I am curious to know how long synthetic mixed fuel will stay fresh? Due to rising fuel costs , I'd like to store as much gas as possible before the higher summer prices. What do you guys think is the best way to store fuel?(mixed or unmixed?). What is the best container to store in? How much fuel do you go through in a given period of time?

I just finished a 5 gallon mix of Mobil Racing 2T at 40:1 that was made up 11/25/07. My DA100 ran perfect......I always mix mine up in 5 gallon batches, but during the flying season it will be gone in a couple of weeks.

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No telling, but how it's stored matters greatly. Hot and in the sun will take it down pretty quick. Cool and in the shade extends the life quite a while. You have to know how good the oil is. Some oils will not remain in suspension very long. Those that do not can generate a lot of grief with old fuel.

im about to mix a batch of 80-1 amsoil in 5 gallons for my da50 is it bad to shake the can a bit first time of the day,, iv done this for years with weedeater gas to mix things back up, but i worry about air bubbles messing things up..
mike

It won't hurt anything to shake your gas can before the first flight of the day. No problems with air bubbles.......Just think how the fuel gets shook in the air while you fly.

I suggest you get yourself a 16 gal steel drum and fill it to the top in order to store fuel for any length of time. (their pretty easy to get if you look, sometimes race shops will sell them for 5 bucks to get rid of them)

In order for fuel to stay fresh it needs to be stored in a sealed steel container and should be kept full (limited air space). As far as the oil remaining in suspension, in time aome oils will fall out of the fuel and settle to the bottom of the container. Agitiation will reblend this oil back to suspension.

Fuel storage should be looked at like a 2L bottle of soda. If you crack the seal on the soda when new there is lots of carbonation(bubbles). This is when it is at its freshest. If you reseal the bottle (leave it full) and put it back in the fridge, the next time you open it it will have most of it's fizz. But, if you take half of the soda out and reseal it and store it, the next time you open it it will be nearly flat because the carbonation has had a chance to disperse into the air left inside the bottle. Fuel is alot like this in regards to the volatile contents evaporating into air. Race fuel is especially suseptible to this out gassing, and goes flat rather easily. When using race fuel, only mix as much as you can use in a day and keep the rest sealed in the steel container it comes in. Buy your race fuel in the smallest cans you can use so there won't be any long term storage of a half full can as this will make the fuel go flat as well (just like the soda bottle)

Another thing to think about is the container you store your fuel in. If you use plastic jugs for storage, expect your fuel to go flat in a short time, even if sealed. There are pores in the plastic that let the vapor in the fuel slowly leak out and moisture to come in. It is best so use steel safety cans for all fuel storage.

So, for the original question, shake, shake, shake and get that oil re mixxed or suspended. Some oils are really thick and syrupy when they come out of the fuel and need considerable agitation to rejoin the mixture, especially bean oils (castor).

BK

Lets just say you burn 50 gallons this season and the price goes up 50 cents. Thats 25 dollars savings over lets say 25 Weeks seams hardly worth the risk of running stale fuel.

Originally Posted by cloudshaker

I am curious to know how long synthetic mixed fuel will stay fresh? Due to rising fuel costs , I'd like to store as much gas as possible before the higher summer prices. What do you guys think is the best way to store fuel?(mixed or unmixed?). What is the best container to store in? How much fuel do you go through in a given period of time?

The fuel will last longer unmixed.