How do you all store gasoline?

[CMJeepster 2,777]

If you're keeping gasoline in your generator or other equipment, the most damage is done when gasoline evaporates from the carburetor leaving thick, gummy residue behind.  This eventually hardens into what I've heard referred to as "varnish".      I've never experienced gas that goes bad and I grew up on a farm where we had dozens of different kinds of gasoline equipment - some of which would sit for years unused.   I have experienced problems with gummy residue and varnish in carburetors.

 

When I'm storing something with a full tank I turn off the fuel petcock and run the generator until it stalls from lack of gas.  I then crank the engine a few times while spraying WD40 into the carburetor's air intake to lightly lube everything since there isn't any gasoline to prevent corrosion or rust.

I turn off the petcock and let the carbs run dry to avoid this as I saw firsthand before Sandy when my neighbor's generator didn't work because his fuel went bad after sitting & not being started for 1 year.

[raz-0 1,259]

I have 3 cans with that spout. Only one spout works the other two leak as you pour. Real PITA

 

Ditto for my experience. do not like the the springy push/pull/twist spout. The fire extinguisher like spouts are still awkward, but do seem to function as intended rather than simply leak and break. 

[jtd771 18]

I too turn off the fuel valve and let the generator starve itself off.  I make sure that all loads have been disconnected prior to doing this.  My only question is, does it do any harm or cause any excess wear to the alternator or voltage regulator doing this?  At least for me, in the final seconds before it dies out the engine will surge and sputter and I'm wondering if this erratic performance could cause an issue down the road.

[T Bill 649]

None whatsoever.  The voltage output is governed by the speed of the engine RPMs.  Most are set on the high side. I have lowered my RPMs to keep output at about 125V. More than enough for todays equipment.  House voltage can be as low as 113-117V on average.  Most appliances can run safely at 108V.

[Porthole 15]

I want to keep a few 5 gallon cans on hand.  What is the best way to store containers of this crappy ethanol gasoline, and how long will they last?  

 

The best method I've heard so far is to use stabilizer formulated for the ethanol gas, and to keep cans filled to the top and sealed to minimize the amount of air (and moisture) inside the can.  I'm curious to see other's ideas and solutions for gasoline storage.

 

How much do you think you need to store? What are you using it for, generator?

 

Couple of options

 

Gas cans with ethanol specific fuel stabilizers. West Marine has plenty of this stuff.

Just rotate the fuel out yearly.

 

http://www.fueltool.com/trucksvans/

 

We use this on all of our fired department small engines.

http://www.toolfuel.com/

 

Pricey, but if you hardly ever use your generator, this works great for keeping it ready to go.

[Hooligan 0]

^^^ I'm going to keep at least two or three 5-gallon cans for the generator and cars (and lawn mower, trimmer, etc.  Very small yard.) plus 5 gallons of kerosene for a heater and maybe a lamp. The consensus seems to be that a sealed, stabilized container of gasoline will keep for about a year before it should get used up and replaced.  Lots of good info, guys, thanks.

[PeteF 1,044]

Ahh drilling a hole for an air ve

nt is a good idea...  Is there any specific area to do it, or a valve that you should use as well?  Those new cans def do not pour well at all with no vent..

Get valve stems from Walmart. Remove the valve part of the stem.

 

IIRC you drill a 1/2 inch hole in the can, put the stem in the hole and seal the stem to can with some shoe goo.

 

Remove the valve stem cap to let air in and put it back on to seal the can.

 

Works great. 5 gal into the car in less than a minute.

 

There is a video on utube. Look for "fixing a gas can"

[Fred2 367]

Most people don't know that you can buy race fuel its expensive but doesn't contain ethanol on average it will last years on its own. I have used it for gensets for years no issues. Don't believe me do a little research you will be surprised.

 

Race Fuel, LL Avgas , as well as driving to PA to buy Ethanol Free fuel are all good options for small engine fuel.

 

Ethanol in fuel is the work of the devil.

[Porthole 15]

There is a video on utube. Look for "fixing a gas can"

 

Still fortunate enough to still have several of the old fashioned vented types.

Never thought to do what is referneced here. With a metal valve stem cap this is probalb y better then the old style vnets that had caps that crack.

 

Good tip

 

Fist YouTube link is way detailed - more so then needed, but .............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lcnwdIYEfI

[Night Prowler 0]

Kubota makes a 5 gallon can that works great. They kind of look like a race gas can. Doesn't leak, drip and the spout doesn't break off. Pricey but it's the only can I have found that meets all the stupid gas can laws. If I have one of the old cans in a commercial vehicle and get stopped by DOT it's a $100 a can fine.

[Night Prowler 0]

Kubota makes a 5 gallon can that works great. They kind of look like a race gas can. Doesn't leak, drip and the spout doesn't break off. Pricey but it's the only can I have found that meets all the stupid gas can laws. If I have one of the old cans in a commercial vehicle and get stopped by DOT it's a $100 a can fine.

[mipafox 438]

Multiple 5 gal cans.  I mow 1-1/2 acres so I have plenty of opportunity to rotate my stock through my mower.

 

I keep 5 cans full at all times - empties go in the back of my truck and get filled the next time I'm at the gas station.

Are you mowing your lawn twice a day? It takes me a month to go through a 2.5 gallon can.

[ryan_j 0]

I use the 5 gallon poly cans. Just keep them full, do not vent them and use stabilizer. I use Sta-Bil marine formula.

 

You need to be mindful about two things - oxidation and moisture. Keeping as little air inside the container helps slow both of those things. 

 

I keep 30 gallons plus the generator (4.5 gallons). I can go non-stop for 24 hours on 10 gallons. Realistically in a multi-day outage I'll keep my generator on about 4-8 hours. After Sandy I avoided the gas lines by going to different gas stations, some out of state. I paid more in PA and NY with their high gas tax but at least I was still able to get it!

[Newtonian 453]

Normally I keep it in this 18.7 gallon rupture proof tank, I keep it hidden behind the rear axle of my car....

 

serious note, Gasoline is not a good thing to keep hanging around for long periods of time, goes stale even with stabilizer after a while and it is very volatile as opposed to diesel. 

Well, you can rotate it say every year. Just dump the container into your tank, refill it. 

[JonF 79]

I just looked in my shed recently and noticed one of my empty 5 gal cans has "imploded". I guess it was bloated from the summer heat with the gasses expanding, then contracted from the winter cold and it sucked the sides in so far, there are creases around the perimeter. Never thought it would be so severe as i generally keep the cap cracked open slightly to accomodate for temp fluctuations expansion. Any way to rehab this can and blow it back out safely?

[wooly bugger 1]

How much do you think you need to store? What are you using it for, generator?

 

Couple of options

 

Gas cans with ethanol specific fuel stabilizers. West Marine has plenty of this stuff.

Just rotate the fuel out yearly.

 

http://www.fueltool.com/trucksvans/

 

We use this on all of our fired department small engines.

http://www.toolfuel.com/

 

Pricey, but if you hardly ever use your generator, this works great for keeping it ready to go.

I'm intrigued by toolfuel. Does it really have "infinite shelf life?" (where infinite == 5 year or so?) I see there's a distributor in NJ.

[Porthole 15]

I'm intrigued by toolfuel. Does it really have "infinite shelf life?" (where infinite == 5 year or so?) I see there's a distributor in NJ.

 

I put up the wrong name with the stuff we are currently using.

This is what we use now:

http://www.vp-sef.com/

[Porthole 15]

I just looked in my shed recently and noticed one of my empty 5 gal cans has "imploded". I guess it was bloated from the summer heat with the gasses expanding, then contracted from the winter cold and it sucked the sides in so far, there are creases around the perimeter. Never thought it would be so severe as i generally keep the cap cracked open slightly to accomodate for temp fluctuations expansion. Any way to rehab this can and blow it back out safely?

 

 

Plastic jug? It will "grow" back when it warms ups.

 

Personally I would never leave the cap loos to accommodate temp fluctuations. That will definitely give you a moisture problem in your fuel as well as a real chance of contaminating the fuel in general.

[JonF 79]

I definitely leeave it loose enough in the summer to "vent" when pressure builds, but not enough to spill or let moisture in.

[Porthole 15]

I definitely leeave it loose enough in the summer to "vent" when pressure builds, but not enough to spill or let moisture in.

 

If it is loose enough to vent - it is loose enough to let moisture in.

 

If it is expanding too much pop the cap when it has expanded and then put it right back on. It won't hr the plastic tank if it shrinks some once it cools off. But leaving the cap loos is bad for several reasons.

[Tom609 27]

Normally I keep it in this 18.7 gallon rupture proof tank, I keep it hidden behind the rear axle of my car....

 

serious note, Gasoline is not a good thing to keep hanging around for long periods of time, goes stale even with stabilizer after a while and it is very volatile as opposed to diesel. 

This makes the most sense. Between the car and the truck, keeping the tanks near filled gives me 35 - 40 gallons of fresh gas on hand in an emergency.  All I need is a long length of clear tubing and I'm in business.

[Night Prowler 0]

This makes the most sense. Between the car and the truck, keeping the tanks near filled gives me 35 - 40 gallons of fresh gas on hand in an emergency. All I need is a long length of clear tubing and I'm in business.

Just remember some of newer cars have anti syphon devices installed in them. Might be something you want to look into.

 

 

 

[maintenanceguy 510]

I can't siphon out of my truck.

 

I really don't see the fear of keeping gas in gas cans.  Millions of gas cans are in storage right now in the US - probably hundreds of millions.  How many news stories have you seen of a gas can bursting, exploding, or catching on fire.

[CMJeepster 2,777]

Just remember some of newer cars have anti syphon devices installed in them. Might be something you want to look into.

I thought it was a check valve to prevent backflow if the vehicle rolled over?

[Tom609 27]

Hmmm, something to check...thanks.

[Night Prowler 0]

I thought it was a check valve to prevent backflow if the vehicle rolled over?

In addition to or combined with check valve.

 

 

 

[Zeke 5,504]

Ck your vehicle. A better setup in an emergency is to disconnect the fuel line coming from the tank.

Turn to "run" and let the pump push out the fuel.

 

Better than "gas mouf"

[maintenanceguy 510]

I've drained fuel tanks on salvage vehicles by cutting the fuel line and using the fuel pump to pump the tank dry.  If you've got a good battery, you can walk away and let the pump do the work but It takes forever (can be more than an hour).  I have had to splice into splice into the pump wiring to keep the pump running.    Besides, doing this in a snow storm or hurricane doesn't sound like fun.  And if an emergency comes up that requires me to leave where I am, I don't want to have to put the family car back together (with an empty fuel tank) before we go.

 

I want full fuel cans AND a full gas tank.

[302w 83]

Depending on the vehicle you can set the fuel pump to just run indefinitely. You can use the testing block on OBD1 Fords to do this.

[MrWolf 0]

I also use the marine stabilizer - lasts longer.