And the 2-stroke oil has stabilizers in it.

We have had ethanol gas around here for decades so that is all I have used in everything I have owned. Never had an issue or had to take a carburetor apart to clean. I do use stabilizers in the off season and buy top tier gas.

Bumpyroad wrote:
I think a lot has to do with the alcohol sucking up moisture.
bumpy

It has more to do with parts wearing out and mechanics looking for an easy scape-goat explanation for the owners. In many cases, they don't KNOW that ethonal really is a factor, much less the root cause.

Now, having said that, if you are using ethanol fuel in an engine not designed for it, it can attack rubber gaskets and corrode metal parts. That does NOT happen if the engine was designed for it.
South America has been using E90-100 for over 20 years now.

The second complication of E-10 is a tendency to precipitate "gum" quicker when left to just sit idle. With pure gas you can get away with abusing your equipment by letting it sit in storage with no preparation or attention. Ethanol makes it more important to use a stabilizer for short term storage and to drain OUT the fuel before subsequent use if it just sits unused for more than a year.

I can't find ethanol free in my area. I use regular gas and Startron ethanol blocker additive.

free radical wrote:
Here in Ontario gasoline doesnt contain ethanol..

What in the world are you talking about? :h "Regular" grade gas here in Ontario is 10% ethanol, so-called mid-grade is 5%, premium at only some outlets, most notably Shell & Esso contain no ethanol, while premium at other outlets does. 10% works just fine in our vehicles which we drive each day but I use nothing but premium non-ethanol in small gas engines such as generators, the additional cost being insignificant considering the small amount involved.

I think it comes down to the amount of usage, and availability of non-ethanol. If you use the generator enough the cost is a concern, you go through the gas quick enough to not be a problem. If the fuel will sit for 2-3 months I'd run non-ethanol if available. If not available I'd use a stabilizer.

I'm lucky that non-ethanol is easy to find around here. I run it in my boat and lawn equipment. It may add $150-200 (boat) a year to my fuel bill, but if it saves a carb getting clogged on my 2stroke outboard and burning the engine up it will more than pay for the added fuel costs.

I don't. When I fill my onboard Onan, it gets a full tank with Lucas Fuel Stabilizer. Never had a problem.

All my lawn maintenance equipment that sits for extended periods of time get a full tank with Sta-Bil whenever I put them up for storage. For example, my aerators (Honda and B&S engines) get a full tank of fuel and Sta-Bil in early November. They typically sit until the following September (10 months). They crank after 2-3 pulls almost every time. Never had a carb problem as well.

use premium, with ethanol and I add seafoam. never have had an issue. even with the honda generator, weedeater, blower, chain saw. many sit for months between use. No nearby locals sources for non ethanol so I don't bother.

Here in Ontario gasoline doesnt contain ethanol..
In Alberta it does and Ive never had any isuess when I used it..

I run 10% ethanol in all of my gasoline engines------------Pure Gas isn't worth the additional cost. Proper maintenance is essential for all engines.
Correction, I forgot that my home generator runs on Natural Gas with Gasoline as a backup.