Reader asks about gasoline stabilizer

EJD writes by e-mail:

“My home was without electricity for 13 days a few years ago due to damage to the power company’s power lines.

The outage was during warm weather. It would have been a huge problem if it had occurred during cold weather.

I have gas-powered radiant heat in my home.

I have purchased an electric generator and can now take care of some of the problems.

I have to store some gasoline. I use Sta-Bil to keep the gas “fresh.”

I plan on replacing the fuel once a year by using the year old stuff in my car. Sta-Bil’s directions tell you that it works great in the modern auto engines.

What does Detroit think of me using Sta-Bil in my Chevy?”

You are very wise to use a fuel stabilizer in gasoline to help keep it fresh. As you said, it is best to use fuel within a year and adding it to the gas tank of your Chevrolet is an excellent way to dispose of it properly. Some important things to remember when using gasoline stabilizer include:

1. Always use the specified amount. Do not use more than it specifies. This additive is not “if a little is okay, then a lot is better.” 2. Always add to fresh gasoline. 3. Always use fresh gasoline stabilizer. If the bottle has been opened, the shelf life is one year.

Regarding your question about whether adding fuel that has a gasoline stabilizer added is okay, most vehicle manufactures do not say one way or the other. Most do state that when storing a vehicle to add a gasoline stabilizer, so I think you are good to go. Keep up doing what you are doing.