Ricer-X
04-03-2006, 09:21 AM
"Ethanol Gasoline is coming to Houston (and Dallas) -- some things you should know
As you may already be aware, Houston has been designated as one of only two city regions in Texas to begin receiving Reformulated Gasoline with Ethanol (RFG) in the continuing effort to reduce our local air pollution levels. (The Dallas area is the other 'lucky' region.)
Following is a compilation of information taken from various industry sources regarding the status and timing of the region's planned transition to ethanol gasoline, as well as some key points about how we are all about to be affected by this significant change. Since the various news media have not yet figured out 'there's a story here', much of the downside of this transition is yet to publicly surface. The information here is offered strictly to assist you in making informed decisions as to where you purchase your fuel over the next few months.
Ethanol, otherwise known as ethyl alcohol (and once known as corn liquor in certain parts of the US) has been designated as the 'additive of choice' in many part of the United States to help reduce the level of Volatile Organic Carbons (VOC's) and oxides of nitrogen and sulfur which are introduced into the atmosphere by all internal combustion engines. Ethanol is replacing MTBE, a better (for engines) and less expensive additive mandated by the federal government some years ago. However, MTBE also proved to be particularly efficient in its ability to move out from leaking underground storage tanks (UST's) into the surrounding soil and groundwater resources, hence the need to find an alternative additive.
The local counties that have been designated as RFG areas are: Harris, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller. This means that all gasoline sold within these counties will be required to contain ethanol. State law requires that decals will be posted on all fueling point dispensers that say the fuel "contains 10% ethanol" or that it "contains up to 10% ethanol".
Right now, the schedule of beginning deliveries by the major gasoline suppliers to their stations in this area is as follows:
Exxon: April 4th
Shell: April 12th
Citgo: April 15th
Conoco: April 16th
Valero: April 16th
Chevron: April 18th
Texaco: April 18th
I'm not suggesting that these are the only people you could or should buy your gas from. But this is where the 'downside' story begins and it's some pretty important stuff when it comes to the wellbeing of your car.
The key thing to understand about ethanol is that it is soluble in water. This means that water and ethanol mix freely, whereas water and gasoline do not mix – they are insoluble, meaning that gasoline and water remain in separate 'phases' when they are in contact with each other – including in the UST's beneath your favorite gas station. The gas typically floats on top of any water and sludge accumulated in the bottom of the tanks. (This is also why you may have heard it's never a good idea to buy your gasoline at a station when the fuel supply truck is there filling up the tanks. The high speed pumping of the fresh gas into the UST stirs up the bottom water and sediment which can then end up in your gas tank.)
Right now, the industry seems fairly united in their recognition that as little as one-half of one percent (0.5%) of water in a UST will cause "serious phase separation with the ethanol gasoline blend". Folks, that's not much water. And whereas that water used to sit idly by in the bottom of a UST, it's now going to mix freely with the ethanol gasoline on its way to your gas tank and motor!
Virtually all UST's are known to contain various amounts of water, either from unintentional punctures, rust-outs or leaking valves or from intentional means. Did you know that most tanks contain a 'spill bucket' around the filler neck of the tank, right beneath the ground level manhole cover? When it rains, the spill bucket catches any rain run-off that drops down from the store's tarmac. When the guy shows up with the big gasoline truck to refill the UST's, guess where the water in the spill bucket goes? That's right – he lifts the bucket an inch or two and the valve in the bottom of the bucket drops the water into the UST! This hasn't been a problem with non-RFG gasoline, but because of ethanol's solubility with water, this is a HUGE problem with RFG gas. Needless to say, the truck drivers are being advised to change their spill bucket procedures with the new ethanol gasoline. Let's hope they actually do it.
Depending on their financial resources, gas stations are going to handle 'the water problem' in different ways. The major suppliers and their 'company' stores (typically identifiable by their more elaborate landscaping and overall cleanliness) already have tank cleaning companies going around to their locations to clean and remove the sludge and 'water bottoms' from their tanks. This is the best solution but, obviously, it's also the most expensive. However, from their own past experience, they also want to be sure they minimize the number of claims they get from car owners whose vehicles have quit running because of a tank of 'bad gas'.
For those gas suppliers and stations with more limited resources, the second best alternative is to install new disposable filters on their fuel dispensers. While most already have some sort of filtration on their systems, the ethanol gas requires a different kind of filter and they will have to be changed much more frequently at first. Will they actually do that or will they try to save a little money? (I doubt that trying to change the fuel line filter in your own car more often will have any effect, since it's already much coarser than the 10 micron filters being mentioned for gas stations).
Now we come to the 'Mom and Pop' stores. What, if anything, are they going to do (or can they afford to do) about their water problem? Your guess is as good as mine but over the next several months, and for my own piece of mind, I'll be avoiding those locations. This may not be the best time to be buying from the absolutely lowest-priced gas station, particularly if it's a small, unbranded station. (Remember that this whole issue only involves those counties listed at the beginning of the piece).
Several other points to be made about ethanol gasoline:
· The industry does not yet seem to have a clear picture of how much your gas mileage will drop using ethanol gasoline – but they are clear on one thing – your gas mileage will drop. Figures have been cited from as little as a 5% reduction in gas mileage to as high as 20-25%. I guess we'll all have to wait and see.
· The consequences of getting a bad tank of gas in your own car can vary significantly, from having to change the spark plugs and fuel filter, to the repair and/or replacement of multi-hundred dollar items such as fouled fuel injectors, air mass meter, catalytic converter, to a complete engine rebuild for such things as burned pistons, piston rings, or valves.
· The only 'anecdotal' piece of information I have received about ethanol gasoline, i.e., I have not yet been able to confirm this through any type of 'official' source, is that ethanol gasoline is going to be a problem for all 2-cycle gas engines such as string trimmers, leaf blowers, as well as some jet-skis, 4-wheelers, lawn mowers and motorcycles. Any engine where 2-cycle oil must be mixed with the gasoline, either in advance or 'on-the-fly' while the engine is running, is apparently going to have significant problems with ethanol gasoline. Most of the indications I've gotten are that the engines won't run at all! I just don't know that for certain right now so this is just a warning of a potential problem. "
As you may already be aware, Houston has been designated as one of only two city regions in Texas to begin receiving Reformulated Gasoline with Ethanol (RFG) in the continuing effort to reduce our local air pollution levels. (The Dallas area is the other 'lucky' region.)
Following is a compilation of information taken from various industry sources regarding the status and timing of the region's planned transition to ethanol gasoline, as well as some key points about how we are all about to be affected by this significant change. Since the various news media have not yet figured out 'there's a story here', much of the downside of this transition is yet to publicly surface. The information here is offered strictly to assist you in making informed decisions as to where you purchase your fuel over the next few months.
Ethanol, otherwise known as ethyl alcohol (and once known as corn liquor in certain parts of the US) has been designated as the 'additive of choice' in many part of the United States to help reduce the level of Volatile Organic Carbons (VOC's) and oxides of nitrogen and sulfur which are introduced into the atmosphere by all internal combustion engines. Ethanol is replacing MTBE, a better (for engines) and less expensive additive mandated by the federal government some years ago. However, MTBE also proved to be particularly efficient in its ability to move out from leaking underground storage tanks (UST's) into the surrounding soil and groundwater resources, hence the need to find an alternative additive.
The local counties that have been designated as RFG areas are: Harris, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller. This means that all gasoline sold within these counties will be required to contain ethanol. State law requires that decals will be posted on all fueling point dispensers that say the fuel "contains 10% ethanol" or that it "contains up to 10% ethanol".
Right now, the schedule of beginning deliveries by the major gasoline suppliers to their stations in this area is as follows:
Exxon: April 4th
Shell: April 12th
Citgo: April 15th
Conoco: April 16th
Valero: April 16th
Chevron: April 18th
Texaco: April 18th
I'm not suggesting that these are the only people you could or should buy your gas from. But this is where the 'downside' story begins and it's some pretty important stuff when it comes to the wellbeing of your car.
The key thing to understand about ethanol is that it is soluble in water. This means that water and ethanol mix freely, whereas water and gasoline do not mix – they are insoluble, meaning that gasoline and water remain in separate 'phases' when they are in contact with each other – including in the UST's beneath your favorite gas station. The gas typically floats on top of any water and sludge accumulated in the bottom of the tanks. (This is also why you may have heard it's never a good idea to buy your gasoline at a station when the fuel supply truck is there filling up the tanks. The high speed pumping of the fresh gas into the UST stirs up the bottom water and sediment which can then end up in your gas tank.)
Right now, the industry seems fairly united in their recognition that as little as one-half of one percent (0.5%) of water in a UST will cause "serious phase separation with the ethanol gasoline blend". Folks, that's not much water. And whereas that water used to sit idly by in the bottom of a UST, it's now going to mix freely with the ethanol gasoline on its way to your gas tank and motor!
Virtually all UST's are known to contain various amounts of water, either from unintentional punctures, rust-outs or leaking valves or from intentional means. Did you know that most tanks contain a 'spill bucket' around the filler neck of the tank, right beneath the ground level manhole cover? When it rains, the spill bucket catches any rain run-off that drops down from the store's tarmac. When the guy shows up with the big gasoline truck to refill the UST's, guess where the water in the spill bucket goes? That's right – he lifts the bucket an inch or two and the valve in the bottom of the bucket drops the water into the UST! This hasn't been a problem with non-RFG gasoline, but because of ethanol's solubility with water, this is a HUGE problem with RFG gas. Needless to say, the truck drivers are being advised to change their spill bucket procedures with the new ethanol gasoline. Let's hope they actually do it.
Depending on their financial resources, gas stations are going to handle 'the water problem' in different ways. The major suppliers and their 'company' stores (typically identifiable by their more elaborate landscaping and overall cleanliness) already have tank cleaning companies going around to their locations to clean and remove the sludge and 'water bottoms' from their tanks. This is the best solution but, obviously, it's also the most expensive. However, from their own past experience, they also want to be sure they minimize the number of claims they get from car owners whose vehicles have quit running because of a tank of 'bad gas'.
For those gas suppliers and stations with more limited resources, the second best alternative is to install new disposable filters on their fuel dispensers. While most already have some sort of filtration on their systems, the ethanol gas requires a different kind of filter and they will have to be changed much more frequently at first. Will they actually do that or will they try to save a little money? (I doubt that trying to change the fuel line filter in your own car more often will have any effect, since it's already much coarser than the 10 micron filters being mentioned for gas stations).
Now we come to the 'Mom and Pop' stores. What, if anything, are they going to do (or can they afford to do) about their water problem? Your guess is as good as mine but over the next several months, and for my own piece of mind, I'll be avoiding those locations. This may not be the best time to be buying from the absolutely lowest-priced gas station, particularly if it's a small, unbranded station. (Remember that this whole issue only involves those counties listed at the beginning of the piece).
Several other points to be made about ethanol gasoline:
· The industry does not yet seem to have a clear picture of how much your gas mileage will drop using ethanol gasoline – but they are clear on one thing – your gas mileage will drop. Figures have been cited from as little as a 5% reduction in gas mileage to as high as 20-25%. I guess we'll all have to wait and see.
· The consequences of getting a bad tank of gas in your own car can vary significantly, from having to change the spark plugs and fuel filter, to the repair and/or replacement of multi-hundred dollar items such as fouled fuel injectors, air mass meter, catalytic converter, to a complete engine rebuild for such things as burned pistons, piston rings, or valves.
· The only 'anecdotal' piece of information I have received about ethanol gasoline, i.e., I have not yet been able to confirm this through any type of 'official' source, is that ethanol gasoline is going to be a problem for all 2-cycle gas engines such as string trimmers, leaf blowers, as well as some jet-skis, 4-wheelers, lawn mowers and motorcycles. Any engine where 2-cycle oil must be mixed with the gasoline, either in advance or 'on-the-fly' while the engine is running, is apparently going to have significant problems with ethanol gasoline. Most of the indications I've gotten are that the engines won't run at all! I just don't know that for certain right now so this is just a warning of a potential problem. "