Shelf life of dry gas (OT)

[_shel_ny]

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Edited September 11, 2011 by shel_bizzy_48

[oldmopar]

Depends on what you call old I have use containers that were a few years old and had no problems but too be honest I have no idea what dry gas really is or how it works

Ed

[TodFitch]

I believe that dry gas is simply alcohol and as long as it has not absorbed too much moisture from the atmosphere it should stay good for quite some time.

I believe it works because water and alcohol to into solution with each other and alcohol and gasoline will go into solution as well. The end result is that the water in the tank and/or lines will, with the alcohol, go into solution with the gasoline and be run through the system without too much fuss. Also, the water/alcohol solution has a lower freezing point that water alone so alcohol works as an antifreeze.

[oldmopar]

Tod, thanks I knew about the antifreeze part but could not figure how it worked with to remove the water

Ed

[Don Coatney]

Shel;

Might be less expensive to simply buy isopropyl alcohol in the future.

[builtfercomfort]

I think the shelf life would be very long if unopened, and very short if opened.

I believe most dry gas is fairly pure methyl or isopropyl alcohol. It used to be anyway - not sure about what's in the new ones. [These kids and their newfangled contraptions!] It's cheap and it works, so it may well be unchanged.

You know how 'Everclear' is only 192 proof (91 percent?) that is because pure or 'absolute' alcohol is hygroscopic - it will suck the water from the air until it is down to 192 proof - it actually dissolves the water. If you mix 1 gal of absolute alcohol and 1 gal of water I think you get about 1.9 gallons of mix - something less than 2 full gallons.

So the same principle works for dry-gas and it's methyl (wood) or isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. It will combine with/dissolve the water in your tank and make it flow with the gasoline.

[Frank Blackstone]

Sunday before last the New York Times ran an article about how you could legally run your own still to make alcohol to be used as fuel. In some states it is illegal to run a street machine on only alcohol. I knew a school teacher who built a still and had it licensed as a project. This ought to get you guys, thinking and tinkering. It's a long range project of mine. I think I'll grow sunflowers, express the oil and use it in my biodiesel.

[Don Coatney]

Sunday before last the New York Times ran an article about how you could legally run your own still to make alcohol to be used as fuel. In some states it is illegal to run a street machine on only alcohol. I knew a school teacher who built a still and had it licensed as a project. This ought to get you guys, thinking and tinkering. It's a long range project of mine. I think I'll grow sunflowers, express the oil and use it in my biodiesel.

How many sun flowers would it take to make a gallon of diesel fuel?