E10 fuel and your garden machinery

E10 fuel became standard in Sept 2021, but is it OK for my garden machinery?

Firstly we need to understand that we have been using E5 fuels for years now, so we are used to the problems associated with the 5% Ethanol that  E5 fuel contains. The main problem associated with ethanol is that it readily combines with water from the air and forms a very corrosive 'phase separated' product within the petrol. This causes the petrol to go 'stale' and corrode internal parts of the fuel system resulting in poor (or impossible) starting and rough running.

For many years this has caused problems for many users of small engines in garden machinery, personal transport and marine engines. Read my page on stale petrol to find out more and why to use aspen fuel

E10 fuel contains 10% Ethanol which is going to cause many more problems than even E5 did.

Your modern garden machinery is going to start and run fine on E10. Your engine will not suddenly blow up or fall apart. In fact, it will be just fine on E10 as long as the fuel is fresh, and here lies the problem with E10. The 10% ethanol content is going to suck moisture out of the atmosphere until it is saturated ad goes into 'phase separation' when it becomes extremely corrosive as well as forming gums and solids. This 'stale' fuel will eat away at soft metals and plastics, eventually destroying carburettors and fuel lines.  In the right conditions of temperature and humidity, this E10 fuel can turn stale within 14 days from purchase.

I personally, will not be using E10 but will use one of two alternatives.

For the foreseeable future, E5 will still be available in so-called 'premium' grade 97 octane fuel.

E5 premium (super plus) is higher octane than standard E10 unleaded but this will make no difference to your engines at all, but the fuel will remain fresh for a little longer. If you feel the need to continue using 'pump' petrol then I suggest using this instead of E10, but be aware that ethanol in any amount causes fuel to become stale and corrosive.

My recommendation though will be to use ASPEN fuel which is chemically pure and contains 0% ethanol. This is without a doubt the best fuel for your engines, your health and the environment.