I Was reading in GA news that food coloring can be used to test for alcohol in gas.
The food coloring will separate in alcohol gas And distribute itself fully in the sample.
In pure gas the food coloring will just go to the bottom of the sample and not separate.
I was just wondering if anybody has ever used this method? It seems it would be simpler and quicker than using the water and gas method??

I will test this theory tomorrow. I was going to test the 91 Oct at the local COOP (Cenex) to put sum in my tank for the airplane. Will asdvise of my results.
HC

You mean that "quick check solution" I have is actually overpriced food coloring!?

http://www.fuel-testers.com/quikcheck.html

We need to test this theory.

Went to Albertson's and got my testing equipment will test tomorrow

I wish I thought of that sooner, I would have sold you a bottle of food coloring for only $7.50. Food coloring is basically mostly water, but the alcohol will allow it to mix instead of settling to the bottom of the tube. Another quick check for water or alcohol that I learned in high school chemistry class is to put a small piece of Alca-Seltzer in a sample, if there is any water in the fuel it will form bubbles in a few seconds. This will also check for alcohol because all alcohol fuel has a small amount of water in it as well.

This would be so much easier if someone would just build a good aircraft diesel engine...

Av8r3400 wrote:This would be so much easier if someone would just build a good aircraft diesel engine...

Much easier to spend $45-50K on a new engine vs a few bucks and a few minutes sampling fuel? I think that solution wouldn't scale.

What's wrong with the good old fashioned taste test??

MTV

What's wrong with the old water test? PLus, blue coloring wouldn't work if the fuel being tested was a mix of mogas & blue 100LL (like some people run).

Used the red food coloring and it definitely seemed to work a lot quicker than the water test. And more convenient

Pichers, we need pichers!

Am I doing this right?
Bought some red food coloring, $2. Clean tall glass jar with a lid. First put in some 100% water with a couple drops of food coloring, shake vigorously, let it settle, goes pink.


Try the same with some regular gas. Pump says "may have up to 10% ethanol". Shake vigorously, let it settle and it looks like this. I'm thinking it "might" have a little ethanol.


Last test is on 92 octane car pump gas (higher octanes are less likely to have ethanol). Put two drops of coloring in, shake vigorously, spin it around like water going down a toilet bowl, let it settle. I don't think this sample has any.


What d'y'all think?

Thanks for the pictures I had the same results As your pictures have shown Pretty simple test in my opinion

Karmutzen wrote:.........
Last test is on 92 octane car pump gas (higher octanes are less likely to have ethanol). I don't think this sample has any.

Anybody got a photo of this test being preformed on KNOWN E-zero, or on 100LL?
Are you supposed to just drop it in, shake it up, or ??

I will get a jar and show both types

What's wrong with the old method (gas+water)?

Tested fuel today using the food coloring test and have pictures but I am not smart enough to post them using my iPhone.
Shook both samples vigorously and the good gas will not combine with the food coloring

Nothing wrong with the gas and water method I suppose but the food coloring method is by far quicker and more obvious

This is before I Shook samples vigorously

And this is after Obviously red gas
is the bad gas or alcohol