Latest Ethanol Update

Ethanol related technical inquiries have been pouring in since the recent article and TV broadcast featuring Well-Worth FUEL FIXrx. The three most common questions are answered in the following article. Please take the time to review the following information and share it with your customers:

1) Can anything be done to save my bulk tank of phase separated gasoline?

We have been receiving calls almost daily asking if anything can be done to reverse phase separation in a bulk storage tank. The answer is definitely yes! Adding FUEL FIXrx at double the normal treatment ratio and circulating the fuel will allow it to pull back together and stay together. There are a few steps you need to advise your customer to follow. First, have them make sure the storage tank is not taking on water from a source such as a missing vent cap or a filler pipe seal problem. If so they may need to pump part of the standing water off the bottom. Next, have them add the recommended double dose of FUEL FIXrx to the phase separated tank following the proper recommended safety precaution used whenever fuel is transferred. Circulating the fuel for about an hour will bind the Ethanol to the fuel making it back into a sellable product. The cost to "FIX" the fuel is much lower than the cost to dispose of and replace the fuel. Regular tank treatment with FUEL FIXrx will keep future loads of fuel from separating.

2) What is the best way to store gasoline powered equipment?

This time of year we get request to recommend the best way to store seasonal items such as boats, personal watercraft, lawn equipment, motorcycles, ect. Before Ethanol, it was recommended that fuel have a stabilizer added and that the system be filled up to eliminate a large amount of air from transferring moisture in to the fuel. When ethanol arrived it was found that often times phase separation would still occur if fuel was topped off even after a stabilizer was added. This was due to the water that already was suspended in the fuel and the off season temperature variations. Recently we have heard recommendations given to attempt to drain the system completely. This too causes problems due to the high concentration of detergent residue left when fuel evaporates completely.

Our recommendations are as follows. Add double the normal recommended amount of FUEL FIXrx and top up the fuel system. This will effectively stop phase separation from occurring during storage and prevent residue deposits from forming. Keep in mind that FUEL FIXrx can be safely used in fuel that already has a stabilizer added.

3) Why are some fuel stations now selling Premium grade gasoline that is listed at 5% ethanol on the pump?

When fuel is stored in bulk tanks moisture from the air transfers to the Ethanol. When the concentration of moisture exceeds a certain level (based on temperature) Phase separation occurs. Because Premium fuel usually sells slower than the other grades it can spend too much time in the tank. By reducing the amount of Ethanol in the Premium grade fuel, the shelf life is extended. Please contact Mike Hall at 800-890-7935 or mhall@wellworthproducts.com for questions regarding this information.