Does anyone out there know how fuel conditioner works? I have a sled that holds 35 gallons of gas. Whenever I fill up, sometimes I have fuel conditioner with me, sometimes I don't. In the middle of the season, I don't worry about adding conditioner, in between seasons, I try to make sure that I have conditioner in the gas. This means that I have some variable amount of the conditioner in there, either more, or more likely, less than the recommended amount per gallon of gas.

So, my question is, if you have less than the recommended amount per gallon, does one get partial protection, reasonable protection, no protection? If I put less than the recommended amount in, am I just throwing money away? If I put too much in, am I putting the boat at risk?

I use the Mercury Fuel Stabilizer, not just the water absorber stuff.

I use a product called Stor-N-Start. I buy it in 32oz. jugs. It's rare that I run out but if I don't have enough I still dump it in.I think it would have to give some protection, and I don't think intentionally adding more is gonna do any harm,just a waste of $$$. My boat never sits long enough for the gas to go stale anyways, I just like the added peace of mind that it will start,after I've driven halfway across the state to go hunting or fishing.

I just looked in the garage and found an old bottle of stabilizer I used to use in my jetskis. This bottle says to use 1oz. per gallon for up to 1 months storage. It also says for up to 6 months storage use 2oz. per gallon. That also leads me to believe that you still get some protection if you don't use enough.

Gasoline is a very unstable fuel. Conditioners are used to keep the fuel from breaking down so quickly. I suppose to help keep the fuel from forming varnish and gum deposits. Also help the fuel burn better later. I've tried using gas both ways. In one generator, I've left fuel in for a year at a time and after around three years I noticed that the generator without the conditioner didn't run as well as the one I added conditioner to. Even though I changed the fuel and added cleaner, it doesn't clean out the varnish or gum buildup to help clean out the carb. I'd recommend adding the conditioner if you're going to store the fuel for any length of time. Doesn't hurt to add some RingFree also to keep carbon deposit form forming. Yamaha makes a excellent product. I've had great experience with all my outboards.