Vapor-tight fuel jugs?

NJ will not fill VP cans if they are not red. I had many people tell me this from about Logan all the way down to Millville. Its well known and enforced there regardless if they dont have a state law in place. I filled my red cans at the Wawa in Logan. I was confronted by the pump attendants who verified my VP cans were red as I filled them.

 

That link is for plastic drums (not goin' there) and that site has no 15 gal steel drums with closed tops. I'm tellin' ya, they don't exist without a ridiculously high price, if they're even available. I used to pay $112.50 for 15 gals of Sunoco MO2X from the refinery. The drum it came in was essentially free.

I'd be happy to buy 15gals of fuel in a single container, but who has 'em? Apparently, nobody. WHY? I can find 55gal drums of fuel but, c'mon, who the hell wants to move 330lb of fuel in a can that weighs anywhere from 40-75lbs?

Closed top 30gal steel drums are available but, again, 200+lbs to be man-handled when full and $204 w/shipping? No, thanks...and the dimensions (same footprint as 55gal) make for obtrusive fitment in a narrow trailer.

 

15gal steel tight head drums used to cost someone who bought a lot (A LOT) of drums $20-40. Retail was $40-60. But now steel is way up so retail on those steel drums is >$100 ea.
Steel drums have basically doubled in the last 6+ months. Its not a good to time to try to buy new ones.

Here is retail drums from a distributor...
https://www.thecarycompany.com/containers/drums/carbon-steel/tight-head?capacity=1432,1417,1424

Plastic works for normal fuel jugs...why not for fuel storage?

 

Cuz I think it's stupid to use plastic for quantities of volatile liquids larger than ready-use amounts or long-term storage, but that may just be me. IMNSHO, those plastic shits are made for dispensing temporary holdings of volatile contents, not storage. I have plenty of plastic dispensers, but none of them are used for any storage I might call long-term. If it's in there for more than a season, it's long-term. If it's more than 5gals, it's more than a ready-use amount.

I've only recently tapped into one of the two 15 gal drums I use for fuel that were filled at the start of this pandemic BS. No way I'd keep 30 gals of fuel in plastic containers for that long, let alone expose them to a risk of puncture in a garage environment full of yard implements, hitch fixtures and you just never know what "accident" might create an incident. Did you hear about the bear in my garage? It flung stuff all over gettin' to the cooler.

 

you keep gas in your garage for storage?? Your fire marshall wouldnt be happy about that. Is it detached?

 

Funny, I usually ask the girl that, when they are obvious. lol.

 

Mortgage provider and insurer probably don't like it either. I re-fi'd recently and noticed in the contract that storage of gasoline or other flammable items in the house or attached garage was not allowed except for small amounts normally associated with home maintenance and use. Very clearly if my house burned up and I had a 15 gallon can of race fuel in the garage, the insurance and mortgage company would look to me based on how I read the mortgage documents. And back to the NJ thing, I've filled my blue jug there probably 5-6 times over the years. The gas station attendant just glances over, nods and let's me do my thing. But it's always fine until it's not....

 

Not as far as I'm concerned. It's pump gas in a steel drum that gets pumped into a plastic container for use in whatever engine needs it for whatever use I'm engaging in at that time.

The gas I have in some minor quantity is solely for home maintenance and use. Lawn mower, quad, chainsaw, weed whacker, leaf blower, generators, dirtbike(s)...can't really think of anything else at the moment.

15 gals in small plastic jugs would just be stupid. I could potentially be busy enough to have to visit a gas station every day when I'm busy. Not happening, particularly since I don't have 15 gals worth of plastic fuel jugs, tho' I do have an array of various sizes.
30 gals in two separate 15gal steel drums makes more sense and i have no concerns about a fire incident.

How do they define "small amount" and in what do these concerned entities expect that amount to be stored?
That mortgage, insurance and fire marshall BS is prolly anticipating some dipshit with plastic jugs to be storing enough to fill a car. I've done more than my share of firefighting and the only thing I see worse than what I do is people that use plastic jugs they store on a shelf, in the corner on the floor, haphazardly kicked aside next to the wheels of their lawnmower, etc. I highly doubt a noticeably larger percentage of people are putting their fuel jug(s) outside, 50 feet from the nearest structure.

I've seen the 55gal fuel drum, in a fuel storage cabinet, in an insured shop and wondered, what's the fucking point? So Fireman Bob can identify a big yellow closet as something that might contain flammables? Then what? Stop fighting the fire and hose that cabinet down to keep it cool while the rest of the structure burns to the ground, eventually forcing the evacuation of Bob and, ultimately, the cabinet goes off like a bomb? Is that the purpose of that cabinet? It surely isn't to contain spills and any argument about providing a layer of protection from open flames doesn't fly, either. Have you seen firefighting techniques in action? Show me one residential structure that firefighters responded to and it didn't burn to the ground, thanks to their efforts.

 

Unless you’re pumping nitrogen into the 15gal before you seal it, you’ve got a lot more headspace for moisture laden atmospheric air to contaminate the remaining fuel.

Multiple smaller containers kept full will reduce fuel degradation.

 

What he said. I did the same thing 10 years ago to my van, partition and fan, no issues since.

 

That's a minuscule amount of contamination, if, and significantly less than that which occurs in vented systems like those on vehicles that have their own veritable weather patterns. The contamination in vehicle fuel systems is born both of condensation as well as the absorption of water vapor by the alcohol present. In my drums, there has never been evidence of condensation (bubble-looking puddles at the bottom of the drum), so whatever water vapor is present may be emulsifying with the up to 10% alcohol, but I've never had an issue. Regardless, 10% of the fluid volume might absorb how much water vapor by weight? Likely negligible amounts when weighed against the weight of the fuel.

 

Ha ha. My wife was less than happy with me when I mixed up some U2 for the dirty bike in my garage several years ago. The big door was open, I didn't spill any and the whole house smelled like fuel. That shit was seeping thru the walls. I love the performance of the oxy fuels but they are pretty nasty...

 

I get busted in the winter for washing air filters down cellar at the house. Wife will say " did you wash something out down cellar at lunch today ? "

 

Since oxy fuels were mentioned- I mostly used pump gas but did run MR12 in my R3 for a while. Still no issues with the fan.

 

I hear yah on the plastic vs steel. But also remember the fuel tank in your car or truck is probably HDPE now. If the auto makers think it will hold up in a crash, it should be ok in your garage. But to each his own.

 

Yeah, but those things in vehicles are prolly 3/16-1/4" thick and relatively protected within the frame/body. Anything that ruptures one would likely take out a steel tank, too.

 

I don’t see how you can go wrong using a DOT approved can. Like these:
https://www.justrite.com/news/dot-approved-safety-cans-protect-public-roads/

 

@fastfreddie you are back, where have you been? I’ve seen your better half on here a bit, but you have been missing for awhile? Or because I’ve been pretty busy myself the past few months, I’m not reading every thread like I used to and missed you.