HAPPY FRIDAY READERS!

Another question I am asked from time to time is "where can I find an ethanol test kit". I've updated an article I wrote back in 2009 to include another supplier I recently learned about.

I know there are certainly probably more ethanol test kits on the market than the ones I list in this article. These can be a starting point to determine which one works for your situation and how much you are willing to pay for a test kit.

These are several sites and companies I’ve found which sell kits to test for ethanol in gasoline. I’m sure there may be more. I personally own the test kit sold by “Fuel-Testers” and have used it frequently. It is simple to use and produces easily viewed test results. It is easily cleaned and can be used over and over. The kit contains a “Quik-Check solution” which gives you a quick “spot test” by adding a single drop of the check solution to the fuel. If the color turns bright blue, ethanol is present. Instructions are included with the kit. There are other test kits that work very well also. I suggest you view the websites and make your own mind as which test kit best suits your needs and costs.

All ethanol fuel test kits are based on the premise that the ethanol in the gasoline will migrate to the water in the test kit tube. The tubes are calibrated and require that a certain amount of clean water be added first, then the prescribed amount of the gasoline to be tested. Then the tube is capped, shaken several times, and then allowed to settle (2-5 minutes usually). After the water/gasoline layers phase separate, the increase in volume of the lower water layer, if any, will be an indication of the amount of ethanol in the fuel tested. Most test kit tubes are calibrated to give you the results in percentage of ethanol present, if any. The test kit should be cleaned after use and stored for the next use.

CAUTION: As you are aware, gasoline is very flammable, so handle accordingly. Use care to avoid any open flame and avoid static electrical charge situations that could create a spark.

Ethanol fuel test kits:

Company: Outboard Wizard Marine Shop (678) 935-1998)

Link: http://www.theoutboardwizard.bizhosting.com/alcohol_fuel_test_kit.html

Cost: $24.95 + ? $ S+H

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Company: Fuel-Testers (678) 935-1998

Link: http://www.fueltestkit.com/

Cost: $ 24.95 + $7 S&H

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Company: Etha-Test

Link: http://www.bidlist.org/Etha-Test/

Cost: $8.95 + S&H

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Company: EAA (920-426-4843)

Link: http://www.eaa.org/autofuel/autogas/test_kit.asp

Cost: $ 25.00 + $5 S&H

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Company: Ebay Motors

Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270606859688&crlp=1_263602_263622&ff4=263602_263622&viewitem=&guid=924e0d2b1260a0e201903730fe7d9a25&rvr_id=133367129600&ua=WXS%3F&itemid=270606859688

Cost: $ 8.95 + $2 S&H

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Ethanol Fuel Testing

Determining ethanol content in blended gasoline fuels

by James W. Hebert (credit given to Mr. Hebert)

This article presents a simple and inexpensive test procedure for determining the alcohol and water content of blended gasoline fuels.

Blended Gasoline

More and more gasolines sold for automotive and marine use are blended fuels consisting of gasoline and ethanol in a solution. In most cases the ethanol content of the fuel is less than ten-percent. In some states there is no labeling requirement, so consumers have no way to determine if the fuel they are purchasing contains any ethanol at all. Generally, in all states fuels which contain greater than ten-percent ethanol have to be labeled at the retailer's pump. Because many boaters use older engines which were not designed to run on blended fuels, they may wish to avoid any gasoline blends with ethanol.

How much water a fuel can hold in solution before phase separaton occurs depends on its blend. Gasoline blended with ethanol can hold more water in solution than pure gasoline. Gasohol, or E10, or gasoline and ethanol in a 9:1 blend, can hold about 0.5-percent water in solution. Any more water content and the water will separate. This principle forms the basis for a simple test procedure.

Test Procedure

A simple test can determine the ethanol or water content of a fuel sample. All that is needed is a sample of the fuel, some water, and a test tube or graduated cylinder. The procedure is as follows:

• Obtain a sample of the fuel to be tested
• Fill a test tube or graduated cylinder with water in a volume of 25-percent of the total volume
• Fill the remaining 75-percent volume of the test tube or cylinder with the sample fuel
• Install a rubber stopper and shake the test tube or cylinder to thoroughly mix the test sample with the water.
• Place the test tube or cylinder in an upright and stable position, and allow the solution to separate into two phases.
• If the test sample of fuel contained any water or alcohol, it will have come out of solution with the gasoline and into solution with the water. Observe the position of the phase boundary and deduce the change in volume according to the formula below, or

If using a calibrated cylinder, read the alcohol content of the original sample from the graduations on the cylinder

"Pete" Landry............................comments welcome: way2gopete@yahoo.com