![]() |
In the nice and wet Pacific Northwest, what fuel do you suppose Mr. Van himself, uses in his Rotax? Yep, 93 E10 (I'm told). I fly at least once a week and my -12 sits in a dry hangar. Having the fuel absorb water is a non-issue for me.
BTW, there are thousands of Rotax engines in Europe using 30 percent ethanol based fuels with few issues. I'm not too worried about it but you should use the fuel you feel most comfortable with. If it takes you out of your comfort zone, then don't let anyone tell you what YOU should do. |
Having used E10 almost exclusively in every car, pickup, motorcycle, scooter, mower, snow blower, edger, leaf blower and weed whacker we've owned in the past three decades or so, and having had exactly zero problems related to corrosion, water absorption and hose deterioration... I guess I'm OK with using it in the Rotax if Rotax and Van's are OK with it.
|
Quote:
It is precisely why that kind of corrosion formed because the water in 100LL and ethanol free mogas separates out and settles in low spots in the fuel system. As someone pointed out in that thread, ethanol mogas keeps the water in suspension and it passes harmlessly through the combustion cycle. |
Initially (the first 6 month I flew my -12) I used E10 premium, without any problem. Then comes winter and the plane was left about 2 months with a full tank of E10 gasoline. My local Rotax guy told me that, depending on weather conditions, E10 gas may start degrading after 1 month of storage. I did not want to take the risk and dumped the content of the tank which was a bit cumbersome... and promised myself not to use Ethanol fuel any longer. As the service station is close to my A/P it worked well until... go back to the first post of this thread.
Still mulling what to do based on the interesting feed back provided above. At this point I am reluctant trusting any Ethanol free source for aviation usage. My preference would be to go back to E10 premium, except for January and February when I would fill the tank with 100LL. I figure it would result in 100LL usage low enough (including refills on trip stops during the rest of the year) to make minimum lead deposit inside the engine. Only time will tell if this is effective and workable. |
There may be another option to consider. I am certainly no expert, but from what I have read what you're concerned about is not only water absorption from the atmosphere but also octane loss from evaporation. The water problem can be minimized by keeping the tank full and the cap on. Less surface area exposed to air, and less air exchange with the humid outside world, means less water absorbed.
Everything I have read indicates that if you keep the tank FULL, you have less to worry about. There's less surface area to either absorb water from the atmosphere, or evaporate the lighter hydrocarbons. On the other hand, if you have a gallon or two of room in the tank, topping it with 100LL would probably provide a pretty good little boost for fuel that's been sitting for a few weeks. |
I just go down the street and buy what ever comes out of the premium pump. In 420 hours and 4 years I haven't fallen out of the sky yet!😀
|
Quote:
|
What filters are you guys referring to? The gascolator or an inline filter you use during fueling?
|
Quote:
|
Is the an additive one can put in to get the octane from 90 to 92?
|
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:21 AM. |