# Do you guys use fuel stabilizers in the fuel?



## kercha83 (Dec 2, 2015)

Just bought a Ariens 28 Deluxe, was going for the 24 Platinum SHO or 28 Delux SHO but they ran out so I just bought one from the floor. Now do i have to run fuel stabilizers at all times due to the ethanol?


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## Josco (Jan 28, 2015)

Congrats on your new Ariens 28, it's a great machine! I use 89 octane in all my power equipment and add fuel stabilizer to my gas on the recommendation of my power equipt. dealer.


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## tuffnell (Dec 1, 2011)

You will find that most participants of this forum advocate the use of a fuel stabilizer when using ethanol gas; or buy premium gas that doesn't have ethanol in it and don't worry about the stabilizer.


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## CO Snow (Dec 8, 2011)

Or use any fuel without ethanol (regular or premium). Check this out to see if there is a source near you:

Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

tuffnell said:


> or buy premium gas that doesn't have ethanol in it and don't worry about the stabilizer.


 ^^^This is a Canada-only thing. Not true for the USA.


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

Kercha, if you have access to ethanol-free gasoline, buy it. If not, treat with Stabil Marine formula or some equivalent product.


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## TheHolyCannoli (Nov 19, 2013)

uberT said:


> treat with Stabil Marine formula or some equivalent product.


This^....don't bother with the red Sta-Bil. I don't remember off the top of my head where the article is, but apparently there is testing that shows the red Stabil to be significantly inferior to the blue "marine" version.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Originally Posted by *tuffnell*  

or buy premium gas that doesn't have ethanol in it and don't worry about the stabilizer.



uberT said:


> ^^^This is a Canada-only thing. Not true for the USA.



Canada only ?? I have a Quick Trip that sells premium without ethanol but the regular and mid grades have it.

Fleet farm sells a mid grade without ethanol but the reg and premium have it.

It varies quite a bit.

I still add some Marine stabil to my gas each purchase as I know there are times I forget to drain a mower, blower or whatever and IMHO it's just cheap insurance.
I also toss in a bit of Lucas fuel injector cleaner once in a while too. Sea foam works too if you have it on hand.


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

The vast majority of gas stations in the USA have ethanol blended with the gasoline, all grades.


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## guilateen02 (Nov 23, 2014)

I run a blend of sea foam and star tron. I kid you not Ive had the same fuel in my generator for close to two years. Still starts and runs smoothly. Don't skimp out on stabilizer these ethanol blends really don't last long. Especially when you get into winter blend fuels.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

I always treat my OPE Gasoline.with Marine Stabil or Star Tron, w/ a little Seafoam added. 
Ethanol gas is terrible.


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## yarcraftman (Jan 30, 2014)

Last year I bought some ethanol free fuel for boats and classic cars. Long story short it went bad and was 6 months plus old when I bought it. Word of caution is that those pumps do not turn over the inventory quickly since they do not sell s lot of it 

I had enough so now I just buy tru fuel and forget it. Yes it's more money but a lot less hassle and worry. I just use it for everything now and knock on wood no issues. If it can last two years after the can is opened I will for sure Burn it up in that time.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

I buy non-alcohol gas and add an ounce of Seafoam per gallon in the gas can. I've been using this for some time and had good results with it.

In fact, last spring this was the combo I had in the blowers when ready to store them. Shut off the gas-line valve and ran the carbs dry last spring. I fired both blowers up the other week without doing anything other than turning on the gas valve and they fired right up.


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## kwk11 (Oct 9, 2015)

I use Shell V-Power ethanol free 91 octane with Sta-bil in the snow blower, lawn mower, and Stihl 2 stroke trimmer.


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

Ethanol-free gasoline (_5min from our new house_) and a dose of SeaFoam...and try to use up the fuel in 30-days. 

...the only time that I can recall feeling joy at a fuel station


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

Yeah, I'd be all over that if I had access


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

*Nope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*


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## Snowhawg (Feb 20, 2015)

Not a darn thing wrong with the regular red Stabil, and anyone who says so is out-dated or ill-informed. The formula was improved several years ago and works as well as anything else with ethanol. If you have the option to buy ethanol free at any affordable price, do it. Otherwise a does of any fuel stabilizer on each fill-up will keep you running trouble free with no worries. I treat all my outdoor power equipment with regular Stabil year round and have not had one fuel related problem or gummy carb in the decade I've been using the product. Lots of great brands and options out there and they all work.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

if you are buying non ethanol gas from a pump with the other grades of gas having ethanol you are getting ethanol in your gas which is left in the line from the last guy that got gas at the pump which probably wasn't ethanol free, there is always some gas in the line from the previous purchaser


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## Loco-diablo (Feb 12, 2015)

No. I only use stabilizer when storing. I use regular unleaded 87 ethanol blend as I can't get non ethanol fuel in my area. I tried using super unleaded 93 once, but the machine started loud popping on shutdown and I didn't see any benefit from the super, so I now use only regular.
As I mentioned in another post, I only get like 2 gallons at a time. Every month I dump whats left in the can into one of my vehicles, then go replenish the can with fresh gas.


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## kercha83 (Dec 2, 2015)

I went to this gas station right behind my house and saw this, is the 87 octane on the left ethanol free?


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## Dragonsm (Nov 24, 2015)

I would say yes, the more expensive 87 does not contain ethanol. 

You can confirm by just going inside and asking the manager.

Fuel containing ethanol needs to be labeled as such....(I found a site that says Iowa needs to label for 1% or higher)

Steve


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

detdrbuzzard said:


> if you are buying non ethanol gas from a pump with the other grades of gas having ethanol you are getting ethanol in your gas which is left in the line from the last guy that got gas at the pump which probably wasn't ethanol free, there is always some gas in the line from the previous purchaser


Good point! I put the 1st gallon in my truck...which is ALWAYS thirsty


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## nervous (Nov 15, 2015)

I also always use stabilizer but that is because I don't go through a can of fuel that quickly so it's an attempt to lengthen it's life a bit. Never had a problem. I find myself using the Briggs & Stratton version the last couple years. Used StaBil prior. All fine for regular use and storage mower and blower.

I am reading from this thread that the higher octane fuels are no issue in the typical relatively simplistic, low compression engines on these machines? I never buy more octane than I need in anything because there no good reason. Except in this case the non-ethanol component seems to trump the octane rating.


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## peterk (Apr 30, 2014)

No, I just use the pump gas with ethanol. I don't let it sit there for more than a year or so. If I need to put a needle kit in that is fine with me. A good opportunity to clean the bowl. None of these machines need to go to space.... And return.


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## guilateen02 (Nov 23, 2014)

peterk said:


> No, I just use the pump gas with ethanol. I don't let it sit there for more than a year or so. If I need to put a needle kit in that is fine with me. A good opportunity to clean the bowl. None of these machines need to go to space.... And return.


 Yes but alot of us on here are small engine junkies and own multiple machines. I would rather be doing mods than cleaning carbs. Besides a simple bowl drain is if your lucky.


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

I do the same thing.



guilateen02 said:


> I run a blend of sea foam and star tron. I kid you not Ive had the same fuel in my generator for close to two years. Still starts and runs smoothly. Don't skimp out on stabilizer these ethanol blends really don't last long. Especially when you get into winter blend fuels.


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## LouC (Dec 5, 2016)

I only recently found a source of non ethanol gas local to me thanks to this forum, so after I burn through all my e10 gas I am going to switch over to all non ethanol gas for my small engines. I store up quite a bit starting during hurricane season and then for the winter in case of an ice storm (generator) then if I don't use it I dump it in the boat for the spring since its less than a year old and stabilized. So I think I'll continue with regular stabil but switch to E0 for all my small engines (all 9 of em).


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## Ferret (Oct 4, 2016)

Over many years I've maintained all types of gasoline engines. Gasoline goes bad no matter the formulation. Take a look at any TV program that deals with old/classic vehicles, One of the first things they will do in trying to start them is add a new fuel source. These are vehicles that have never seen ethanol fuel. Rule of thumb for me is, add stabilizer to the gas can before I fill it with gas. I have a piece of painters tape on the side of the container that I write the date and type of stabilizer that I added to the fuel (some stabilizers are good for 90 days and others for 1 year. I do this to all my containers. Then use the oldest date first. When I run out of room to write a new date on the container, I rip off the old tape and add new tape.


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## Voniphone (Nov 8, 2015)

detdrbuzzard said:


> if you are buying non ethanol gas from a pump with the other grades of gas having ethanol you are getting ethanol in your gas which is left in the line from the last guy that got gas at the pump which probably wasn't ethanol free, there is always some gas in the line from the previous purchaser


Just put a gallon in your car first then fill your can. That should do the trick.


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## farmer52 (Dec 27, 2020)

All the ethanol free gas pumps I see use a separate dispenser/hose. So there will be no "carryover". As for the fuels containing ethanol, there will be carryover since most use a single dispenser/hose for all grades. Again, all the ethanol free gas pumps I see are separate and use a red dispenser.


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

Voniphone said:


> Just put a gallon in your car first then fill your can. That should do the trick.


same here, it's a 40 mile drive each way to get the nearest good stuff, the station pumps all 3 grades from the same pumps 91 octane being efree, so i make sure the car has a 1/4 or less when i leave, top the car off first than fill my 3 pre stabil 360 added to the cans cans, 

funny part is the car i use as a run around is a 2017 elantra going up the mpg read out will average roughly 27 highway after a few miles going home i can see it read near 45 doing the same 65 to 70 mph , next fill up near home, miles driven divided by gallon to fill show 42 to 43, next local fill up with E10 i'm back down to the upper 20's


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

kercha83 said:


> Just bought a Ariens 28 Deluxe, was going for the 24 Platinum SHO or 28 Delux SHO but they ran out so I just bought one from the floor. Now do i have to run fuel stabilizers at all times due to the ethanol?


yes, in the wintertime but i use my gas fast enough in the summer to not need it.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I always add 2oz of Stabil and 2 oz of SeaFoam in all my 5 gallon gas cans.

Never have an issue with any of my equipment, starts all the time and runs great. I do periodically fire up and run all my equipment, as it is not good to let any equipment just sit there, as equipment is meant to be run and operated.


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## WVguy (Nov 24, 2018)

yarcraftman said:


> I had enough so now I just buy tru fuel and forget it. Yes it's more money but a lot less hassle and worry.


That's what I'm doing this year as an experiment, so far no issues. Even the high octane gas here has alcohol in it - I tested it - so yes it varies by area. We don't usually get all that much snow that I'm going to be using more than two gallons at the most, usually less, so cost is not an issue for me. Certainly less hassle than having to take apart the carburetor in a cold garage while the snow piles up outside. Hey, at least I HAVE a garage!

At the moment we're forecast for between 6" and a foot of snow tomorrow into Monday. Last snowfall the Trufuel worked fine. That one was the heavy wet "heart attack" type snow, I did my driveway and three of the neighbors and used less than a full tank. This next snowfall will probably be from light & fluffy to heavy wet to rain and back again.


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## Scuba_Steve (Oct 26, 2016)

The nearest place to get Ethanol-free gas is a 45 minute drive for me, so I buy TruFuel (at Lowes)...and also put in Sea Foam, for longer-term stabilization. I also start it every two months. Perhaps overkill, but when I needed to use it today, for the first time in probably two years, it started on the second pull.


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

Sea foam is not a genuine fuel stabilzer. It claims to stablize, but it's not made for that purpose.


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## jrb737 (Jan 14, 2021)

I started using this from Chevron Techron a couple years ago in my snow blower, atv and side by side. Works great and claims to keep the fuel good for up to 24 months. I personally wouldn't test that 24 month theory though 



https://www.walmart.com/ip/Techron-Protection-Plus-Powersports-and-Small-Engine-Fuel-System-Treatment-4oz/533197644


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## Blizzard (Jan 14, 2015)

detdrbuzzard said:


> if you are buying non ethanol gas from a pump with the other grades of gas having ethanol you are getting ethanol in your gas which is left in the line from the last guy that got gas at the pump which probably wasn't ethanol free, there is always some gas in the line from the previous purchaser


I get my ethanol free gas at quick trip, they have separate nozzles for each grade of gas. I also add Stabil to the can prior to filling it. I have never had issues with bad gas.


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## TooTall999 (Nov 19, 2015)

I only use ethanol free gas and don't need stabliizers. Adding stabilizers to ethanol free gas is a waste of money.


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

No it is not. Even ethanol free gas starts to break down in as little as 30 days. It still needs to be stabilized.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

TooTall999 said:


> I only use ethanol free gas and don't need stabliizers. Adding stabilizers to ethanol free gas is a waste of money.


Actually you do need stabilizer for Ethanol Free gas, it goes stale just as fast as E10 does.
The Stabilizer is to slow down the 'Oxidation' or going 'Stale' of the gasoline, it does nothing for the Ethanol, and Ethanol stays fresh much longer than gasoline does because it is 1 chemical, not a dozen different ones that make up gasoline. Some of the chemicals either break down or evaporate from the gasoline chemical mixtures, your stabilizers just help to slow the process of that.
I am NOT a fan of Ethanol laced gasoline, but have learned to live with it prepare for its usage accordingly so I don't have problems with it.


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

good point bob

if it didn't break down why do the company's canning it for the box stores as OPE fuel pre stabilize it. 

tightly sealed cans with stabilizer alone with only what your going to burn in a short time in storage , storing machines for long periods as per the owners manual stops a lot of issues down the road,

better yet treat the machines motor as if it it was a boat motor,


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## Glend123 (Jan 29, 2021)

I use non-ethanol premium and stabil in all my small engines. It's a 20 mile drive to the nearest station that carries it but i fill up (2) 5 gal cans.


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

I never use stabilizer. Seems like I don't need it.This was the same as every year. I had shut off the fuel and run the carb out using the choke to get it all. I opened the same gas can as last year, filled he tank, primed and it started first pull, just as always. 
I keep 15 gallons in the shed for my generator and re-stock every few years. The Generator is a Yamaha Inverter and I drain the carb and seal the tank. It always starts too. My mower, however, it a 25 year old Craftsman and it always starts too.


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## foggysail (Feb 21, 2015)

I do not use fuel additives for my snowblower, lawnmower or my boat's engines. So far things are fine.


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

Glend123 said:


> I use non-ethanol premium and stabil in all my small engines. It's a 20 mile drive to the nearest station that carries it but i fill up (2) 5 gal cans.


20 i wish, it's 40 each way for me. still way better than handing the ope shop $90.00 for a 5 gallon pail of 91 pre stabilized octane 
yesterday it was $3.279 a gallon for 91 when i made the run for 10 gallons so $3.279 x 5 = $16.40 ver $90.00


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## deezlfan (Nov 8, 2017)

I've never seen solid proof that it works and don't spend my money on stabilizers. Fresh fuel is my game plan. I gather all my old fuel and feed it to an old flathead lawnmower in spring. However, I sell it all day long at work, so carry on with whatever works for you.


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## TooTall999 (Nov 19, 2015)

ST1100A said:


> Actually you do need stabilizer for Ethanol Free gas, it goes stale just as fast as E10 does.
> The Stabilizer is to slow down the 'Oxidation' or going 'Stale' of the gasoline, it does nothing for the Ethanol, and Ethanol stays fresh much longer than gasoline does because it is 1 chemical, not a dozen different ones that make up gasoline. Some of the chemicals either break down or evaporate from the gasoline chemical mixtures, your stabilizers just help to slow the process of that.
> I am NOT a fan of Ethanol laced gasoline, but have learned to live with it prepare for its usage accordingly so I don't have problems with it.


I don't keep my gas for more than 4-6 weeks. If it sits much over a month I dump it in my truck and get fresh gas in the 5 gallon can. So stabilizer is a waste of money.


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## Glend123 (Jan 29, 2021)

captchas said:


> 20 i wish, it's 40 each way for me. still way better than handing the ope shop $90.00 for a 5 gallon pail of 91 pre stabilized octane
> yesterday it was $3.279 a gallon for 91 when i made the run for 10 gallons so $3.279 x 5 = $16.40 ver $90.00


Yea, 40 would be pushing it, but I try to do something else in the area so I'm not driving all that way just for gas. maybe it's just breakfast or lunch at a place I normally wouldn't go to.


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## Rooskie (Feb 12, 2015)

Glend123 said:


> I use non-ethanol premium and stabil in all my small engines. It's a 20 mile drive to the nearest station that carries it but i fill up (2) 5 gal cans.


You are aware that the 4th ingredient in Stabil 360 is -gasp!- an ethanol.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Rooskie said:


> You are aware that the 4th ingredient in Stabil 360 is -gasp!- an ethanol.


Yes, it is a very powerful solvent. People don't realize when they add 'Sea-Foam' to Non Ethanol gasoline how much alcohol they are adding to their fuel.
The main ingredient in most stabilizers is Naptha. Star-Tron is Naptha with no alcohols. The Stabil 360 has the ethanol as a cleaning solvent because it is used not only as a stabilizer, but also as a cleaner. The regular Stabil doesn't have the Ethanol in it.


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## TX610 (Jan 15, 2021)

kercha83 said:


> Just bought a Ariens 28 Deluxe, was going for the 24 Platinum SHO or 28 Delux SHO but they ran out so I just bought one from the floor. Now do i have to run fuel stabilizers at all times due to the ethanol?


When storing I shut fuel off while running until it dies then drain fuel out of tank. Reason is the Ethanol in the gas absorbs moisture. This works best for me.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

I have used things but stopped a while back.

I use typical regular gas with I think 10% ethanol and drain the carb before storing.

Strange thing is the blower sat for two years and the gas still worked and smelled ok. It then sat another year at which point I drained the tank and put fresh stuff in because I didn't want to push my luck. What I drained out seemed ok but did look darker yellow than normal. It still didn't smell like bad gas though which is really odd.

I store the machine in a heated and dry crawl space.


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## Arcticnorth (Nov 27, 2020)

GoBlowSnow said:


> No it is not. Even ethanol free gas starts to break down in as little as 30 days. It still needs to be stabilized.


That is exactly what my Honda dealer told me today. Gas is not what it used to be. 
Some time ago they (my dealer) had gasoline analyzed for ethanol, and the amount varied a lot. Some of the E5 gas (5% ethanol) actually contained as much as 25% ! So they highly recommended stabilizer in the fuel, as Honda says their engines can use fuel with max. 10% ethanol.
There is one station in my area that sells 98 Octane with zero ethanol, but my dealer did not recommend using it because the station sell so little of it that it is already too old straight from the pump. They had several reports of people having trouble using it.


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## Small engine_user (Nov 14, 2020)

I don't really use fuel stabilizers in any of my gas cans or in my machine. When winter goes away I drain the gas from my snowblower and either drain it into a gas can or just put it into my mower for the summer. I've never had a problem with this because the gas is always being used.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I always add 2oz of Stabil and 2 oz of SeaFoam in all my 5 gallon gas cans.

Never have an issue with any of my equipment, starts all the time and runs great. I do periodically fire up and run all my equipment, as it is not good to let any equipment just sit there, as equipment is meant to be run and operated. 

I never run it dry or empty the tanks .... Been doing this all my life, and intend on doing it for the rest of same ...


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

93 octane with Seafoam. I used to add in the Startron, but I stopped using it about 2 years ago. I do not take any of my time to look for non ethanol fuel. Sort of foolish to me. It really does not stay around all that long to worry about the gas getting old. Adding the Seafoam protects the gas for up to two years where it will never last that long anyway, plus I believe it does clean out the fuel system and keeps it cleaner.


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