Gasoline on hand [Archive] - Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage Forums

LoudmouthMormon

10-09-2008, 02:00 PM

We keep four 5-gal plastic gas cans in our garage. And it scares the tar out of me, what would happen to the structure and stuff in it, if the gas caught fire. A small tuff-shed sort of thing is on the list for future improvements.

Rotation is simple - every General Conference, we fillup from gas storage, and refil the cans at the gas station.

LM

Alma the Younger

10-09-2008, 05:15 PM

Be sure to add Stabil to whatever gas you store. It will prevent build-up of crap that will screw up you motor/engine.

You can buy Stabil at any Wal Mart.

419!

TheSwally

10-09-2008, 09:08 PM

Could you tell me about stabil. How much do I need or gas? How much longer can gas be stored with it? I have a few 5 gallon cans in my garage, and I only use them for lawn mowing or emergency Sunday fillups, so they don't get rotated very often.

DMGNUT

10-09-2008, 11:04 PM

Stabil comes with directions. Stabil will keep gas good for 1 year (or 2 years if you double the amount used... this is all included in the directions).
Store your gas out of the home and away from the home, in a small storage shed is great, but anywhere sheltered and out of direct sunlight is OK.

PS. For long term storage a metal can with a good airtight seal is better than the plastic cans. Plastic breathes and the gas will eventually begin to evaporate.

goldilocks

10-10-2008, 07:16 AM

Plastic breathes and the gas will eventually begin to evaporate.[/QUOTE]

It does? Last time I put a plastic bag on my head . I couldn't get any air. LOL

I don't think the heavy plastic gas containers breathe . Never heard that before. The lid may not be air tight however and the evaporation could come from that.

Earthling

10-10-2008, 07:17 AM

Also use Stabil for the fuel that is in a generator and also to keep kerosene good. Get one of those Rubbermaid storage sheds to store fuel in so it's not in the garage.

LoudmouthMormon

10-10-2008, 10:30 AM

The plastic cans do indeed breathe. But I've found they don't breathe enough to make any difference, and we'll often have a 30 degree temperature spread between day and night. Not only the gas in the cans change in volume, but the air/gas mixture expands and contracts with the temperature. The plastic containers you buy at the auto store or Walmart only have so much ability to expand and contract themselves, so they're designed to let air in and out as needed. But in April I filled them with 5 gal, and last week I poured 5 gal out of 'em.

I've never used stabil, because I rotate the gas every 6 months. The gas runs equally well in all our engines, be they lawn mower or vehicle.

But dang - again - keep in mind how hot and quick a gas fire will burn if there's an accident. Keep that in mind as you figure out where to store.

LM

ShowMeTheLaw

10-10-2008, 11:03 AM

If you have to store it in the garage make sure it is far, far, far, away from pilot lights and things that could spark. The fumes alone could cause an explosion. We have four 5 gallon cans in our garage and like LM...it scares the crap out of me!

gorbat

10-11-2008, 10:32 PM

Never, never, never use a garage* to store flammables like gasoline, paint rags, turpentine, denatured alcohol, etc., even propane bottles as they can leak if jostled or played with. Many of the gases and liquids are heavier than air and will creep alongt the floor like a Tule fog. They also have a nasty habit of exploding rather than just burning.

*If your hot water heater is in the garage the ignition for heating water can cause accumulated fumes to explode. I would think a vehicle starting up could also ignite the fumes, say if the starter is down low under the car and you get a nice fat spark turning the key.

When I was a kid the builder had raised the hot water heater in the garage up 18". I have no idea what scientific data they had to show 18" as being a safe height. In other states I've seen 4" concrete. Seems worse than nothing. I'd rather keep fuel in a drafty outbuilding to be safe. It also keeps it from prying eyes.

Be safe.

supersc

10-12-2008, 05:34 PM

Get one of these super-sale Arrow sheds directly from the manufacturer:

http://tinyurl.com/48jcrv

Might take you several hours to assemble, but it's great for hiding this kind of stuff out of the garage.

I just put up a larger one specifically to get the gas out of the sun, hide the propane tanks, and store a few gas-filled tools (mover, generator. Mine even hides below the fence-line in a covenant controlled community!

thermocouple

10-13-2008, 09:09 AM

Also use Stabil for the fuel that is in a generator and also to keep kerosene good.
Keep in mind that the stabilizing formula used for gasoline is different than the formula used for kerosene. You should be using a diesel stabilizer for your kerosene.

Leon Leavitt

03-14-2009, 08:56 AM

This has been most interesting. On my 10 acres, away from the shop and home garage, I have a little shed that I store six (6) five gallon plastic jugs of gasoline and two (2) five gallon jugs of diesel. Since we have have both diesel and gas cars/pickups/tractors I don't have the problem of "when do I re-cycle". If the shed catches on fire - no big deal. Rule of thumb is never let any tank get below 1/4 full. (Keeps condensation down.):puh2:

waif69

03-16-2009, 09:54 AM

Just like food storage, you need to rotate what you stored with what you use.

LEVE

03-17-2009, 06:57 AM

Back in the 1970's, during the Arab oil embargo, the Seattle Fire Dept. got a call. It was from a young woman who wanted to know: "Is is OK if I store gasoline in my water-bed?"

Taken aback, the Fire Dept. operator said: "I guess... but I wouldn't recommend smoking in bed."

You'll never be able to store/cache enough gas for long term emergencies, so my question is: "What are your long term fuel alternatives, besides a horse/ox and a cart?"

A few years ago there was an Internet site covering a guy in Australia who ran his ol' Land Rover on wood smoke fumes. Everywhere he went he hauled a trailer with the wood stove in it, and a load of wood. He'd been doing it for years. During WWII the Germans were running short on gasoline and they also used coal and wood to run gas engines.

Any thoughts from those who are a whole lot smarter than me? I sure don't want to go to the Mad-Max Pig manure style of gathering fuel.

signseeker

03-17-2009, 09:41 AM

Good question, LEVE. What will we need fuel for, really? I was thinking it was for heat in the winter, not so much for travelling around...??

phylm

03-17-2009, 10:22 PM

A good ol' boy who is involved in diesel fuel production from bio mass at the U of Fla told us that his family always ran their tractors with diesel fuel made from wood. He has promised to give us a mock-up of one of the devices--he has drawn diagrams to explain it--but my husband wants to look at a real device before he starts to build one. He said that 40 pounds of wood would produce a gallon of fuel. I'm going to keep nagging him to get the thing made, and would be happy to pass along what we learn.

WolfBrother

03-20-2009, 10:17 AM

Stabil for gasolene works.

I was talking with the owner of the largest small engine repair/parts shop in Austin.

He said he'd have to go out of business if most people started putting stabil in their gas and did right by the oil changes/checks.

I've put over year old stabil treated gas in a mower and it started right up.

I HAVE SWITCHED FROM stabil to PRI-G. I saw a buddy of mine use PRI-G treated 5 year old gas in his riding mower. No problems.

My buddy, Bob, was with his FILaw when FIL treated the gas and put the Pri-G can and newly treated/filled 5 gallon gas can in one of his outbuildings. FILaw died suddenly the next week.

5 years later, when daughter & my buddy (her husband) moved out onto the property to take care of MILaw, I went over to help with a big clean up. Bob moved some junk, we went into the shed found the unused can of gas. He said this had to be 5 years old. No one had been in the shed.

Later, rather than drive 15 miles to the nearest gas station, we tried the old gas. PRI-G kept it useable for 5 years.

GI Gas can - in a unheated/cooled shed - 5 years - West Texas area (temps run from about 15 degrees F colded to 105+ degrees F).

ghostcat

03-20-2009, 12:34 PM

My buddy, Bob, was with his FILaw when FIL treated the gas and put the Pri-G can and newly treated/filled 5 gallon gas can in one of his outbuildings. FILaw died suddenly the next week.

Hmmmmmm.............................Makes me wonder if I want to use it!!:l0 (62):

Seriously the Pri-G is good stuff.

BackBlast

04-13-2009, 01:28 PM

I 2nd Pri-G, very good.

Please be aware of the laws reguarding fuel storage. In most municipalities I'm aware of, at least in Utah, there is a limit of 10 gallons (excluding your gas tanks on your cars) for a residence. I don't think it matters if it's in your garage or a detached storage space.

10 gallons is, IMHO, a very low limit. Going over the local lawful limit probably matters most when it comes to collecting insurance after a fire. If the insurance company learns you were in violation of a fire code they may well send you up the creek without a paddle.

Fuel storage is somewhat problematic because of this.

Noahs ARK

11-18-2009, 11:27 PM

Be sure to add Stabil to whatever gas you store. It will prevent build-up of crap that will screw up you motor/engine.

You can buy Stabil at any Wal Mart.

419!

Thanks - I didn't know about this. I just filled six 5-gallon gas cans and put them in our small shed at the back of our property. Come spring I'll start filling my tank with those and then fill the containers back up.

Donith

11-22-2010, 07:43 AM

I use Pri-G. It is cheaper than Stabil and lasts much longer. We had 100 gallons of fuel stored in 50 gal. metal drums. I read somewhere, a double dose will preserve sealed fuel for four years. We are now down to 50 gallons. I recently found myself unemployed and had to tap into my reserves. After 2 1/2 years of storage, the fuel didn't even smell stale.

I ordered mine online, but was told you can buy it at marine shops. One quart will treat over 500 gallons.

mirkwood

11-23-2010, 06:11 AM

I knew about Stabil but had not heard of Pri-G. Thanks for the info.

Now go jump into Introductions and tell us about yourself!!

mgriffith

11-23-2010, 04:19 PM

I store an extra 25 gallons in the garage in 5 gallon plastic jugs. I rotate them through the truck on a regular basis so no one is more than 6 months old. Have never had a problem with the gas, it always worked in my 1997 truck.

Mark

faif2d

05-03-2012, 12:21 PM

Google ethanol free gas and see if some is available nearby. I live in rural NE Texas and there are 2 different sites in a near by town. That will help with the water absorption.

KF7EEC

11-01-2014, 11:05 PM

With gas prices falling over the last few months, it seems like a good time to start storing some gas. (the nationwide average this morning was $2.995 a gallon for regular unleaded.)

I am planning on getting 3 or 4 5 gallon metal jerry cans, keep 1 in the bed of my truck, and the other 3 in some kind of shed in the yard. I will fill up my truck from the jerry can and each week rotate the jerry can.

Thoughts, suggestions?

iggy

11-02-2014, 09:12 PM

Never thought to store up gas. We have an electric lawn mower, and weed whackers. I just do not have the strength to pull the cord on gas mowers and the gas fumes hurt my head - makes my head feel like it is going to explode and bleed out.

We have a wood shed, it is 3"(inches) from the house. This is where I want to store our 55 gal water barrels, and the up-teen 14-16 pound litter jugs now filled with washing/flushing water. It is also where my gardening tools are. Electric weed whackers (small and medium sized), lawn mower, garden rakes, shovels, hoes, stirrup hoe, did have a garden fork (not pitch fork, but similar with the 1"+ tines), etc. Once the weather gets colder, the spiders should be settled down for the winter, then I will set off a bomb or two to kill them.

Need to put up the insulation between the studs in the shed, cover that with peg board and NOT sheet rock or plywood. Need the peg boards to hang as many tools as possible. Get someone to fix one of the hanging 4ft shop lights. I just can't get it to work. Think that maybe I put it together wrong. But now that it is hanging, I cannot get to it to fiddle with it.

Aldon

11-03-2014, 12:10 PM

StarBrite is a better alternative to STABIL. At least thats what the Old Salt Mechanics in my area that rebuild and repair tell me. Find it at Napa/TSC etc... Blue colored.

Also, I am more concerned about vapor than liquid gas.

So I deem a full 5 gallon container less threat than a container that is half or less full.

I have been told by my farner friends that using race fuel to store engiones is the way to go. As such, if I were stocking longer term petrol for car, i believe it would be race fuel. Apparently the StarBrite/Stabil not as urgent a need. Ideally would be if I could afford to change all vehicles including my cars/trucks/tractors/mowers etc over to diesel and buy best quality in bulk storage.

PhoenixRising

11-03-2014, 01:43 PM

kenh

11-03-2014, 06:23 PM

PhoenixRising

11-03-2014, 07:23 PM

Any ideas on biodiesel fuel made from canola oil?
http://www.fryertofuel.com/products/biodiesel/biodiesel-processors/biopro-190ex-detail
Yes there is a cost to get started but the ability make one's own biofuel is one step closer to being self sufficient.

Don't forget the added benefit of needing to eat lots of delicious deep-fried foods to feed the biodiesel machine! ;-)

DMGNUT

11-03-2014, 10:39 PM

I keep 8 of the metal 5 gallon jerry cans full of gasoline (with double the amount of Stabil that is called for, which pushes the shelf life to 2 years).
Don't ask where I store them. :glare:

KF7EEC

11-04-2014, 01:24 AM

If I keep my rotate up that I am planning on, the "oldest" gas will only be about 4 or 5 weeks old. Do you guys think I need Stabil or similar in 5 week old gas?

kenh

11-04-2014, 06:25 AM

Don't forget the added benefit of needing to eat lots of delicious deep-fried foods to feed the biodiesel machine! ;-)

You can use unused canola oil and then it becomes cheaper because the cleansing agents that are needed to cleanse or refine the used oil are no longer needed. The time to cleanse the oil is also eliminated. The web site has an $1,100 unit that seems like a lot but if you have a diesel engine in a full time vehicle, it will actually run better on biodiesel fuel than regular diesel polluting fuel. There is no carbon footprint with the biodiesel fuel made solely from canola oil. I have read that some estimates put creating your own biodiesel fuel at $2 per gallon or less depending if you buy the chemicals in bulk.

PhoenixRising

11-04-2014, 09:31 AM

There is no carbon footprint with the biodiesel fuel made solely from canola oil.
Honestly, this is not a selling point for me, and probably not for many people, since carbon dioxide is not considered a pollutant by anyone with a lick of sense.

With canola oil starting at more than $5/gal, and with the biodiesel conversion process rendering less than one gallon of diesel per gallon of oil, I would go with dinosaur diesel every time, if available. The benefit of biodiesel is that you aren't quite so dependent on the supply chain. If you can get used cooking oil for free, in sufficient quantities to meet your fuel needs, and the processing cost and the value of your time spent in processing is less per gallon than buying at a pump, I'd say go for it as your regular fuel source. Otherwise, I'd just keep it up as part of my preps.

arbilad

11-04-2014, 10:23 AM

Do restaurants still give away oil for free? It seems to me that the more demand goes up for their waste vegetable oil, the more chance there would be of them charging for it.
Also, I can see the cost argument, but not the self sufficiency argument. Unless you have a way to produce the chemicals you need to convert vegetable oil into biodiesel, you're still dependent upon others for your fuel.

thomasusa

11-04-2014, 12:26 PM

...There is no carbon footprint with the biodiesel fuel made solely from canola oil.

Small point of correction: I think you forgot to "carry the one."
Canola oil doesn't magically appear at the point where it is used.
Harvesting, processing, and transportation needs to be added to the "carbon" footprint.
It may or may not be lower than other forms of energy but it is not zero.

thomasusa

11-04-2014, 12:31 PM

Do restaurants still give away oil for free? ...

I have a nephew that has an arrangement with a local burger place.
He occasionally pressure washes the parking lot and does a little wiring or repairs.
They pay him in used oil.

He always has an odor of burning french fries when he visits.

CurtisG

11-04-2014, 01:23 PM

I keep 8 of the metal 5 gallon jerry cans full of gasoline (with double the amount of Stabil that is called for, which pushes the shelf life to 2 years).
Don't ask where I store them. :glare:
Using common core, it took me 17 minutes to figure how many gallons you have on hand. I won't ask, but I hope it's not under the bed.....or filling a waterbed.
I have a 5 gallon can of gas and another of diesel, on a shelf in a three sided shed.

OPossumTX

11-04-2014, 05:08 PM

After the last hurricane here, I was burning 8~10 gal a day in my generator. Three days in, I still had gas. My neighbors were out and looking but not finding any locally.

I once made the mistake of taking 6+ year old gas from one of my boats that I was working on and putting it in my truck. $1400.00 later I had my fuel injected Toyota Cruiser crusin' again. I had to pay to have it fixed as I was ill at the time. The repair bill did not help my attitude!

I have used two and three year old Sta-Bil treated gas with no problems. If it smells bad or has separated, (has stuff settled in the bottom of the can) I burn it in a pan in the back yard. It costs too much to burn it in the truck!

I have been told that aviation gas is good to use as it does not have moonshine added. I haven't tried to buy it locally but I will check into it.

Also, I keep Bar-B-Que bottles of LPG, AKA: propane/butane so that I can use my gas grill and lanterns if things stretch out for a long time. LPG does not go bad. The tank will eventually go out of certification and no one will refill it though. I have used 25+ year old LPG out of bottles my mother stored. We found them years after she died. I would have saved it but the bottle was rusting out on the bottom and rather than throw it away or let it leak out and be a hazard when the bottle failed, I used it.

You can often find older slightly rusty LPG tanks out at the curb with the old gas grill when people move or just get a new grill. If the tank is not in bad shape and has an OPD, it can be cleaned up painted and used. I pick up every single one I see. If it is usable, I clean it up, paint it if needed and get it filled. Only paint them white or silver though. Most places will not fill off color tanks. ;)

Have FUN!
O'

kenh

11-04-2014, 07:24 PM

Honestly, this is not a selling point for me, and probably not for many people, since carbon dioxide is not considered a pollutant by anyone with a lick of sense.

With canola oil starting at more than $5/gal, and with the biodiesel conversion process rendering less than one gallon of diesel per gallon of oil, I would go with dinosaur diesel every time, if available. The benefit of biodiesel is that you aren't quite so dependent on the supply chain. If you can get used cooking oil for free, in sufficient quantities to meet your fuel needs, and the processing cost and the value of your time spent in processing is less per gallon than buying at a pump, I'd say go for it as your regular fuel source. Otherwise, I'd just keep it up as part of my preps.
It becomes much less expensive when purchased in 55 gallon drums.

Aldon

11-05-2014, 12:41 PM

I was wondering, does diesel fuel burn cleanly in a kerosene heater? If so, diesel vehicles and emergency heating would be the way to go. Cooking, heating, and transportation all from one fuel source.

Kerosene is slightly more refined than Diesel. You could use Diesel but it would burn smokier/dirtier in my opinion. Not to mention, its likely higher cost due to Road/Fuel tax in many instances.

PhoenixRising

11-05-2014, 06:09 PM

Kerosene is slightly more refined than Diesel. You could use Diesel but it would burn smokier/dirtier in my opinion. Not to mention, its likely higher cost due to Road/Fuel tax in many instances.

That's good to know. For some reason, I always thought of kerosene as "dirty diesel". Guess I had it backwards! You can get farm-use/red dyed diesel because it doesn't carry the road tax.

That begs the question: can you burn kerosene in your diesel vehicles?

DMGNUT

11-05-2014, 08:12 PM

I'm impressed... 17 minutes is pretty good using common core, and how did you ever guess that its in my water bed? :l0 (63):

DMGNUT

11-05-2014, 08:18 PM

I use Odorless Mineral Spirits in my Kerosene Stove.

OPossumTX

11-06-2014, 02:22 PM

I use Odorless Mineral Spirits in my Kerosene Stove.

Why in the world would you do that? It is usually more expensive than Kerosene. It smells a little better though.

I have used it in kerosene lanterns also. It keeps as long as the container lasts and the lid stays tight.

O'

CurtisG

11-07-2014, 01:47 PM

and how did you ever guess that its in my water bed? :l0 (63):
I think you once said something about not lowering your hammer while pointing at a waterbed....

DMGNUT

11-07-2014, 11:12 PM

I think you once said something about not lowering your hammer while pointing at a waterbed....

In case no one caught it, I was joking about the water bed... it would be too hard to get it in the back of the truck if I had to bug out and needed to take the gas. :glare:

DMGNUT

11-07-2014, 11:20 PM

Why in the world would you do that? It is usually more expensive than Kerosene. It smells a little better though.

I have used it in kerosene lanterns also. It keeps as long as the container lasts and the lid stays tight.

O'

The shelf-life was my first reason, it's unlimited... the second was that I can store all I want without running afoul of the fire dept/city ordinances, etc, since the flash point is higher on mineral spirits, so you can store all you want as its not a "haz-mat" item in larger quantities... third, I bought a 55 gallon drum, so the price was actually reasonable... and fourth, as you pointed out, running kerosene can be very sooty and smelly, but as the name implies (odorless mineral spirits) is much less smelly, and much less sooty as well.

DMGNUT

09-03-2016, 02:38 PM

I don't think the heavy plastic gas containers breathe . Never heard that before. The lid may not be air tight however and the evaporation could come from that.

Actually this info is available on most food storage web sites (that all plastic containers breath)... one of the several reasons that we use metal or glass for smaller containers of long term food storage and a mylar bag when using the 5 and 6 gallon super pails for food storage.

arbilad

09-06-2016, 01:10 PM

Actually this info is available on most food storage web sites (that all plastic containers breath)... one of the several reasons that we use metal or glass for smaller containers of long term food storage and a mylar bag when using the 5 and 6 gallon super pails for food storage.

It's also verifiable in the movie Tremors 2, and if you can't trust a movie, then who can you trust?

DMGNUT

09-06-2016, 05:03 PM

:d0 (7): ...... of course.... :bored:

iggy

09-07-2016, 01:48 AM

On the topic of fuel for lamps. I use the odorless wax liquid in all of my lamps.
I have canister of propane for the cook stove. Sure hope the propane hasn't seeped out. Does it do that??
Also for short term emergency light, I have jam jars that I empty a glow stick or two into. Cap it, shake and have subdued light. It is enough to light my way down the darkened hallway to the bathroom. Or into the kitchen to get a drink or make a sandwich.
What it is about a power outage that triggers the hunger in you. Power goes, but hunger hits and you have to eat!

DMGNUT

09-07-2016, 08:52 PM

As for wax... I never thought of that, but I'd guess that it'll last just fine... however in liquid form, I wonder what's mixed with it and if it'll have some kind of adverse affect on it's performance?
When you say "canister" of propane... I'm guessing it's made of metal? If it is metal, and the seals are good, you should be fine.
As for the light sticks, I've been told they have a shelf life... don't know what it is, but supposedly... eventually, they won't work anymore.

arbilad

09-07-2016, 09:34 PM

I have several possible light sources, but one of them is olive oil lamps. You get some wicks, some canning jars, and some olive oil, and you're set. The perfect part is, you can use olive oil that's gone rancid. So feel free to store as much olive oil as you want, and if it goes bad, you can use it to light your lamps.

iggy

09-08-2016, 12:28 AM

DMGNT: metal canisters yes. As for the liquid wax there is no odor. Don't know what else is in it, am too lazy to get up and hunt down the bottle to read it. As for the glo sticks, bought them at the Dollar Store. 4 in a package for a buck, so no great loss.

arbilad - I have three bottles of olive oil that are in the cupboard and are rancid - good to know that I can use them for a light source, now to get wicks and punch holes in the lids of the jam jars. Thanks.

DMGNUT

09-08-2016, 06:46 AM

arbilad - I have three bottles of olive oil that are in the cupboard and are rancid - good to know that I can use them for a light source, now to get wicks and punch holes in the lids of the jam jars. Thanks.

Can't remember where I got then (possibly Emergency Essentials), but you can get "floating wicks" too for the olive oil (or any other suitable candle type oil, for that matter). :cool (2):