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Getting condensation out of gas Getting condensation out of gas
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  #1  
Old 31 Jan 2013
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Getting condensation out of gas
So water in the gas sucks...especially when your riding in January in K-Stan using cheap gas (probably all the reasons above that it sucks are also the reasons for the water in the gas!). Anyway, lacking access to Heat or something like it, I found that the local Apteka (pharmacy) caries "medical alcohol." I got an odd look from my boss when I asked where I could buy pure alcohol but after I explained why she said to go to the pharmacy and ask for "medicinus spiritus."

Put it in the tank...problem appears to be solved!

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Old 1 Feb 2013
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Great find
Isopropyl alcohol is commonly used in automotive fuel driers because it makes water soluble with the fuel. Make sure it is pure isopropyl and not rubbing alcohol which is already cut with water.

It's quite different from Methyl Hydrate which merely mixes with the water, leaving it separate from the fuel in the bottom of the tank. Not a problem if all you need to do is keep the water from freezing, but if there is enough of this mixture in the tank there could be a drive ability issue.
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Old 1 Feb 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DRRambler View Post
Great find
Isopropyl alcohol is commonly used in automotive fuel driers because it makes water soluble with the fuel. Make sure it is pure isopropyl and not rubbing alcohol which is already cut with water.

It's quite different from Methyl Hydrate which merely mixes with the water, leaving it separate from the fuel in the bottom of the tank. Not a problem if all you need to do is keep the water from freezing, but if there is enough of this mixture in the tank there could be a drive ability issue.
Yeah, I though it was isopropyl or some ethyl based alcohol used in products like Heat and other fuel driers, so figured it was worth a shot. This stuff says 95% Ethyl Spirits, so I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it worked great. Night and day difference after adding it and running long enough to flush the fuel lines and fuel bowl. I asked for 100% at the pharmacy and this is what they handed me. Figured 5% of something else was hopefully small enough that it could still absorb the water. I'm debating running the gas all the way out in the hopes of getting rid of anything in the bottom of the tank, or topping off with good, read Gazprom, gas and just diluting whatever's in the tank.
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Old 10 Feb 2013
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Plain old methylated spirits will do the job as well. Common fix where fuel is stored in drums.
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Old 22 Feb 2013
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Originally Posted by RogerM View Post
Plain old methylated spirits will do the job as well.
I'd heard this a few times in the past but never tried it in a fuel tank.
One day I filled a couple of glass jam jars, one with diesel one with petrol & put a small drop of water in both (goes to the bottom), added a bit of Meths & nothing happened, shook it & the water droplet broke into many small ones but the next day the water was still there, added lots of Meths & shook again, same results the water droplets didn't disappear so I just left them sitting, I don't remember how long but eventually I decided Meths wasn't going to do anything to the water.

Now I'm not saying this means it doesn't work in other situations but I don't see how what I tried is much different to a fuel tank or drum with water in it.
Maybe I didn't have the correct Methylated spirit? Maybe the water/fuel ratio was too high?
It's a really easy thing to try if you don't believe me, in fact I'd like someone else to try it just to confirm what I found.

I'll try the same thing with alcohol & see what happens.

EDIT- Ok I've just read DRrambler's post above who explains that Meths doesn't get water out of fuel (Methyl Hydrate = Methylated Spirits, so many names in different countrys).
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  #6  
Old 23 Feb 2013
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Methyl Hydrate = methanol

Methylated Spirits = ethanol + a small percentage of methanol [ hence the term "methylated"].

Ethanol is drinking alcohol and , as anyone who has mixed an alcoholic drink will know , it does mix very well with water .
[ However , fish do unmentionable things in water so I have decided not to take the risk of mixing my scotch .]
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Old 25 Feb 2013
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I think you explained it yourself, when you shake the fuel, water and meths, the water and meths form lots of smaller droplets and can pass through the injectors/carb without a problem. The idea is to make the water and meths mix and not cause the engine too much of a problem this happens when you drive the vehicle as the fuel sloshes around.

Not sure about diesel as most diesel injection systems have water separators anyway, especially trucks with large fuel tanks that are very prone to condensation when partially empty. Years ago when I was driving down to Saudi Arabia it became part of the daily check routine to drain the water separators on the diesel tanks once you got into regions with hot weather during the day and cool/cold at night.
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