Ethanol Gas Treatment For Lawn Mowers

Have you ever heard about Ethanol gas treatment for lawn mowers and other small engines like cars and boats? Didn’t you?

Well, Ethanol is a biofuel that is commonly used in the United States but is it good to use as fuel for lawn mowers? Does it have some issues? To know this, you have to read this article thoroughly.

Ethanol is quite damaging to use as fuel in a lawnmower as it is not used daily, and when you fill your engine with gasoline having more than 10% ethanol, it will lead to drastic effects on the fuel system.

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So, lawnmower users, be careful when using ethanol as a fuel. To know more about Ethanol gas treatment for lawn mowers, its benefits and effects, give a thorough reading to this article. We hope that you will get the answer to all your queries.

Let’s get begun!

What Is Ethanol?

Ethanol is used as a supplement to gasoline in the United States. It is labeled as biofuel in the US and known as a renewable source as it is produced from commonly growing crops such as sugarcane and corn. The United States Department of Energy has mentioned in one of the discussions on ethanol that it carries some benefits when used as a fuel source:

This fuel source has a higher octane rating than other traditional games because of which it is more powerful.
Ethanol offsets carbon dioxide released during fuel emissions when growing biofuel crops.
It helps in the creation of jobs in rural areas in the field of agriculture and production.

Commonly gasoline used in the United States consists of 10% ethanol(E10). On the other hand, in Midwestern states, where crops are abundant, gasoline with 15% ethanol (E15) is gaining popularity.

Ethanol Issues In Small Engines:

Undoubtedly, ethanol is gaining popularity in the United States by a certain percentage. When we talk about equipment made with small engines, for example, lawnmowers, filling them with ethanol is damaging to some extent, if not more. The reason is that lawnmower is a machine that people do not use daily. The engine does not start every day, due to which the extra fuel will stay in the tank for so long. This ultimately leads to a lot of problems.

For instance:

Ethanol-blended fuels tend to absorb water if it sits in the tank for a longer period and remains unused due to which engine of lawnmowers will face difficulty at starting time.
Because of its water-absorbing power, ethanol is known as corrosive, so small parts of the engine will get damaged easily.
Ethanol usually burns hot due to which causes overheating and other engine issues.
Water that is absorbed by ethanol gas interferes with the two-cycle oil hence, preventing lubrication, and chances of engine damages will increase.

It is important to administer a fuel additive or ethanol-free gas for small engines like large engines.

Why Is Ethanol Bad for Mowers?

Keep in mind that not all engines are designed to handle ethanol-rich fuel. E15 gas should be used only in (FFVs) flexible-fuel vehicles burning gasoline-ethanol blends or traditional gas. As mentioned above, the United States allows gasoline power E10 in engines. Similarly, it is suggested not to use gasoline with an ethanol rating higher than E10 in your lawnmowers.

Because ethanol fuel can absorb water from the atmosphere directly and retain it subsequently, especially ethanol is tough on the small engine carburetors. Along with this, one thing to mention must be that the higher alcohol content of E15 fuel is more harmful to fuel lines of small engines than normal gasoline.

Will Fuel Stabilizer Help?

If you live in an area where most of the gas has ethanol supplements, there remains a hope to run the gas-powered mowers. Using the fuel stabilizers can safely run power equipment by using ethanol fuel.

The stabilizers designed specifically to use with ethanol fuel prevent water from mixing with the fuel and keep the engine safe from corrosion. It will also help to clean the whole fuel system, including some of the important parts:

Intake valve
Carburetor
Fuel injector

Ethanol fuel is beneficial, although ethanol-rich gasoline can cause some issues for mowers. Just ensuring that the mower has the proper fuel blend, or adding a stabilizer when filling the tank, can keep the mower running for a longer period.

Bottom Line:

When discussing Ethanol gas treatment for lawn mowers, we have come to know that it has some serious issues with the fuel system of the small engines. But still, you can use it with gasoline but don’t forget, only 10% is allowed by the energy commission of the United States.

Lawnmowers are not used every day, so it is good to watch the fuel level and increase their life. This is good both for you as well as for your machine’s life. We have covered enough for you about Ethanol Gas treatment for lawnmowers, and we are sure it will be helpful.

Feel free and mow your lawns with ease!

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