Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

My gas oil mix from last year is still in the can. Can I use the same mix this year? If not how do I dispose of it? Thank you.

Becky wrote:
You should do what makes you feel comfortable.  It is your equipment.

However, I have used gasoline that are over a year old with snowblowers, lawnmower, handheld leaf blowers, string trimmers.  Some use oil mixed gasoline, some use just straight gas.  Both my 2 cycle and 4 cycle equipment have been fine.  I keep my gas in a cool area in full containers, tightly capped so there's no additional moisture are absorbed.

One thing is not to leave any gas in your equipment if you don't plan to use it regularly within 3 weeks.  Run the equipment to clear our your float bowl for long term storage.  I used to treat my gas with fuel stablizer out of paranoia and confusion.  No more.   I haven't used any stabilizers in the last 4 years.

I highly recommend u do NOT re use last year mix....

I use year-old mixed gas all the time, but I say this with two caveats: 1) I never use ethanol gas, and 2) I treat the gas with Sta-Bil as soon as I get it home from the gas station.  Chainsaw and trimmer are still running great after seven seasons. 

Gas that has begun to go bad has a distinctive smell. If it doesn't smell like dead gas, I'd add fresh premix to it and go to work.   

Back in November, I pulled out my old Jonsereds 670 chainsaw that I hadn't used since 2007.   It had been left with half a tank of fuel in it since then and it did have a bit of bad gas smell to it.  Nonetheless,  I  wanted to get to work right away and added fresh fuel to top it off. The saw fired up and ran/cut fine.   Sometimes you just get luck.  However, I wouldn't leave fuel in a carb with a float bowl.  That's asking for trouble.