A question about gasoline

[Libertarian01]

To All,

I have observed that Kmart sells a six (6) gallon red gas can.

I have been thinking about storing a can or two in the trunk of my car for an emergency situation when I couldn't stop at a gas station.

What would be the problems with this, if any? I want to be prepared as possible while on the road but I don't want to lean into any significant of which I may be ignorant.

Also, how long would it store for?

I must use premium gasoline for my car if it makes a difference.

Thanks,

Doug

 

[Andre46996]

Don't do it!!!!!

Fumes can vent into the car... BOOM

You could get into an accident....BOOM

Plastic cans will seep vapor no matter what you do!!

Just overall not a good idea.

 

[IndyBeerman]

To All,

I have observed that Kmart sells a six (6) gallon red gas can.

I have been thinking about storing a can or two in the trunk of my car for an emergency situation when I couldn't stop at a gas station.

What would be the problems with this, if any? I want to be prepared as possible while on the road but I don't want to lean into any significant of which I may be ignorant.

Also, how long would it store for?

I must use premium gasoline for my car if it makes a difference.

Thanks,

Doug

It is not safe to store gas in your trunk, think of yourself, family and people around your vehicle and do not do this.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

What the others have said. Besides, do you know how HOT it gets in there in the summer? And the constant rubbing that will wear holes through the cans quicker than you think.....if you feel the need, install a second DOT approved gas tank with a switch to change over from the main tank to the secondary tank, or even a fuel cell like the ones used in race cars....But have it installed professionally by someone that does it for a living.

 

[shibumiseeker]

The cheap 5 or 6 gallon containers sold at Wallyworld are a very poor choice for storing gasoline in. Storing spare gas in the trunk can have risk, but not certain death as some have made it out to be if it is done properly. A heavily built 1 gallon plastic can sealed tightly and stored towards the front of the vehicle in the trunk and secured so it doesn't rattle around and checked regularly is plenty safe, even in hot weather. I've seen lots of car accidents and anything that would breach it would have also ruptured the vehicle tank. If you are really worried about it, Sigg style fuel bottles used for camping are even more stout and 3-4 of them will get you down the road.

Having said that, I would NOT use the inexpensive 5-6 gallon cans for this purpose. They don't seal well, they puncture or rub through pretty easily, and they don't have enough container integrity to survive an accident.

 

[Mini-14]

To All,

I have observed that Kmart sells a six (6) gallon red gas can.

I have been thinking about storing a can or two in the trunk of my car for an emergency situation when I couldn't stop at a gas station.

What would be the problems with this, if any? I want to be prepared as possible while on the road but I don't want to lean into any significant of which I may be ignorant.

Also, how long would it store for?

I must use premium gasoline for my car if it makes a difference.

Thanks,

Doug

 

[HandK]

Yep!! as others have said you will be caring around a Bomb!! 12 gal of gas would make a good size crater in the ground where you used to be!!

 

[Arm America]

Instead of dragging fuel around, a siphon hose might be a better option
along with some options for bartering.

Trading a couple of $20.00 boxes of shells, case of flashlight batteries,
or a case of granola bars for equal value of fuel comes to mind.

Gets you on down the road and all items that you would be glad to
have purchased if you were to need them yourself.

 

[rimfire_crazed]

Colossally bad idea. You would need a steel can to really contain vapor expansion. Gasoline expands and contracts with teperature flucuations. If i forget to leave the vents open on my boat's plastic fuel tanks and we have a 5-10 degree temperature change overnight, I either come out and find a ballooned tank, a contracted tank, or (once) a boat soaked in fuel spray from where the fill cap let loose. My steel cans self vent - but that will fill your car with gasoline vapor.

 

[IndyBeerman]

The cheap 5 or 6 gallon containers sold at Wallyworld are a very poor choice for storing gasoline in. Storing spare gas in the trunk can have risk, but not certain death as some have made it out to be if it is done properly. A heavily built 1 gallon plastic can sealed tightly and stored towards the front of the vehicle in the trunk and secured so it doesn't rattle around and checked regularly is plenty safe, even in hot weather. I've seen lots of car accidents and anything that would breach it would have also ruptured the vehicle tank. If you are really worried about it, Sigg style fuel bottles used for camping are even more stout and 3-4 of them will get you down the road.

Having said that, I would NOT use the inexpensive 5-6 gallon cans for this purpose. They don't seal well, they puncture or rub through pretty easily, and they don't have enough container integrity to survive an accident.

Really think a heavily built 1 gallon plastic gas can could hold up to a violent rear end impact?

Really?

Then try this, get on a twenty foot tall ladder and throw the darn thing to the ground as hard as you can, watch the top blow off, throw in a hot 120 degree trunk that's going to pressurize it the max and you got a pressurized vapor laden plastic bomb.

Plastic gas cans are not built to be transported full time, they are temporary vessels of storage, gas tanks on the other hand are built to take a hit and have a sub frame structure built around them to help maintain it's integrity.

If you are adamant about extra fuel storage in your trunk, get a small DOT approved puncture resistant self sealing fuel cell.

 

[HandK]

I have relatives that live in the south, they are have to replace the spare tire just about every year, it gets hot enough in the trunk to explode the tire, same thing would happen to the container you have your gas in, as was stated by IndyBeerman!!

 

[shibumiseeker]

Really think a heavily built 1 gallon plastic gas can could hold up to a violent rear end impact?

Really?
.

Yes, REALLY. As well as the tank of the vehicle under similar impact if not better. I've worked HUNDREDS of vehicle accidents.

 

[Cygnus]

I carry one on the Jeep. EMPTY. I only have to fill up if there's another cause for concern and I'm away from home.
I'm recalling the gas lines on 9/11 and at the one open station in my area after the powergrid blackout of 2003.
I would not keep it there full for very long though. Just long enough to get it home.
Long term or everyday? Too big a risk IMO.

 

[MOSSMIND]

The best advice i can give you is to always keep your fuel tank above the 3/4 mark. Unless the SHTF and you are really far from home, most of the time that would get you home. There is no question that if things get real bad barter items may come in handy, but if that don't work an empty can and siphon hose may be your only option. That would be a better than turning your car into a rolling bomb

 

[longbow]

MFC's in the pickup bed secured with straps work ok.

They are DOT rated ( whatever that really means) They are much better than the cheap stuff. I sometimes carry an empty MFC in my car to bring home extra gas.

It's better than hauling gas in a glass one gallon bottle. I still see that now and then......

 

[ThrottleJockey]

It's better than hauling gas in a glass one gallon bottle. I still see that now and then......

Yup, federal crime.

 

[jedi]

OP the best advise was to get your car/truck fitted with a second gas tank with a switch if you are that concerned with having extra gas. But that is costly me would think.

Now as to the question everyone skipped. How long can you store gas?

24 months top before the fuel is going to do more damage to your engine than it's worth provided you use a fuel additive like Deprecated Browser Error

It's not that at month 24 with 1 day the fuel is "spoiled/bad" but more than beyond that time frame the fuel begins to gum up and when you pour it to use it inside your engine while it looks like a liquid it's beginning to be a gel and will gum up your engine. A 1 time use of old fuel is not going to damage your engine beyond repair but you will be doing some damage to it.

Best advise on fuel storage is use the fuel additive double strength (like you are going to store it for 24 months) but use it up at month 12. You can to do some planning in order to use it at month 12 or give it away to your family to use.

 

[feriil]

Thanks for the 24 month info, anyone here know when it starts to lose octane/power/call it what you want?

 

[rimfire_crazed]

Unstabilized e-10 will absorb enough water to lower it's effective octane in approximately 30 days. Non oxygenated fuels will hold up longer.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Thanks for the 24 month info, anyone here know when it starts to lose octane/power/call it what you want?

That depends entirely on how you store it.

I've put together a sort of FAQ out of answers I've given on this
topic. It's not complete, but nothing is.

(how I store)
I have around a thousand gallons stored in 55 gallon drums and a 100 gallon
truck type fuel tank with an electric pump. I have my drums stored in two
different locations a couple hundred feet apart. Both are in 3 sided sheds
that have lots of air circulation on the closed sides. The sheds are in
deep shade. The drums are kept sealed. In one location the drums
are arrayed around the truck tank and I siphon from the drums into the tank.
I started storing fuel in 1988 and have been storing in this manner more or
less for a decade and a half or so.
(storing gas: winter or summer gasoline?)
I store winter gas for a couple of reasons:
First, it is usually cheaper as the summer driving demand slows and refineries
buy more heavy crude (to make heating oil) which usually drops the price of light sweet
crude.
Second, northern states increase the percentage of lighter fractions (butane mostly)
to allow for easier starting in the winter. In a sealed container (I store in sealed 55
gallon drums) this creates a positive pressure in the drum which keeps out oxygen
and water. Don't seal them without a pressure relief valve if you can't keep them
in a deeply shaded location, I've had drums look like carbonated soda when I open
them for the first time in August, it's also a good test of the integrity of the drum,
I tend to notice minute leaks when the pressure rises like that.
The second reason there doesn't apply if you live in a state that doesn't regularly
drop below freezing in the winter.

(Storing gas. 55 gallon drums, plastic or steel?)
First of all, there's no one "plastic". There are lots and lots of different
types of plastics and some are resistant to almost all solvents and some
will disintegrate if you look at them wrong. MOST 55 gallons plastic drums
are made of HDPE and will hold gasoline and diesel just fine short term. Longer
term they are less than optimal. I don't speak from
anecdotal experience, I've been storing gasoline in 55 gallon drums (600-800
gallons) in metal and plastic drums for 15 years now.
Second, not all metal 55 gallon drums are created equal either. Some have heavier
gauge steel than others and some are made of better quality steel. I got lucky ten
years ago and a friend who worked for a chemical company got me heavy gauge steel
drums that used to hold ethyl ether. These have been great, not one leak yet.
I used to use drums that held hydraulic fluid and I would get 3-4 years before they
tended to start developing pinhole leaks (though I have a couple that are ten years
strong and still going).
The weakest plastic drums I had I got about 3 years out of, these held carwash soap
and they problem wasn't gasoline but UV. The sides that were exposed to daylight
(I have open sided sheds) had significant deterioration and developed pinhole
leaks. Note that this is not full sunlight, just ambient daylight as the sheds are
in the shade. I've got some plastic drums that used to hold IPA (isopropyl
alcohol, rubbing alcohol) and they've held up for 5-6 years so far with no problem.
My heavy gauge steel drums are stored sealed, and as such have kept gasoline good
for as much as 2 years with no deterioration. My plastic drums are used for short
term storage (6 months) and are vented since the plastic doesn't handle pressure
as well.
Rust is a minor problem with steel drums, not really so if you keep water
out of them, and regardless, ALL storage can get dirt in them, so a filter
inline with your pump is a very good idea.
My drums are arrayed around 100 gallon truck mount type fuel tanks with
electric pumps and auto shutoff handles (the setup is about $200 for the pump
and handle and well worth it), so I siphon from the drum to the tank and can easily
rotate my stock that way.
(stabilizers)
I don't use stabilizer in the drums. You can, it won't hurt, but if you keep the drums
cool and sealed you won't see problems since most deterioration is caused
by heat and oxygen. ALWAYS use stabilizer for small implement fuel if you aren't
going to use the small engine every couple weeks or so. Gum and varnish
formation is rapid in those small tanks. Also use stabilizer if you are going
to store gas in 5 gallon containers for more than a few months (you can store
longer in the winter than in the summer, heat and oxygen are the main enemies).
(old oil drums)
Get as much oil out as you can. Then take a half gallon of kero or
diesel and rinse. You can then use that to start the brush pile
or mix in with regular kero or diesel in small quantities.
A little oil in the gas won't hurt small engines or older cars, but some
newer cars can have the O2 sensor messed up.
Then you're GTG. If you have to store the drums in the open without a roof
on them tilt the drums a little to allow water to run off the top and
not pond around the bungs (this is a good idea even if you do have a roof
over them.
Good luck! Rotate your fuel regularly and buy a little more when it is cheap
and a little less when it goes way up. Make the suction tube on your pump
a little short to leave the bottom quarter of the drum untouched and this
will keep you from sucking up dirt and water and will give you an emergency
reserve. Once a year or two completely empty the drums and flush out
water and dirt.