[anmut]

The good news is that I found a local fuel company that will sell me premix 87 octane gasoline (no ethanol!) for just a few cents over the regular E10 mix. They also sell, for $30, a brand new 55 gallon drum for storing said fuel.

Alright! So now I just have to figure out where I should store this potential bomb. I'm not really keen on having it in the garage. I'm thinking of building a small off-the-ground shelter for it in the back yard.

How are y'all storing large volumes of gas?

 

[tstone712]

Remember that the only flammable par of gasoline storage is the fuel vapors in the container so if you have 500 gallons with zero vaporized fuel it would be safer (generally speaking) than a 50 gallon drum half full of liquid fuel with 50% vapors. Will the drum be steel or poly?

 

[Post18guy]

i'd consider separating this into several 5-6 gallon containers that can be with a little effort loaded into a vehicle at a moment's notice vs having to pump it out at need. Also under the "all you eggs in one basket" scenario a leak in your drum could leave in a lurch when you really need it. Also consider using PRI-G for long term storage and periodic retreatment to keep fuel fresh and from breaking down. This is my current practice.
Hope this helps.

 

[anmut]

Thanks guys - to answer the questions: Yes, the 55g will be completely topped off and sealed. Drum is steel. I already have a good collection of 6g cans for the out of dodge situation, this is a supplemental storage for the home generator. PRI-G is already in play.

 

[McGuyversurvivor]

I always wondered why guys wishing to store fuel do not just go to the Auto Salvage yards and purchase gas tanks

they apparently are safe enough to park in our driveways and garages and traipse all over the country with..
and most have electric pumps in them that I suppose could be used to transfer the fuel to your vehicle

I am considering getting such a tank,, like my Ford van has (34 gallons) or 2 of them and affixing them to my little 4 by 8 deck trailer , so I can tow it to the station to fill up

 

[anmut]

I always wondered why guys wishing to store fuel do not just go to the Auto Salvage yards and purchase gas tanks

they apparently are safe enough to park in our driveways and garages and traipse all over the country with..
and most have electric pumps in them that I suppose could be used to transfer the fuel to your vehicle

I am considering getting such a tank,, like my Ford van has (34 gallons) or 2 of them and affixing them to my little 4 by 8 deck trailer , so I can tow it to the station to fill up

You know that's a good damn idea... and just thinking that I already have ~ 60gal of gasoline stored in my garage at anyone time makes a little more at ease.

 

[MikeK]

Back when I was storing gas (I store diesel now), I kept drums sealed and in a shed in the back yard. The sealed drums give off no vapor, and my shed was fairly drafty anyway.

 

[MarkRB]

I always wondered why guys wishing to store fuel do not just go to the Auto Salvage yards and purchase gas tanks

they apparently are safe enough to park in our driveways and garages and traipse all over the country with..
and most have electric pumps in them that I suppose could be used to transfer the fuel to your vehicle

I am considering getting such a tank,, like my Ford van has (34 gallons) or 2 of them and affixing them to my little 4 by 8 deck trailer , so I can tow it to the station to fill up

That's an EXCELLENT idea! Thanks!!

 

[wildnsweet]

I hapoen to live in River, have gas on dock, in case of combustion, it will fall into water, not nice for the fish, but I feel safer.

 

[wildnsweet]

*happen to live next to river

 

[packeteer]

gents, I was under the impression gasoline (petrol) goes off after a few months

how can you store for an extended period?

 

[vibeline]

I buy race gas drums from a local speed shop for $30, thay are supposed to be thicker than regular steel drums.
I have been storing gas in them for years.
Fill it to the rim..
I use PRI-D or PRI-G stabilizer.
After 2 years of storage the fuel does not smell old and burns fine.
I keep it under my deck (that is attached to my house)
make your little shed in the shade if possible.

Cheers

 

[calandman]

Anyone know of no ethanol gas for sale in Southern California? I'm thinking maybe airports may sell good gas. Also anyone know the years of Chevy Suburbans which had I think 45 gallon tanks? Think I will go to the local junkyard in search of one.

 

[tom42]

Old junkyard tanks will probably be rusting out inside, from condensate.

 

[epc2012]

Automobile gasoline does tend to deteriorate after a prolonged period unless stirred from time to time and even then it still wont be as efficient as when you put it in the said barrel. Diesel would be a safer bet. Also so long as the environment isn't below a certain temperature you can literally drive a diesel vehicle on used fryer grease( know of any fast food places around) gasoline just has several factors you have to keep watch on for prolonged storage

 

[Wolfsbane]

Haven't looked at one in a while, but J.C. Whitney used to have replacement gas tanks for all sorts of trucks and vans for sale in their catalog. Wouldn't be nearly as cheap but they would be in pristine condition.

Old junkyard tanks will probably be rusting out inside, from condensate.

 

[longrangedog]

Does no ethanol gas need added preservative? I was under the impression that it didn't.

 

[dandasarge]

Never thought of the truck tanks. Thats a dang good idea. And you can have a pump with no mod. Awesome idea really. I use a house propane tank. Figured if it will hold one it will hold the other.

 

[tatkinsh]

This site is from Justrite Mfg. They manufacture all sorts of flammable liquid safe handling equipment.
http://www.justritemfg.com/products/drum-funnels-and-equipment/drum-equipment-for-hazardous-liquids/safety-drum-vents/
For the sake of your family and your neighbors buy a drum vent. A Underwriters Laboratory listed drum vent will prevent any over pressure condition that would cause the drum to rupture when exposed to fire. If an unvented drum is exposed to fire the pressure within the drum will build until the drum ruptures. The resultant Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion or BLEVE will ignite everything within a hundred feet or so of the drums location. A light weight metal shed is a good shelter for storing the drum and similar flammable liquids. If you want to be thorough about your safety then have one panel of the shed merely sitting in place such as on un-nutted bolts but chained at one edge with several inches of chain. In the event of a vapor flash within the shed that panel flies off and pivots on the chains releasing the pressure and minimizing the damage to the containers stored within.

The vents are designed to release pressure only. They will not allow the drum to ingest moist air to contaminate the fuel. The addition of a fuel stabilizer will permit the gasoline to be stored for a year or more. When the time comes simply rotate the fuel by using it in your vehicles and replace with fresh fuel and new stabilizer.

If you are trying to plan to survive then including precautions against ordinary accident should be part of your preps.

--
Tom

 

[cowboybart]

If you live rural stored gas and diesel is a way of life. The nearest station is 36 miles away. I keep 300 gal of gas and 800g of diesel around. The cheapest time to buy gas is now or in the spring. The cheapest time to buy diesel is Aug/Sept. This is due to fuel blends and market supply and demand. I go thru 300 gal of gas in 6 months so I usually don't add a preservative. In you scenario I would, even in the absence of ethanol. In a perfect world it would be stored in a temp controlled environment. W/O that please keep it out of sunlight. Sunlight will heat it enough to cause it to expand and cause your tank seem to split!! I have filled my vented 300 gal tank in the evening, only to find the next day at 2PM gas flowing out the vent because it had expanded and exceeded the tanks volume. I put some in 5 gal tanks immediately, but still had the smell of gas for several days (nobody smokes on my property).
Diesel will store a little better but in the fall and spring when night to day temps can swing 40*, it will collect water. Water separation filters help but the best thing to do is pull your fuel 1-2" off the bottom and not try to get the last drop.
Good luck finding a hand pump that doesn't drip. An outfit in KS (GPI - I think) makes the best. If you empty and refill a lot (3-5 times a year) the stress from using a hand pump will cause hairline cracks and metal fatigue in the top of your drum. You won't notice this until your drum is in the rain/snow and water gets into your fuel - yes, I speak from experience!!
I usually fill 5 drums at a time (anymore and the steering on my p/u gets squirrelly), bring it home and transfer it to my bulk tank via Harbor Freight's air operated pump. The pump works great and is only $40 or so. It does require a compressor that can be regulated down to about 10psi. The electric pumps work but are around $120-$220, so I went the air route. Takes about 8-10 min to empty 55 gal.