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The vp racing cans are great and you get no smell with them. I'd keep them full every hurricane season and once a month dump them in your car and refill them, that way it's always fresh.

You can get portable marine fuel tanks in any size you want and they also do a good job at keeping the fuel vapors from leaking out. But keep in mind, anything more than a 10 gallon tank is hard to carry. They make a 25 gallon tank on wheels called a gas buddy that marine stores sell and it's another option. I wouldn't store gas under my house. I would try to build a small, vented structure to store them far away from houses, unless you have a well vented garage to keep them in.
 
Posts: 21428 | Registered: June 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of sigcrazy7
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quote:
Originally posted by 46and2:
Is the short shelf life of gasoline on purpose/by design, and if so, caused by what/whom?

It seems like an exceptionally poor attribute. Why hasn't it be engineered out?


Engineering is towards air quality, not storage. The alcohol greatly reduces shelf life because it is hygroscopic.

That being said, I just burned up some fuel I stored in 2013. It has been sitting in my shed for the last four years, and it was perfectly fine. The secret? I store it in actual Nazi jerry cans, which are completely air tight, and I use clear gas (non-ethanol). Also, I double dose with Stabil, and I drop in 8oz of Seafoam in every can. The fuel looked, smelled, and worked great.

Here's a reproduction NATO can that is the same style as my 1944 Wehrmacht cans.
https://www.sportsmansguide.co...illa&utm_campaign=CI

Gasoline will store longer than most people think if it is kept in an airtight container and is properly treated. I'm not convinced that plastic cans provide the proper amount of seal that a metal can provides. I have enough VP Racing cans to carry 55 gallons, but I use them to take fuel to the lake for the boat. When I want to store fuel long-term, I turn to my metal German cans.



Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus
 
Posts: 8292 | Location: Utah | Registered: December 18, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
quote:
Originally posted by 46and2:
Is the short shelf life of gasoline on purpose/by design, and if so, caused by what/whom?

It seems like an exceptionally poor attribute. Why hasn't it be engineered out?


Engineering is towards air quality, not storage. The alcohol greatly reduces shelf life because it is hygroscopic.

That being said, I just burned up some fuel I stored in 2013. It has been sitting in my shed for the last four years, and it was perfectly fine. The secret? I store it in actual Nazi jerry cans, which are completely air tight, and I use clear gas (non-ethanol). Also, I double dose with Stabil, and I drop in 8oz of Seafoam in every can. The fuel looked, smelled, and worked great.

Here's a reproduction NATO can that is the same style as my 1944 Wehrmacht cans.
https://www.sportsmansguide.co...illa&utm_campaign=CI

Gasoline will store longer than most people think if it is kept in an airtight container and is properly treated. I'm not convinced that plastic cans provide the proper amount of seal that a metal can provides. I have enough VP Racing cans to carry 55 gallons, but I use them to take fuel to the lake for the boat. When I want to store fuel long-term, I turn to my metal German cans.


Yes, metal cans are the key to long term gas storage and air tight. I think that is only what keeps the fuel you buy at Home Depot last a long time.
 
Posts: 21428 | Registered: June 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Lost Allman Brother
Picture of S600MBUSA
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Been meaning to buy a set of 4 metal jerry cans for a few years now but haven't pulled the trigger. Surplus deals seem to have mostly dried up short of a local find.

The consensus from the off-roaders I've talked to is that the cheap NATO-style cans aren't worth the time: Chinese-made with thin metal, lousy welds, and no safety testing.

European-made jerry cans are what you want. There are two big manufacturers, Valpro from Latvia and GELG from Poland. Wavian cans are made by Valpro. You can see some of the testing Valpro does in this video.

Atlantic British LTD has a set of 4 Wavian 20L (~5 gal) cans for 154.95+shipping (total for me was $205.84).

Deutsche Optik has a set of 4 20L cans for $156, free shipping. I have not confirmed it with them, but based on the description, these are almost certainly GELG-made.


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Posts: 3989 | Location: Holly Springs/Canton, GA | Registered: November 02, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of DrDan
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quote:
Originally posted by SpinZone:
I don't store the gas long term.

I have a couple of different plastic 5 gal cans in the garage that I filled up with ethanol free gas about the time they started predicting a Florida impact, Way before the big rush at the stations.

I will put it all into my truck sometime this week or next and re-fill them the next time it looks like we are in for another storm.

I only keep a 2.5 gal gas can of ethanol free gas on hand which I use in my small engines and to mix up oil/gas a separate 1 gal can.


This is exactly what I do. Just used about 15 gallons in the generator. The other 15 gallons I had on hand will go in one of the vehicles. It is an inexpensive and workable system.




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Posts: 5058 | Location: Florida | Registered: August 16, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Drill Here, Drill Now
Picture of tatortodd
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I'm going to suggest a completely different path for the OP. I'm making two assumptions:
  • the reason for the post is to run a generator during electrical outage
  • the OP has either natural gas or a 500+ gallon propane tank

    My coworker's husband works for the power company and turned me onto the tri-fuel conversion kit from the linked manufacturer. Let's compare our two houses during Hurricane Ike:
  • I had a generator and four 5 gallon gas cans. My generator burns 10 gal of gas per day. Therefore, 2x per day I'm filling the tank which sits above a hot motor and muffler (ie not real safe). Every day I change the oil on my generator. Every other day I leave my home and wait in long lines for gas.
  • My coworker had a generator with a trifuel kit. All they did was connect to natural gas line at gas grill and change the oil every day. No 2x per day fueling, no risk of gasoline catching fire on hot motor or muffler, no storing gasoline, and never had to leave home into the madness to wait in line for gasoline.

    On a side note, I've since switched to Mobil 1's 15000 mile extended synthetic motor oil and go 48 hours between oil changes. A lot less motor oil to keep on hand and dispose of.



    Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

    DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.
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    Posts: 23941 | Location: Northern Suburbs of Houston | Registered: November 14, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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    Picture of sigcrazy7
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    quote:
    Originally posted by S600MBUSA:
    Deutsche Optik has a set of 4 20L cans for $156, free shipping. I have not confirmed it with them, but based on the description, these are almost certainly GELG-made.


    Great link! I really don't need any more, but the hoarder in me wants more. Got to stay one step ahead of the helpful Feds and get some before they ban them.

    That little 5L can would be a great carry around can. It's adorable.



    Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus
     
    Posts: 8292 | Location: Utah | Registered: December 18, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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    Picture of Wreckless
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    quote:
    Originally posted by radioman:
    I have some prepper friends who take the stuff seriously. here are their hints:

    1] Don't use / store gas, if at all possible. Gas has a VERY short shelf life and is obviously dangerous. If you must store gas, use a FIFO system , and use StaBil for gas stored more than a month, even then, don't go more than a year.

    I don't think I'd store gas in a crawl space. too much to go wrong, and then you are risking your entire house.

    2] Move to Diesel instead. Diesel has none of those problems that gas has, and is so close to heating oil that heating oil can often be used in it's place, as can bio diesel, etc. This means buying a Diesel car and/or truck. Some expense there, and the favorite was the VW, but it is no longer offered for sale.

    3] Propane for cooking, etc.


    Except diesel stored in warm environments gets algae growth unless treated with a biocide.


    La Dolce Vita
     
    Posts: 543 | Location: SW Florida & SNJ | Registered: July 26, 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
    Veteran of the
    Psychic Wars
    posted Hide Post
    I also recommend metal NATO fuel cans (I use Wavian/Valpro cans...made in Eastern Europe).

    Do NOT buy the cheap, Chicom copies.

    Also, If you dig around on the web, there are non-US spec fuel nozzles available for the Wavian cans.


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    Posts: 1300 | Location: The end of the Earth... | Registered: March 02, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
    Not really from Vienna
    Picture of arfmel
    posted Hide Post
    Propane/natural gas is also much easier on the motor oil in your engine as it burns very clean. A propane generator is the way to go in my opinion.
     
    Posts: 27275 | Location: SW of Hovey, Texas | Registered: January 30, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
    Now in Florida
    Picture of ChicagoSigMan
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    Thanks for the input. This is not for a generator. I have a standby generator at home hooked up to 1000 gallon propane tank. My main issue during this hurricane was finding gas during the evacuation. I had a full tank but I was worried that there could be traffic and gas might not be easy to come by. I am trying to figure out how to store gas at home so that I can take it with me when I have to evacuate to Eliminate that concern. Also, now even after this storm gas is hard to come by. Supply is short and lines are very very long. It would be nice to have some gas at home and not worry about standing in long lines.

    As for storage, I don't have any outbuildings at my house. It's garage, crawlspace or who knows? It's only a quarter acre lots there's not a lot of room to work with here.
     
    Posts: 6084 | Location: FL | Registered: March 09, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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    Picture of sigcrazy7
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    Like has been said, those NATO jerry cans are super air tight. They are so tight that you can throw them on their side and nothing will leak out. They're fantastic. Not cheap, but well worth $150 for four and the ability to store 80 liters.

    Be aware, though. They are so airtight, that if you overfill them, and then they warm up, they will be very difficult to open because of the pressure. And then when you do open them, they will volcano fuel everywhere. They hold just 20 liters, no more. The air gap at the top is a must.

    To me this is a testament to just how airtight they are.



    Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus
     
    Posts: 8292 | Location: Utah | Registered: December 18, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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    posted Hide Post
    quote:
    Originally posted by Wreckless:
    quote:
    Originally posted by radioman:
    I have some prepper friends who take the stuff seriously. here are their hints:

    1] Don't use / store gas, if at all possible. Gas has a VERY short shelf life and is obviously dangerous. If you must store gas, use a FIFO system , and use StaBil for gas stored more than a month, even then, don't go more than a year.

    I don't think I'd store gas in a crawl space. too much to go wrong, and then you are risking your entire house.

    2] Move to Diesel instead. Diesel has none of those problems that gas has, and is so close to heating oil that heating oil can often be used in it's place, as can bio diesel, etc. This means buying a Diesel car and/or truck. Some expense there, and the favorite was the VW, but it is no longer offered for sale.

    3] Propane for cooking, etc.


    Except diesel stored in warm environments gets algae growth unless treated with a biocide.


    Yes, but you can use biocides to keep it from growing algae and you can also use a filter like a racer and filter the algae out and still run on 5 year old diesel.

    You only need to change the oil on a generator every 200 hours or once a year. Every day is total overkill. On yachts we get 10,000-20,000 hours out of generators. Continuous duty ones (run 24/7) last twice the amount of hours.

    If you have city gas, or a way to store a lot of propane that's the way to go as it never goes bad.
     
    Posts: 21428 | Registered: June 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
    teacher of history
    Picture of maxwayne
    posted Hide Post
    Not to be too simple, but keep your eyes on the news and weather. When a bad storm starts up in the Atlantic, go buy some gas. You should have 7 to 10 days of warning. If your SUV has a luggage rack, you might be able to attach a 5 gallon can up there. If not, leave early, a day or 2 before everyone else.

    quote:
    Originally posted by ChicagoSigMan:
    Thanks for the input. This is not for a generator. I have a standby generator at home hooked up to 1000 gallon propane tank. My main issue during this hurricane was finding gas during the evacuation. I had a full tank but I was worried that there could be traffic and gas might not be easy to come by. I am trying to figure out how to store gas at home so that I can take it with me when I have to evacuate to Eliminate that concern. Also, now even after this storm gas is hard to come by. Supply is short and lines are very very long. It would be nice to have some gas at home and not worry about standing in long lines.

    As for storage, I don't have any outbuildings at my house. It's garage, crawlspace or who knows? It's only a quarter acre lots there's not a lot of room to work with here.
     
    Posts: 5703 | Location: Central Illinois | Registered: March 04, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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    posted Hide Post
    Cheap plastic garden storage box / pool box would do. Just to keep sun off to store your gas cans outside.
     
    Posts: 3718 | Registered: August 13, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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    posted Hide Post
    There are lots of ways to store gas, and there are lots of different gasses that have various storage life's. For a vehicle where you can rotate the simple and cheap strategy is gas cans (many good suggestions here) and burn it off once in awhile. That doesn't work for me and personally I pick a different strategy and buy gas that is already packaged in cans with long shelf lives. The normal method for me is to buy race gasoline but regular unleaded is available that way and will have years of shelf life. I've used 15gal drums from 2005 without issues. 5, 15 and 55 are the normal sizes.


    “So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.”
     
    Posts: 11259 | Registered: October 14, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
    Conveniently located directly
    above the center of the Earth
    Picture of signewt
    posted Hide Post
    quote:
    Originally posted by mo4040:
    I also recommend metal NATO fuel cans (I use Wavian/Valpro cans...made in Eastern Europe).

    Do NOT buy the cheap, Chicom copies.

    Also, If you dig around on the web, there are non-US spec fuel nozzles available for the Wavian cans.


    agree
    here's the link I used https://swisslink.com/jerry-ca...-5-3-gallon-can.html

    recently spend considerable time researching for proper Jeep-mount reliable etc.

    IF what I read is true, there's considerable difference in the Chinese vs Swiss cans, besides the price.

    And Wavian supplies 2 different spouts, one the USDOT CALTRAN etc certified, and one that actually works resembling more the one Grandpa used.

    I've had old used Jerry cans for decades, that I just no longer trust. Plus, the donkey-dick stye screw in spouts rotted away.

    There's some impressive Jeep-cliche new design 'roto pax' spendy but very impressive mounting system adaptability


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    Posts: 9878 | Location: sunny Orygun | Registered: September 27, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
    Ice age heat wave,
    cant complain.
    Picture of MikeGLI
    posted Hide Post
    edited. Ray Charles over here...

    This message has been edited. Last edited by: MikeGLI,




    NRA Life Member
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    Posts: 9774 | Location: Orlando, Florida | Registered: July 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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    Good advice on the gas cans. They are airtight (there is a link already) As said above: DON'T CHEAP OUT AND BUY CHINESE CANS THAT LOOK LIKE JERRY CANS. Unless you want to see 5 gallons of gas leaked out onto the ground, I got one of those stoires. Non-ethanol is the way to go and stabil or PRI-G is a good idea. I put a tag on my cans with a date and rotate every 6 months. Here's a list of over 700 stations that sell non-ethanol in FL. https://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=FL

    Just change the last 2 digits with your state if you don't live in FL. My state isn't close to complete, but you can add stations as you find them and it will get you started.
     
    Posts: 1969 | Location: Pacific Northwet | Registered: August 01, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
    My hypocrisy goes only so far
    Picture of GrumpyBiker
    posted Hide Post
    For the past 6yrs I've stored 20gals in 5gallon cans.
    The fuel is treated with Stabil 360°.
    I drive my truck at least once a week or as needed & when it hits 1/4 tank (20gal tank) I use one of the 5gal cans to top it off.
    The empty gets stabil added & goes in my bed (truck has a cap) and gets refilled.
    I live very close to a gas station.
    Then the freshly filled can goes to the end of the row.
    I keep cycling the cans to keep the fuel fresh.
    Just like you should do with canned food you store for natural disasters.







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    Posts: 6953 | Location: Central,Ohio | Registered: December 28, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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