E85

[Angrey]

Just a note, if you're shaking the kit and reading it instantly you're going to be several points off.

One of the reasons I like the electronic ethanol sensor is that you don't have to sit and wait for it to "settle."

I haven't done enough experimentation to determine what the content change is when you first read it to say 15 or 30 minutes later, but it's significant. Allowing it to sit overnight will adjust it further, but just know that if you're being courteous and not holding up the fuel pump and read it, it's going to be quite a bit HIGHER than the actual quality of the fuel.

Also, denatured ethanol contains 2% various hydrocarbons to make it poisonous and not fit for consumption (a legacy of the alcohol taxes and our Royal overlords) which is why you see a maximum of 83% alcohol (when it's 85% denatured alcohol, which contains the stuff to keep refineries from selling it out the back as hooch).

Fun fact, ethanol is an azeotrope, which means you can't ever get it pure under "normal" physical methods. No matter how much you distill it or frac it, a small portion of water comes over with it. Under normal physical methods, you can only get ethanol to 95.6% alcohol and the remainder is water. They can chemically remove the rest of the water, but Grandpa Joe and his copper still hidden from the revenuers could never exceed about 190 proof.

Point of clarification. The contaminants they add, isn't so much to prevent them from selling the alcohol as it is to demonstrate that it's not consumable and therefore they can't be charged taxes that apply to alcohol/liquor sales. So it's not so much the government forcing them to contaminate it as much as a necessary way to avoid being excessively taxed for food grade ethanol when they intend to use it in a fuel or industrial capacity.

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[Autopart101]

Just a note, if you're shaking the kit and reading it instantly you're going to be several points off.

One of the reasons I like the electronic ethanol sensor is that you don't have to sit and wait for it to "settle."

I haven't done enough experimentation to determine what the content change is when you first read it to say 15 or 30 minutes later, but it's significant. Allowing it to sit overnight will adjust it further, but just know that if you're being courteous and not holding up the fuel pump and read it, it's going to be quite a bit HIGHER than the actual quality of the fuel.

Also, denatured ethanol contains 2% various hydrocarbons to make it poisonous and not fit for consumption (a legacy of the alcohol taxes and our Royal overlords) which is why you see a maximum of 83% alcohol (when it's 85% denatured alcohol, which contains the stuff to keep refineries from selling it out the back as hooch).

Fun fact, ethanol is an azeotrope, which means you can't ever get it pure under "normal" physical methods. No matter how much you distill it or frac it, a small portion of water comes over with it. Under normal physical methods, you can only get ethanol to 95.6% alcohol and the remainder is water. They can chemically remove the rest of the water, but Grandpa Joe and his copper still hidden from the revenuers could never exceed about 190 proof.

This must be why, my electronic tester and my shake kit are 4-5 points off.

 

[SheepDog]

What else can you get at the "Kum N' Go" besides alcohol?

I think the name says it all, don't you?

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