Shelf Life of Glow Fuel
10-06-2020, 08:57 AM
#2
I would think it's fine. I stored fuel for at least that long, sealed up in a cool dark place, and it worked fine. I just bought another case that might take me 10ys to use, and I'm not worried about it.
Omega brand is all I use in my glow planes...it's good stuff.
Omega brand is all I use in my glow planes...it's good stuff.
10-07-2020, 04:21 AM
#4
Ditto - my collection is from all over, and I had no idea how old it was. But, then realized I could differentiate old from new via the price stickers still on the jugs. I just cracked open one that sold for $12.95. It had a lot of dust on it. Runs just fine in my .40 engines.
10-07-2020, 05:01 AM
#5
The true test is to run some on the ground if there is no problems I would use it. Check each gallon separately when you open it and if you encounter any run problems during using a particular gallon I might be inclined to suspect that particular gallon. Maybe a friend could donate or sell you a partial tank of fresh fuel to compare against the gallon of old fuel. If you do this try and rinse the tank with a bit of new fuel.
10-07-2020, 02:59 PM
#7
I had a few gallons of fuel mixed up by a buddy a few years ago. It has been stored in a cool, dark environment. After rebuilding a helicopter a couple months back I started to use some of this fuel. I couldn't figure out why the engine was getting hotter then what I had remembered ( haven't flown a helicopter in 25 years ). Last time out I flew 1/2 tank and then left the heli on a startup bench. After an hour or so I noticed an alarming amount of condensation at the top of the fuel tank. The fuel has absorbed enough moisture to cause the engine to overheat. In spite of this the engine started, transitioned well and seemed to run " Just Fine " except a little down on power and getting hotter then I thought it should. Grabbed a new gallon of 15% and it runs much better then it did with the old 30% my buddy mixed up for me. Now I have to force myself to dump out 3 gallons.
