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From: Mitchell McKinnon <mckinnon_at_iinet.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] Old White Stove Fuel
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 07:37:46 -0700
I know gas goes bad (or so says my lawn mower).  What about white gas
stove fuel (ye old Coleman fuel)?  I've got at least half a gallon of
two year old fuel (maybe three) that's been sealed in 1 liter fuel
bottles in my garage since it was purchased.  I'm off for a week of
remote travel where new fuel (and new stoves) won't be available.  The
safe thing would be to get new fuel, but what does one do with the old
stuff?

Thoughts?

Mitch McKinnon

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From: Jim Farrelly <JFarrelly5_at_comcast.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Old White Stove Fuel
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 18:26:32 -0400
Mitchell McKinnon wrote:

>  The
>safe thing would be to get new fuel, but what does one do with the old
>stuff?
>
>Thoughts?
>
>Mitch McKinnon
>
>
>
>  
>
Oh man the fun that can be had with explosives!  Too bad my attorneys 
have advised me not to give you any ideas...

Jim
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From: Dave Kruger <kdruger_at_pacifier.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Old White Stove Fuel
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 15:35:36 -0700
Mitch, I can not trace down that old wives tale.  From personal experience, I 
believe it is bogus.  In fact, just last night I ran a stove full of white 
gas that had been sitting in my garage for 4 years!

It may have been true in the bad old days of poorly refined gasoline, but it 
is not true for Coleman fuel, out here in Astoria.  YMMV.

--
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mitchell McKinnon" <mckinnon_at_iinet.com>

>I know gas goes bad (or so says my lawn mower).  What about white gas
> stove fuel (ye old Coleman fuel)?  I've got at least half a gallon of
> two year old fuel (maybe three) that's been sealed in 1 liter fuel
> bottles in my garage since it was purchased.  I'm off for a week of
> remote travel where new fuel (and new stoves) won't be available.  The
> safe thing would be to get new fuel, but what does one do with the old
> stuff? 
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From: tnksng <tnksng_at_qwest.net>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Old White Stove Fuel
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 18:26:55 -0600
Mitch, I believe that white gas is unleaded without all the additives. You
could use a gallon in your newer car engine that uses unleaded without ill
effect, except to your pocket book. It would get sort of expensive to fill
your tank with Coleman, though at the current pump price, it would not hurt
as much as it use to. This is still an easy method of disposal though!

White gas is just unleaded without any additives. It is the additives that
form a residue as the fuel out gasses from setting around. Without the
additives the gas would have to totally evaporate in order to find much
residue. Probably the amount of residue would have to build up from allowing
a number of tanks to evaporate before the residue would be noticeable. That
would probably be why Coleman still recommends using their fuel in their
stove.

The worse thing though would be to go on your trip, and for the price of a
few gallons of gas have a stove get stubborn on you and not want to work.
Also if you are flying to your destination, I don't think you want to be
carrying gas on the airplane, something about homeland defense. Buy it
there, at the local Wal-Mart and get the Coleman original.  If worse comes
to worse, you can use unleaded auto fuel though there are other additives
that will affect the odor of the flame, and may give off noxious exhaust!

Tinkerntom

Mitch, I can not trace down that old wives tale.  From personal experience,
I
believe it is bogus.  In fact, just last night I ran a stove full of white
gas that had been sitting in my garage for 4 years!

It may have been true in the bad old days of poorly refined gasoline, but it
is not true for Coleman fuel, out here in Astoria.  YMMV.

--
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mitchell McKinnon" <mckinnon_at_iinet.com>

>I know gas goes bad (or so says my lawn mower).  What about white gas
> stove fuel (ye old Coleman fuel)?  I've got at least half a gallon of
> two year old fuel (maybe three) that's been sealed in 1 liter fuel
> bottles in my garage since it was purchased.  I'm off for a week of
> remote travel where new fuel (and new stoves) won't be available.  The
> safe thing would be to get new fuel, but what does one do with the old
> stuff?
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From: Carey Parks <cparks_at_fuse.net>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Old White Stove Fuel
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 21:16:01 -0400
>Mitch, I believe that white gas is unleaded without all the additives...
>Tinkerntom

Mitch, he's right. Here's more than you'd ever want to know about white
gas...

http://www.logicsouth.com/~lcoble/dir9/whitegas.txt

Cheers,

Carey
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From: Bruce Grubbs <mail_at_brucegrubbs.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Old White Stove Fuel
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 20:57:52 -0700
As a pilot, I might point out that it was illegal to carry white gas (or empty 
gas containers, even) on either airline or charter flights long before 
September 11. Gasoline is classed as a hazardous material (along with many 
other things you don't want in the cargo hold!) and comes under the hazmat 
regs.

One approach to to buy stove fuel at your destination...

Bruce
Flagstaff, AZ
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From: Michael Jackson <mhj_at_smus.ca>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Old White Stove Fuel
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 21:34:52 -0700
[Moderator's Note: Content unaltered. Excessive quoting (including  
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have been removed. Please edit quoted material in addition to removing 
header/trailers when replying to posts.]

In 2 stroke lawn mowers, the main problem was that it was an oil/gasoline 
mix that would go "bad". This is not an issue with 4 stroke motors.... and 
probably not with white gas.
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From: Tord Eriksson <tord_at_tord.nu>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Old White Stove Fuel
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2005 08:31:31 +0200
On Tuesday 26 April 2005 16.37, you wrote:
> I know gas goes bad (or so says my lawn mower).  What about white gas
> stove fuel (ye old Coleman fuel)?  I've got at least half a gallon of
> two year old fuel (maybe three) that's been sealed in 1 liter fuel
> bottles in my garage since it was purchased.  I'm off for a week of
> remote travel where new fuel (and new stoves) won't be available.  The
> safe thing would be to get new fuel, but what does one do with the old
> stuff?
>
> Thoughts?

Coleman fuel stays for ever the same! I would have no worries at all!

But if you want to feel safe, test use your stove to see that it works,
as the risk that the stove malfunctions is greater (if it been some time
since you used it)!


Tord
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From: <cholst_at_bitstream.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Old White Stove Fuel
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2005 12:19:21 -0500 (CDT)
I think Coleman fuel is naphtha, not gasoline, white or otherwise, so I
doubt the same precautions about storage would apply. Certainly, I have
had no problems with old Coleman fuel.

Chuck Holst
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From: Robert Livingston & Pam Martin <bearboat2_at_comcast.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Old White Stove Fuel
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 17:01:55 -0700
I have no idea if this is bad for your car, but I have put it in the my
car's gas tank and as far as I know nothing bad happened to the car.

I was prompted to do this by the fact that I had extra gas at the end of a
kayak trip and I was not sure that I had enough gas to get from the put in
to the nearest gas station.

Perhaps those who know more about combustion engines will pipe up about the
advisability of this. I don't know much about them, which is why I kayak.
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From: Joyce Family <tfj4_at_comcast.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Old White Stove Fuel
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 06:02:35 -0500
FWIW,  I've used Coleman white gas at least that old that's been stored
either in the original gallon container or in fuel bottles, including over
the subzero winter.  In terms of disposal, either call local waste disposal
authorities or see if Boy Scout troops might want to take it off your hands.

Tom

Mitch wrote:


> I know gas goes bad (or so says my lawn mower).  What about white gas
> stove fuel (ye old Coleman fuel)?  I've got at least half a gallon of
> two year old fuel (maybe three) that's been sealed in 1 liter fuel
> bottles in my garage since it was purchased.  I'm off for a week of
> remote travel where new fuel (and new stoves) won't be available.  The
> safe thing would be to get new fuel, but what does one do with the old
> stuff?
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From: Gary J. MacDonald <garyj_at_rogers.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Old White Stove Fuel
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 07:32:53 -0400
Joyce Family wrote:

>FWIW,  I've used Coleman white gas at least that old that's been stored
>either in the original gallon container or in fuel bottles, including over
>the subzero winter.  In terms of disposal, either call local waste disposal
>authorities or see if Boy Scout troops might want to take it off your hands.
>  
>
I think the problems used to come about in the old days when general 
stores used to have a 45-gal drum, or even a 200 gal tank of bulk 
naptha.  Over time there would be condensation and etc etc and the 
bottom of the tank could get a bit crappy.  Otherwise I don't think 
there is any real problem today with the refined grade of fuel we buy in 
cans, and store in small quantities.

GaryJ

-- 
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