DON'T LET WATER GET INTO YOUR TANK! AND HOW TO REMOVE IT.

[mountainhorse]

For filling... even/especially from the pump...Use one of these to keep as much water out of your tank as possible.

Use it at the pump and when fueling from cans... make sure that you keep your on-sled can clean and use this to fill it.... be extra careful when fueling in the field so that you don't get snow/water in the tank during the transfer.

http://www.outerwearsracing.com/proddetail.asp?prod=11022

Also... to get out any water without running it thru the system (like with IsoHeet etc) .. I like to use Aquasocks

They are working on a smaller one for power sports, but the #12 works fine.

http://www.aquasocks.net/

I've used them in a lot of equipment and they are very simple and work... I like to clip a small fishing weight to the bottom. so it drops right down to the bottom.

Put it on a fishing line, drop it in the tank when not in use for a while.. It only absorbs water not gas.

I keep a plastic jar with screw lid on it to hold it between uses... remove it from the tank, squeeze it out into the catch can in the shop and store it in the jar...pretty easy

 

[mountainhorse]

One of the biggest problems with gasohol (Ethanol blended Gasoline) is that it is extremely hygroscopic (the ability to attract water molecules from the surrounding environment and to hold them either through absorption or adsorption.

E-10 Gasohol (Gasoline containing 10% Ethanol) can hold up to 3.8 teaspoons of water in solution in the fuel. This water can lead to corrosion, poor economy, drivability problems, and to phase separation leading to other much more serious problems.

To combat this hygroscopic problem it is vital that storage tanks be purged of all water before any fuel containing Ethanol is added. The use of dispersant additives to deal with any residual water is also beneficial.

Storage tanks will pick up water from condensation of moisture in the air due to the daily changes in temperature. A large storage tank can actually generate anywhere from several ounces to as much as a gallon of water per day. Normally this water would settle to the bottom of the tank; however the Ethanol will pick it up, blend with it, and hold it in suspension.

The addition of a Desiccant type filter in the vent system will dramatically reduce or eliminate this condensation. While this idea is relatively new in the US many other countries mandate the use of these filters to prevent water problems.

It is also vital to regularly check the storage tank with water finding paste to be certain that there is no separated water on the tank bottom. Another advantage to water finding paste is that it will begin to slightly change color or in some cases small colored dots will begin to appear on the paste. This indicates that the fuel mixture is approaching the saturation point where phase separation will happen.

Note: Many of the electronic monitoring systems used for tank water detection may not register properly with Ethanol blended fuels. Also we have seen many instances where the fuel tank sending unit becomes saturated with water and stops functioning properly. When this happens the device will show the last good reading indefinitely.

It should be expected that tanks containing Ethanol will require a significantly higher level of maintenance than those holding regular gasoline or diesel.
For more information on this and other fuel related issues visit: http://www.lcbamarketing.com

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[mountainhorse]

Maybe this is what happened with lognomore on the forums here with the ethanol fuel??

http://www.snowestonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=216943

http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2008/jun/22/problem-ethanol/

Ethanol Dissolves Plastic
"Ethanol can dissolve some solid materials," says a June 2006 Yamaha advisory to dealers. That includes varnish and rust on steel and corrosion on aluminum tanks. The result is contaminated fuel.

"In some cases, ethanol has been known to dissolve components of the fuel system itself," said Willis.

"Some fuel tanks and fuel lines are made of plastic, and ethanol is eating away at the plastic," said Jimmi Fredricks, service manager at Freedom Marine in Lake Placid. "It turns into a jelly, and when you get to the bottom of the fuel tank, it starts sucking it in."

Maybe this is the problem with

 

[mountainhorse]

Also... keep the tank topped off after each ride so it does not "sweat" and pull in condensation thru the vent hose.