Water in the Gas bucket

I have a 5 gallon bucket of gas in which I covered with a lid.It was almost full to the top. I got side tracked and it rained, some of the water got in with the gas.I put dry gas in it. Is $20.00 bucks worth of gas salvageable or should I forget it?

 

Siphon the gas out with the hose a few inches away from the bottom of the bucket. Oh ya, the safety first thing, use caution.

 

you could lite it and burn off the gas and that should separate the water

 

Put it in a deep freeze and freeze the water.

 

Gasoline weigh about 6.073 Water weighs 8.33 pounds. Gasoline floats on water. Like Johnny Gee said just siphon it off, and oh yeah, the other safety stuff.

 

It's easy to see where they separate if you put it in glass

 

lotsa heet when you're done, just to be sure.

 

with all the fire threads on the HAMB you would think everyone would only put gas in a gas can with a cap.

 

The voice of reason. Thanks for writing what I was thinking.

 

Not to get the whole ethanol is evil thing going, but if it was E10 there is likely enough water to cause phase separation. Meaning the water and ethanol will blend and leave some really off spec gas. So siphoning the top layer off may not yield good gas.

 

Use it a gallon or two at a time and add a pint or two of alcohol to blend the water into the gas.

 

IIRC, running it through a chamois should separate the gasoline from the water. Gas goes through, water stays behind. No idea how E5 -> E85, or up to M85, would react. I do believe that you need a *real* chamois, not a synthetic. Think originals were made from European antelope, or sheep, skin. & I think you have to wet it 1st. Put it in a funnel & have at it - slowly.

I don't have a real chamois anymore. so I can't try it quickly, but for some reason this sticks in my mind. Odd as it is. I seem to remember reading about it in some old magazine, trying it, & being amazed it actually worked... ????? & I also seem to remember cleaning it didn't work all that well... .

FWIW. HTH.

Marcus...

 

Over here you can get an additive that allows the water mix thoroughly with petrol without separating. Then add that petrol to a larger quantity.

It's worth buying anyway because we get water in gas from the pump sometimes and it is a problem when it gets in the float bowl.

 

I just handled this situation on an OT repair. The water was already in the fuel, lots of water from condensation and who-knows-how-many tanks of bad fuel over the years. I simply let it sit overnight, then hooked up an electric fuel pump to pull the fuel from the top of the container. Mine too was in a 5gal bucket but I had a lid on it. If you go this route use enough hose and wire to get your hook ups a good distance from the FLAMMABLE liquid. There was maybe 1/2 gal left of water/gas which I used to burn the weeds in my gravel.

 

Who puts gas in a 5 gal bucket anyway? Siphon it off the top, and go buy a 5 gal gas can, for cry'n out loud...

Brian

 

I think you answered the question when you asked, "Is saving $20 worth a lot of effort?"

some, yes. But everyone values $20 differently.

 

This is one of my OSHA things if your a busness you are required to have a special can with all the bells and whistels and a storage area. but they can sell you a red plastic oversized milk jug to use at home.

 

My recommendation:



Had it fer' 10+ years 'n it works. Pour water in'ta it and it won't pass through. Pour any kinda' fuel on top the water an' it runs out the bottom.

I think it's magic or sumptin'....

 

I went through hell with the same problem. I didn't know what happened. Long story short the gas pick up in my 34 P/U entered through the bottom and was modified to leave a 1/4" of space below the pick up level which is where the water laid. I drained the tank (I thought), rebuilt the carbs twice thinking that the water was gone... wrong. Would I have wasted 20 bucks worth of gas to prevent this problem? You bet your sweet ass!!!! It kicked my ass for a week.

 

Syphon off the gas, leave the water, it will be fine. If you are real cheap (like me) put the last dregs in a gallon jug, freeze it in the freezer and pour off the gas.

 

In Missouri we have just allowed the "farm mafia" to force us into a 15% Ethanol mix for some gasoline sold here....
It will not only attract the water,as stated-but will also just seperate into different layers of some kind crap when left in storage that appear to be water.
it is a bad situation for us old car guys.....

 

Worked at a place where we kept a 30 gal can we stored contaminated gas in. The water in the gas will seperate and its very easy to see. Just scoop out as much gas as you can & dispose of the rest. I ran my motorcycles for the years I worked there on that gas. Never any problems.

 

Some of you guys are really good. You exceeded my expectations of different solutions.(No pun intended)...........For those of you who aren't content until you know the whole story. I was working after work,late. I siphoned the gas into 5 gallon buckets because I wasn't sure if it was good or not, didn't want to contaminate my 7 good fire approved gas containers until I knew for sure.All of a sudden it starts raining like it was time for Noah to come back. I scurried snapped lids on the buckets, and ran.One of the buckets' lids allowed water in. The next day after work I dumped them into my approved gas containers, noticed the water, and here I am. Thanks though really for the great ideas. It's more like $40.00 in Gas.

 

I can remember my grandfather straining watery gas through an old felt hat set into the funnel. Gas went through, water stayed.

 

This is really good stuff!!!! Sounds like it's worth it to save $40.00

 

Give it away at door prizes!!

 

Couldn't help it could you?

 

I've heard the same thing except it was with a felt hat. Never tried it myself, but heard it from some "oldtimers" many years ago (they were getting the water separated from "drip" gasoline from a gas well).

Jim

 

I did, to confirm it had water in it. It did. I took care of the problem and pumped it into my gas can. I also did an experiment with iso "drygas". Guess what? It doesn't work. Niether does denatured alky, at least not in this gas it didn't. Dry tank, gas w/out water, problem solved, resultant fire intentional. Hey bud, you asked...


1 more thing (for everyone). Years ago I mixed rubbing alky (the strongest kind), nitro methane and race gas in a glass Pepsi bottle to see if it would mix. It did. You could see it swirlin around a bit but it was mixed. My Sportster loved that shit. 10oz nitro, 4oz alky, 1 1/2 gal race gas. When the mix got into the carb the bass tone went up on the motor and the nostrils would burn just a bit. You wouldn't think only 10oz would make a difference. It did.

 

speaking of fuel.The newest scam is oxygenated fuel,which is more alcohol.we are seeing 15% here in cali.