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WHO 13 NEWS – Anyone getting their boat ready for the summer or tuning up the lawn mower should stick with regular unleaded.

The EPA has not approved E15 use in boats, motorcycles, lawn mowers, and other small engines.

Mechanics saw putting the higher blend of ethanol in those can cause problems, especially for lawn mowers and snow blowers. That’s because the machines often sit for months without being used.

“The fuel evaporates and leaves behind all the makeup in the fuel and clogs up passageways inside the carburetor to where they don’t run properly or they don’t start easily,” Troy Behrens, with Van Wall Equipment, said. “So we’re replacing carburetors on a regular basis.”

Behrens said the shelf life on most fuel, without special treatment, is only about 30 days.