Ethanol in Fuel: Is the Bad Rap Deserved?

Should you use ethanol-blended, oxygenated fuel in your small engine?The short answer is yes, but …Today’s spark-ignited, carbureted engines used in pumps, generators, power washers and other equipment utilized by pumpers every day are designed to run on E0 (100 percent gasoline) to E10 (10 percent ethanol, 90 percent gasoline) fuels.The devil, as they say, is in the details. Even ethanol-free fuels can be harmful to your small engine if not stored properly.Don’t blame the fuel “A lot of things get blamed on ethanol, but it’s not really ethanol’s fault,” says Mike Rickey, senior manager, Honda Engines.Fuel naturally degrades and becomes stale