Read this: sounds logical to me. (Chopper forum "get a 5 gallon gas can, put 1 gallon of water in it take a drill and drill a hole 1 inch above the water and put a petcock in. then empty the water out. next put a site tube "a clear hose from the bottom of the can to the top of the can on the out side tapping into the can at each end. and your done. all you have to do now is put 1/2 gallon of water in the gas can (you shluld mark water hight on your sight tube) and fill the rest of the can with gas. wait 24 hours or untill watter level has returned to or above the mark on your site tube. (should be above your mark) and then open your petcock and drain the non-ethanol fuel out from the can into (be sure the water level is not as high as your petcock). how this works: water and gasoline DONT mix. water and ethanol DO mix. in fact ethanol soaks up water like a spunge." I think I would shake the gas / water mix then let it set a couple days. Like ehow.com says: Anyone with a sufficient understanding of solubility can extract the ethanol from gasoline using little more than water. Chemists have an old axiom that "like dissolves like" with regard to polarity. That is, polar compounds dissolve other polar compounds and nonpolar compounds dissolve other nonpolar compounds. Water is polar, whereas gasoline is nonpolar. Ethanol exhibits moderate polarity and mixes with gasoline. The ethanol, however, dissolves better in water. Thus, if a person mixes gasoline and water, the two liquids will separate into layers with the water on the bottom. Vigorous mixing of the mixture, however, will transfer the ethanol from the gasoline to the water, where it is more soluble. The separation is then just a matter of "pouring off" the gasoline. Chemists perform this operation somewhat more elegantly with a piece of glassware called a separatory funnel, which simply consists of a cone-shaped flask with a rotating valve at the bottom. Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_7830109_remove-ethanol-gasoline.html#ixzz2joF2M9NL
I have seen the water separation method before. Wouldn't that leave you with some lousy ethanol free fuel however? I imagine you would have to bring the octane of the fuel back up somehow as well. Ethanol isn't exactly a party but I don't think it's worth re-refining all of my small engine fuel. Been running the stuff for years now and not had any problems. It's all in your storage habits.
Lucky here so far, no ethanol in gasoline. Don't know if the water effects the octane additives. ? ? I often see water in the boat fuel filter/separator. I just drain it off & burn the gasoline with no problem. But if I was in an area with high % of ethanol in the gas, I'd throw some water in my jug , shake , & pour the gas off the top. Not sure all the problems caused by ethanol, maybe it only effects older equipment seals, gaskets & plastics. Thought is was interesting & an easy way to solve any ethanol problems.
I was told to put gas stabilizer into every can of gas I bring home. That ethanol has ruined several small engines unless the gas is really fresh. So far, stabilized gas has protected my equipment.
I'm a big fan of ethanol in my drinks...and it has yet to cause me any problems in my fuel. I'll keep drinking it and burning it until I experience otherwise.
Ethanol itself raises the octane of the fuel. The mistake here is thinking that the gas you pour off after separation is the same as the ethanol-free stuff you have up there in AL. Same here. I stabilize every can of fuel as soon as I get it home. Store it in the garage which is a relatively temperature stable environment in addition to being dark. I think it's funny the lengths people will go to find or in this case, create ethanol free fuel. To save a ten dollar fuel line? Thirty cent primer bulbs? Even if you ruin a carburetor, which is actually the result of poor storage practices rather than homicidal fuel, we're talking $20-$150 in 99% of cases.
There's a gas station about 4 miles from my house that sells pure gas, not gasohol. There are 2 other gas stations on the way that I stop at first. I don't even go out of my way to buy it when it is readily available.
Which begs the questions: Is the ethanol in gasoline denatured (with methanol or isopropanol) to prevent human consumption? Do you pay the federal alcohol tax on gasoline with ethanol? Enquiring minds want to know.
I have heard the only reason E85 isn't E100 is to prevent boozing on it. Not sure if there's ANY substance to that. I don't know the actual ethanol composition.
