Like marine engine builders, small-engine manufacturer Briggs & Stratton Co. has never liked ethanol because it attracts moisture and creates problems for engines.
Now the company says it has a solution to the problems ethanol causes in engines such as those in lawnmowers and boats, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The additive does not eliminate ethanol in gasoline, but it displaces water and keeps ethanol from gumming up the whole system, Briggs’ fuel systems group manager Scott Wesenberg told the Journal Sentinel.
In consumer research Briggs said it learned that the No. 1 problem people had with their engines was contaminated gasoline. The millions of gasoline engines it builds a year are designed to run on a 10 percent blend of ethanol, but damage from poor fuel or water is not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.
After a gradual introduction, the additive is now available at thousands of locations where outdoor power equipment with Briggs & Stratton engines is sold, including Home Depot and Walmart. A container that treats as much as 40 gallons of gas sells for about $7.
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