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Ethanol is an EPA-required additive to gasoline
in certain parts of the country to help reduce air pollution.
It boosts octane and serves as an oxygenator which helps clean up
an engine’s exhaust by making it easier for the catalytic converter
on cars to do their thing. It is currently required in the Seacoast
area of New Hampshire, but not yet in Southern Maine. However, effective
the week of October 27, 2008, the major suppliers of gasoline to Maine
stopped providing non-ethanol fuel grades. Therefore,
we are no longer able to obtain gasoline without ethanol.
Ethanol has proven to be a major source
of problems for motors and their related fuel systems. Although most
engines can run on gasoline containing up to 10% ethanol, an increasing
number of problems with fuel system components due to prolonged ethanol
use have been reported. Ethanol in gasoline
is especially problematic when engines are not used for extended periods
of time, a common occurrence with marine engines.
 YHMS
has switched to a new marine-grade gasoline and diesel specially-formulated
to clean-up fuel- robbing carbon deposits in marine engines, reducing
fuel consumption and saving money.
Carbon deposits, commonly called “gunk”, build up in all engines during
the combustion process. As deposits build up in fuel injectors, carburetors,
intake valves, and combustion chambers, they reduce the engine's fuel
efficiency, increasing fuel consumption. Because marine engines can
use up to 10 times more fuel per hour than a car or truck engine,
the amount of detergents in automotive-grade gasoline and diesel typically
are not enough to effectively clean-up deposits. Also, on-road fuels
do not contain other important additives needed by marine engines
to prevent ethanol and ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel problems.
ValvTect Marine Gasoline and Marine Diesel Fuel are specially-formulated
for heavy-duty marine engines to prevent and clean-up power-robbing
deposits. They contain detergents and other additives needed for the
more difficult marine operating conditions.
The high levels of moisture, humidity, heat, and periods of non-use
can cause significant problems when ethanol gasoline and ultra-low
sulfur diesel fuel are used in boats. Both ValvTect Marine Gasoline
and ValvTect Marine Diesel Fuel with BioGuard contain additives to
prevent phase separation, allowing the gasoline and diesel fuel to
remain stable up to a year or more. They also prevent premature wear
and bacteria in diesel. Boaters can save time and money by not having
to buy and blend in fuel additives such as fuel stabilizer or biocide.
Visit the ValvTect website for more info: www.valvtect.com.
For a detailed discussion on the potential effects of ethanol on boats,
we suggest: Mercury
Marine FAQs on Ethanol
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection have created an informative
website addressing many of the issues surrounding ethanol. Maine
DEP Information on Ethanol
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Ethanol
Fuels
