The Cellar - How low has your gas prices become?

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Well the owner's manual of my lawnmower has detailed instructions of how to put the mower away for the season. Running the tank dry and pumping the primer bulb repeatedly and starting the mower up until every last drop is burnt. Briggs and Stratton doesn't want old gas to sit in the carburetor, because it will gum it up.

The Straight Dope doesn't answer definitively, but says that often gas will only last a couple of months before going bad. Especially gas with ethanol in it.

Quote:

The shelf life of gasoline depends on the type of gas and the storage conditions and can range from a couple months to a couple years. One wild card is that gas you buy at the pump may already have been in storage for anywhere from days to months.

....

How to keep your fuel April fresh? First, store it only in clean containers with tight caps. Whether the containers are metal or plastic doesn't matter much, although steel can eventually rust. Fiberglass containers should be avoided unless they're rated safe for alcohol-containing fuels. Keep the container nearly full to reduce exposure to air, but not completely full, so the gasoline can expand or contract as the temperature changes. That said, try to minimize those temperature swings--store gasoline in a cool place to reduce evaporation and oxidation. Consider a gas stabilizer for fuel you plan to keep awhile, but remember stabilizers are meant to prevent gasoline from going bad; they won't restore bad gas to its former health.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urbane Guerrilla (Post 507859)

Ventura County, CA, home of the gypsy moth quarantine, cheapest gas right ATM is $1.97 -- less than half what it was this spring and summer. California's anti-smog formulation always runs between twenty and forty cents more than neighboring states' prices.

But we're not bitter. We just remember to gas up leaving Vegas.

There doesn't seem to be as much variation in gasoline quality in CA as there is in some other regions of the US. I learned not to buy cheapo gasoline in Maryland -- Homoco's 87 octane made my car run like it needed a tuneup when it didn't. Had to top it up again with something more expensive when I got to half a tank to smooth the running back out.

Must remember to fill up when we visit family in Ventura next month. $2.35 here still.

I think there is an additive you can buy to stabilize your gas for a longer period.

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt (Post 508019)

Yes, they've used those same instructions forever.
30 years ago I bought a new mower and followed those instructions rigorously. In the spring, I had a hell of a time getting it going again. That fall, I got caught off guard by an early onslaught of cold/snow and it didn't get done, but in the spring it started on the first pull. After that I just put it away and dragged it out in the spring with no problems.
But, with the newer formulations of gasoline, I'd be leery. :eyebrow:

My gas prices are so low they have to look up to look down.
My gas prices are so low they could hop under a snake while wearing a tophat.
My gas prices are so low they fucking pretended that they used all my quilt pieces and then wouldn't give them back to me when I saw them sitting right there on their kitchen table.
That's how low my gas prices are.
bitch.

I have low gas prices, right here.
Don't look at me like I don't have low gas prices.:eyebrow:

Holy shit Merc!! Oh what?!? Wooo-hoooo!

Just wait until after the Holidays when they spike up to 5. I'll be regretting this entire thread, and the price on gas.

Yeah...it's like driving along a highway that's normally clogged but today it's flowing nicely, so you say so to your passenger...and no sooner are the words out than you have to slam on the brakes.

Yeah, take pictures of those gas signs so you can look back on them wistfully.

if we truly were John Wayne motherfuckers, the rapid drop of gas prices would be cause for revolt.

nothing says "we've been all the way up inside you" like a quick pull out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 508035)

I think there is an additive you can buy to stabilize your gas for a longer period.

Correct, we put it in our boat each fall. 150 gallon Tank.

You hate the planet don't you Merc? Do you realize how uncool it is to use all that fuel simply for your own personal entertainment? No respect for the environment I tell you...

Sorry, just trying out my new persona I'll have to adopt when the new administration takes over.

BTW, I filled up at $1.89 this morning.

$1.43 this afternoon in Raytown, MO.

Somehow, we never make it to the "cheapest gas prices" news on the radio, despite the fact that we are consistently 20 cents or more cheaper than the supposed national low price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lookout123 (Post 508549)

Actually we also consider it an emergency source of fuel if prices go way up or we have to evacuate due to a storm.