How long does alcohol last

Old 10-04-2008, 04:51 PM
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bowtie4542001
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Default How long does alcohol last

I know that might like a dumb question but I went to get some methanol yesterday and all they will sell it in is the 55gal drum. I only need about 5 gals for now. If I buy a drum, will it be good for next year. Also, I have seen were people add "lube" to methanol, what is this for and what kind of lube? Sorry for all the questions but this is my first time dealing with methanol.

Chris
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Old 10-04-2008, 04:54 PM
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hammertime
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Default Re: How long does alcohol last

Originally Posted by bowtie4542001
I know that might like a dumb question but I went to get some methanol yesterday and all they will sell it in is the 55gal drum. I only need about 5 gals for now. If I buy a drum, will it be good for next year. Also, I have seen were people add "lube" to methanol, what is this for and what kind of lube? Sorry for all the questions but this is my first time dealing with methanol.

Chris
Chris many will say alky goes bad but I live in michigan (cold winters) my alky sits in the cans in the trailer, or if I have a drum it also goes in the trailer for storage. Next spring I put it in and runs like it did the year before. I will say this though dont keep it on a concrete floor put some 2x4's under it to keep it off the ground.
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Old 10-04-2008, 04:55 PM
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the lube is top end lube
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Old 10-04-2008, 05:01 PM
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lively
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I HAVE FRIENDS THAT SAY ALCOHOL DOES NOT LAST LONG WHEN SITTING -SO THEY DRINK ALL THE BEERS REAL FAST :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

LIVELY
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Old 10-04-2008, 05:22 PM
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zipper06
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Originally Posted by lively
I HAVE FRIENDS THAT SAY ALCOHOL DOES NOT LAST LONG WHEN SITTING -SO THEY DRINK ALL THE BEERS REAL FAST :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

LIVELY
Lively glad to see you're still alert and able to smile with the home building trade so bad.

But Chris, i'm with David on this one, alcohol does not go bad as long as you keep it tightly capped when not in use. If the cap is loose it will evaporate. It will sweat like a big dog in the winter and put water on your shop floor (mine does and i'm in the same climate as you are) but if you put a hydrometer on it, it will not be more than 1 point difference from one yr. before.
I would suggest you go ahead and buy the drum, today the price is around $4.00 a gallon, next yr. it might be $6.00 a gallon because all the bio fuel industries are buying up all the supplies, because it's cheaper to buy rather than produce. I think VP is right at $220.00 a drum now, buy it and don't worry about it. I've got a 3 yr. old drum in my shop and i can assure it's runs the same as when purchased. Heck we got a couple drums of 5 yr. old nitro, you think we're going to throw it away, I DON'T THINK SO.

Zip.
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Old 10-04-2008, 05:41 PM
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lively
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ZIP---I HAVE NEVER SLOWED DOWN IN THE LAST 2 YEARS[ I TAKE THE JOBS LARGE OR SMALL AND AM WORKING 6 - 7 DAYS A WEEK] I STILL HAVE TWIN BOYS IN COLLEGE!!!!!!!!!!!
YOU GOTTA SMILE AND LAUGH MOST OF THE TIME WHEN YOU GET MY AGE :lol: :lol: :lol:

LIVELY
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Old 10-04-2008, 08:17 PM
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Good for you Lively, i'm glad to hear that you're staying busy, most of the people i know here in the south are very slow in the housing industrie, even in La.
Keep up the good work and i'm sure we'll see your ride in the near future.

Zip.
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Old 10-05-2008, 01:49 AM
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Zip your VP dealer is ripping you guys off :wink:

Just sold 8 drums for $150.00 each :lol:
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Old 10-05-2008, 03:28 AM
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We stored methanol drums outside here in western Pennsylvania for years. So they were sometimes bitter cold and then extremely hot. We used the methanol as a solvent pumping it through our pilot plants to clean and absorb water. The 2 biggest problems with long term storage is not having the bung tight and using non-lined metal drums. Eventually the drums will deteriorate and contaminate the methanol. Plastic drums or drums lined with a phenolic resin are the best storage containers. You can tell if a drum has the phenolic resin liner by looking into the drum. If the walls seem to have brown color, that's the resin coating.
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Old 10-05-2008, 05:20 AM
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bowtie4542001
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Thanks guys, I feel a little better now about having to get a drum just to start my car. I will keep it in my shop on some 2x4's

Chris
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