Ethanol, Smethanol!

Just picked up the old Stihl FS45 string trimmer from the shop.  It was bogging down at high throttle settings and needed a tuneup.  What caused the problem?

The culprit - ethanol gasoline!

I learned from the good folks at my tractor sales / repair shop that ethanol has a tendency to thicken as it absorbs any moisture!  If you don't use your gas up quickly, it can clog fuel lines and carburetors in 2-cycle engines over time.

I don't burn that much gas in my trimmer.  I use my scythe for the knotweed.  I only use the string trimmer for occasional trimming.  I mix a gallon of gas with oil, and use it over 2 years!

I know better now.  I'll mix up only 1 quart at a time!

I still don't understand why we take perfectly good corn, convert it to ethanol, and then suffer with the drawbacks of it as a fuel!