We are always told to drain gasoline from lawnmowers and such when they will not be used over the winter because the gas can polymerize and leave varnish-like deposits inside the works. Is this also true of Coleman fluid that is used in white-gas stove? I still have most of a gallon of the stuff that I bought years ago - I just don't use it up that quickly. Also, I am not in the habit fo draining fuel tanks and bottles. Any problem with that?
I think the motor fuel in lawn equipment goes bad because it's exposed to the atmoshere. I doubt it's formulated for long term storage either. I have several unopened gallon cans of Coleman fuel on a shelf and they seem to keep nearly indefinitely. I have an open one I've been drawing from and it seems all right. The stoves I fire with that fuel burn well. Just today I found a Svea 123 I had forgotten on a back shelf for years. I lit it with the stale Coleman fuel that's been sitting in it and it fired up and burned quite nicely. Take this with a grain of salt, all I have is experience. No empirical information. Nordicthug
I'd have to concur with Thug, here. Coleman just doesn't seem to break down as quickly as auto fuel...might be all the additives in it. Case in point... I just found a SVEA 123 a friend at work had. He had upgraded years ago to a Coleman 502 and had left the svea back on a back shelf. He brought it in, and it was CRUSTY! If you didn't know their was brass underneath it all, you would have swore it was a stove made out of burnt Spagetti-O's residue. I popped the cap on it, and it was full of fuel. He about fell down, said he was sure he'd drained it back when he last used it...about 20 to 25 years ago as near as he can remember. I figured it'd be varnish and sludge inside the valve being that old. As soon as I got home, I cracked the valve and held it above a lantern I had going. It oozed a little fuel, so I primed it with HEET and lit it. It burned like it had been lit everyday for the last 20 years. So my feeling is that Coleman stays pretty good as long as you don't get moisture or rust in the can. But don't let your son fill your Coleman can up with unleaded fuel for his 4-wheeler and not tell you (don't ask...)
I inherited a Primus 71L from South Africa - not used from around 1974 until 2003. The fuel inside was green - maybe the colour of Coleman fuel anyway - and looked fine. I drained it, replaced it with Shellite and the stove was fine. There was no sign of polymerization. On the other hand, I had horrible varnishing with kero in an old Tilley lamp. It may depend on the source of the crude whether ther are hydrocarbons with double bonds that can polymerize - I can't see straight chain alkanes doing much.
Don't know about the keeping qualities of Coleman fuel but I have some experience of kero. Occasionally I get lanterns which have pink paraffin still in them. This was a brand-name that went out of production years ago - 1960s/70s at a guess but I might be wrong. Being curious, I wondered if it would still burn - it does, no bother, even neat. Now, I usually mix it about 50/50 with fresh kero in a jug, filtering it before I put it back in the lantern. This is due to the crud that accumulates in tanks over the years and nothing to do with fuel degradation. Exposure to oxygen in the air and the degree of saturatedness of the fuel will each play an important part in determining the amount of degradation with age. Also the more volatile fractions in the fuel will evaporate over time if open to the air. This is what happens to petrol / gasoline left in a car tank for lengthy periods. The tanks are vented to the air and the lighter fractions escape.
I have used Coleman for almost 40 years and have stored unopened cans for several years. My experience is that Coleman in unopened cans will smell fresh as new for several years, don't know if there is a time limit. Opened cans will change smell after several years and seems to burn slightly less well than fresh but still seems OK. The only times I have had trouble with Coleman is with really old fuel that had been in a stove for a long time with multiple times of "topping up" the tank. It smelled strange, not sure how to describe and it burned kind of yellow and sputtery. If you throw away fuel that smells bad and replace with fresh, my experience is that the stove will work like new. I am guessing that water was absorbed everytime I opened the tank to top it up. I have also noticed the funny smell in old opened cans of fuel. I have never noticed bad varnish with Coleman, even in my 8R that I have had since 1968 and which has had fuel off and on stored in the tank several years at a time. It is good fuel in my opinion, don't know about the cheap generic knockoffs. Kero does have a problem at least in my experience with growing fungus, kind of like greyish clear jelly. Jim Henderson
The issue you’re referring to with gasoline is mainly due to the presence of unsaturated hydrocarbons and additives that oxidize over time, forming gums and varnish-like deposits. These residues are what clog carburetors and fuel passages after long storage. Coleman fuel (white gas / naphtha) is much more refined and contains far fewer reactive components, so it is significantly more stable than automotive gasoline. That’s why it stores better and is preferred for stoves and lanterns. However, even white gas is still a light hydrocarbon. With long exposure to air and temperature cycles, slow oxidation can still occur, and very thin deposits may form over extended periods, especially in small fuel passages, valves, and seals. One often overlooked factor is the effect on fuel lines and seals. Older fuel residues can harden or affect certain rubber or plastic components over time if the material is not chemically resistant to hydrocarbons. So while Coleman fuel is far less prone to “varnishing” than gasoline, draining or refreshing fuel after long storage is still a good practice — particularly to protect internal components and tubing from gradual degradation.
@irtubes welcome, CCS is great that you can comment 22 years later. +1 w/Ed. Yours is a helpful 1st post, well done thank you. AI indicates "Naphtha ...begins to polymerize and form gum at temperatures above 450°F" Let us assume that is part AI slop and context is certainly not camp stove fuel storage. It does note heat exposure as factor which is absent in above comments [fwiw heat exposure degrades pump gasoline. 1 year exposed to temps of the elements will degrade pump gasoline]. CF /Coleman Fuel is MUCH more stable, 4 years on a shelf is a non-issue (10+ yrs it still might be a-ok. I join member's anecdotes where that was the case). "Heat exposure" (absent in comments above) is however what prompts me to post. Heat exposure in the many regions that have summer season with temps of 80-100f+. I add to comments above: > store containers in a "cool dry place" (true w/so many things). > avoid exposure to high temps (ideal is 60ish avoid 80+ if/when you can). > A. along w/high temps, store in place to minimize temp differences. Example on hot days my *garage floor (bottom shelf) is MUCH cooler than a middle or top shelf [on hottest days you can find the areas that stay cooler. *my shed floor (4" above ground) does not stay as cool as garage floor (on the ground)] > B. full containers (not necessarily unopened) preserve fuel better. A & B minimize negative effect of condensation (another problem for metal fuel containers aside from gum /lacquer). 3333 views
I wrote Coleman about this last year (can't find the reply now) IIRC they said 5 years for an un-opened can and 3years for an opened can. From experience most of us can vouch for a lot longer useful life than that.
A friend gave me a half gallon of Coleman he found at a yard sale. It had the original price tag of $5 on it from a store that closed down maybe 20 years ago. It looked clear and I tried it in an Opti 111B. Ran fine but I didn't want to take a chance using the rest of it so disposed of the remainder.
Filtering before use is actually a very practical habit. Even when the fuel itself remains chemically stable, microscopic oxidation by-products or container debris over many years can end up in the fuel path. These are usually invisible but can settle in generator tubes, valves, and small passages. A simple paper or mesh filter while pouring can prevent that, especially with very old fuel. In industrial settings where naphtha and similar light hydrocarbons are stored long-term, filtration before use is often standard practice for exactly this reason — not because the fuel “went bad,” but to protect small passages and seals from trace residues. Interesting to see the same principle apply here with camp stoves.
