Ask The Editors: Is There Bacteria in my Gasoline?

After digging around and making multiple phone calls we have (much to our own amazement) discovered that there are indeed strains of bacteria and fungus that can thrive in petrol. In fact these are the primary culprits in causing major damage to the Alaskan Oil Fields back in 2006.

How can an organism survive in the toxic soup that is gasoline you wonder? Apparently it grows in the water pockets within the fuel and feeds on elements like sulfur.

However, and encouraging for our industry, this problem is a lot more common with diesel fuel (particularly bio-based) and tends to affect fuel stored in year-round warm climates. There is in fact a product known as biocide that can be added to affected fuel to keep the growth at bay.

In the very unlikely event that some microbes are sliming up the fuel in your quad’s tank, removing the water from the fuel is the most effective way to evict the trespassers: a capful of dry case would be a good place to start and draining the tank and replacing it with fresh fuel should work if that fails.

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