Posted: 6/11/2009 10:40:08 AM EDT
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There is a lot of talk today about gas and prices going up so I'm just wondering about safely storing gas. What is the best way to store gas? Approved gas cans could store small amounts and stabilizer would keep it fresh for a while. How long would it store? What about larger amounts - 55 gallon drum? I have an attached 'carriage garage' where I keep the lawnmowers, trimmers, etc and a couple of gas cans for those in there now. I don't like the idea of gas inside the house (garage) and I'm thinking of getting a plastic garden storage cabinet and moving the gas outside. In my personal situation we cannot have What other considerations are there? |
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Heat and temperature changes are the rapid aging factors. Metal is best as there are some photoreactive components BUT the problem of corrosion needs to be addressed, both inside and out. Stainless steel is best although tin-plated steel is good. Those plastic buildings get hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Best bet? Concrete masonry units with filled cores. Build the roof with plenty of ventilation to keep heat buildup down. If CMU construction is ugly, they make a dry stack bonding stucco with treated glass fiber in it, these look like stucco since it is and once the cores are filled, wall strength is the same. |
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Check out your local fire codes. Most jurisdictions don't allow you to store more than 25 gallons of gasoline/Coleman Fuel/flammable solvents on the property. Those same codes prohibit more than 10 gallons in the garage.
I think you can store up to 60 gallons of diesel and up to 25 gallons (5 tanks) of propane, too. |
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Current price: $2.15/gal
Future price, if things get completely wacky: $5.00 +/- Ammount you stand to save, approximately, if you store fuel: ~$3.00/gal. Maximum you could reasonably store: 50 gallons +/-? Approximate savings: $150 Cost of one 5-gallon gas can: Appx. $15 Cost to purchase storage containers: $150 Not to pee in your SHTF cheerios, I'm just saying. 
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If you want to store gasoline come with me.
I store 50 gallons of gasoline at all times for emergencies, and 20 gallons for lawn mowers, and other power equipment. This is how I do it: 1. purchase many of these. Or sometimes on sportmansguide you can find good used nato cans. 2. fill with the type of gasoline you want, I always use the lowest grade and have had no issues. Others state to get the highest grade. Your choice, it is your money. 3. use a fuel stabilizer and dose the fuel for 2 years. This is the type I use, and it has not failed me yet. 4. make some cardboard or heavy paper labels to attach to the gasoline cans. Document on this the octane and the dates of done, and expires. When middle TN last year had their "gas shortage" my wife and I did not get impacted by it. Also even though I add enough stabalizer for a 2 year set, I rotate (use in my truck and suv) the fuel every 18 months. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. |
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Quoted:
Current price: $2.15/gal Future price, if things get completely wacky: $5.00 +/- Ammount you stand to save, approximately, if you store fuel: ~$3.00/gal. Maximum you could reasonably store: 50 gallons +/-? Approximate savings: $150 Cost of one 5-gallon gas can: Appx. $15 Cost to purchase storage containers: $150 Not to pee in your SHTF cheerios, I'm just saying. Lots of people last year in middle TN would have probably hurt you if you said something like that to them. story 1 story 2 Link to web site where people were discussing the shortage |
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Quoted:
Current price: $2.15/gal Future price, if things get completely wacky: $5.00 +/- Ammount you stand to save, approximately, if you store fuel: ~$3.00/gal. Maximum you could reasonably store: 50 gallons +/-? Approximate savings: $150 Cost of one 5-gallon gas can: Appx. $15 Cost to purchase storage containers: $150 Not to pee in your SHTF cheerios, I'm just saying. I think most of us do this because of availability not cost saving. |
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Quoted:
Hang out in the survival forum in the outdoors area. You will learn more than you ever wanted to. http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=17&t=624335 |
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Quoted: Now maybe if we can talk the ammo whores into becoming fuel whores, ammo prices will come down??  Could this be the OP's master plan?  I am an evil, evil man! Heh heh heh!  Thanks for all the input guys! Glad to see I'm not the only one too. ETA: great thread PARover! Thanks! |
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Ok what about those metal cans vs. the plastic USGI fuel cans? Is it that the metal cans will not breakdown over the long term? I cannot remember a case of the USGI cans breaking down. The plastic ones will swell, the steel ones won't. It is not a big deal, but I prefer the steel. |
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I bought (8) Swiss, like-new steel NATO cans last week and filled 4 of them up at lunchtime when it was in the mid-80's here. I kept them in my trunk for several hours; all had perfect seals and I didn't smell one bit of fumes in my car or its trunk. Every plastic can I've had before these leaked fumes. |
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Quoted:
Ok what about those metal cans vs. the plastic USGI fuel cans? Is it that the metal cans will not breakdown over the long term? I cannot remember a case of the USGI cans breaking down. Quoted:
Quoted:
Ok what about those metal cans vs. the plastic USGI fuel cans? Is it that the metal cans will not breakdown over the long term? I cannot remember a case of the USGI cans breaking down. The plastic ones will swell, the steel ones won't. It is not a big deal, but I prefer the steel. Quoted:
I bought (8) Swiss, like-new steel NATO cans last week and filled 4 of them up at lunchtime when it was in the mid-80's here. I kept them in my trunk for several hours; all had perfect seals and I didn't smell one bit of fumes in my car or its trunk. Every plastic can I've had before these leaked fumes. Plastic (HDPE) is not good for long term storage. It is permeable to gasoline unless it the HDPE is treated (florinated) or multilayer with EVOH layered in to resist permiation. Metal is better on the permeation end, however unfortunately rusts, causing leakage problems. Store metal accordingly. ETA: wanted to make clear it is the HDPE that needs to be treated for permeation issues and not the gasoline. |
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i started storing gas., we have lost power twice in 6 months, once for 7 days and once for 16 days. gas and kerosene were hard to find for about a week.... we bought two generators, and im keeping the fuel for the generators, kerosene heaters, and vehicles....i wont be out hunting fuel again......... i bought three 18 wheeler fuel tanks. 2, -150 gallon tanks, and 1- 100 gallon tank. the two 150 gallon tanks are for gasoline, and the 100 gallon tank is for kerosene. i took the original mounts and welded them into stands. the tanks cost me $50.00 bucks each. i have 1- 150 gallon tank half full right now, with staybil. im adding fuel about 20 gallons at a time. i want to fill them right now, but $$$ is tight, and thats not a option. it sucks cause gas was about 1.50 a gallon a few months back, and now its back up to 2.50 a gallon, i want to fill them while its still reasonably cheap.......
im just filling them, adding staybil, and then a fuel additive to treat for water. im going to fill them to about 4 inches from full, to allow for expansion, and then rotate gas once they are full. ill take about 15 gallons at a time and rotate through my truck/atv/mower etc, and replace with fresh gas. im going to build a out building around the tanks, that has a lot of ventilation, for protection from the weather, and to protect from theives...the outbuilding.. ( fence??), will be to hide the tanks and provide security for them from the weather, and gas theives. the fuel tanks are aluminum, and the caps are brass.... which is good for not having sparks, and corrosion, but sucks if you want to weld together something to lock the tanks. im thinking about making a cap cover, that goes around the tank with steel strap, and locks with a padlock........... its a ongoing project.. not perfect, but im happy with it so far. ..... yes i know i cant weld a tank with fuel in it....this would be a removable locking device.. 
you can get a 300 gallon tank from craigs list for around 1-300 bucks if you keep your eyes out. ...... |