Storing Gasoline

[Catpfish 618]

I'm thinking of getting a 55 gallon steel drum to store gasoline in just in case we have Snowpocalypse II and I need gas to run generators.  I'll also use the gas for the lawn mowers to keep the gas rotating, probably burn through 10 gallons of gas a month (maybe a little more) during the summer.  Is this a completely stupid idea?  I have a standalone metal building that I can put it in to keep it away from the house.

If I use non-ethanol gas from Quik Trip, do you still need to add fuel stabilizer?

[Telegraph_it 3357]

Obligatory GIF.

 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21907]

For long term storage (>6 months or so) I would still use a stabilizer even in ethanol free gas..

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

[deadshank 24653]

If you’re gonna do it the. Get one of these. 
 

[freyguy 4278]

Just leave em outside.  The cold Temps will keep it away from the flashpoint.

[52-80 19162]

5 hours ago, freyguy said:

Just leave em outside.  The cold Temps will keep it away from the flashpoint.

great shooting target

[RPM 26322]

+1 for keep it outside. I would add stabilizer when filling. Now my question is how are you going to fill it? You'll need to piss ant 5 gallon cans or have a way to carefully lift 350 lbs of flammable liquid. You'll also need a pump to get it out unless you're a real man and want to syphon. I have a pump.

[Parliament 14260]

Stabilizer is only so good.  Can you score some aviation gas?  Just know that it's leaded.  Keep your generator outside and downwind.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10277]

I've just got a siphon pump and can pull from cars as needed since not going anywhere anyway....

[gyroprotagonist 2594]

you can also mod your genny to run on LP or NG.  I did it to a Honda2000 and keep a 100lb tank of LP for it.  I did not want to mess with storing gas/rotating it etc...

[davidg 4038]

Do yourself a favor and get transfer tank with a pump instead of a used drum.  Store it outside, away from your residence.  Buy ethanol free fuel and add a good fuel stabilizer.

As an alternative to one large bulk tank, get a number of quality 5 gal cans, filled with ethanol free gas/stabilizer and rotate them out on a monthly basis so you turn your supply every year.  Get 6 cans and every two months dump the oldest one into your car and refill/treat.  

Rotating fuel and water storage like this is a pretty standard prepper strategy.

[davidg 4038]

44 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

I've just got a siphon pump and can pull from cars as needed since not going anywhere anyway....

Have you tried to get any fuel out of a car recently this way?  Roll over valve can make this very difficult if not impossible.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13515]

Are you planning to fill the 55 gallon drum going into winter, or wait until a major storm is approaching?

Outside of some process improvements (hopefully) I doubt the industry really did much to improve their equipment since February.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10277]

59 minutes ago, davidg said:

Have you tried to get any fuel out of a car recently this way?  Roll over valve can make this very difficult if not impossible.

Yeah, definitely harder as you have to use a pretty small tube. I made the mistake first time to buy one of the kits that was a "hand" siphon and after testing it out.. it worked but no way was I going to sit there and do that on more than a gallon or two as would take forever. Definitely need to get an electric one... so would need limited power source for it to run.

[Gil Bang 25967]

1 hour ago, gyroprotagonist said:

you can also mod your genny to run on LP or NG.  I did it to a Honda2000 and keep a 100lb tank of LP for it.  I did not want to mess with storing gas/rotating it etc...

This right here.  LPG doesn't go bad, and LPG doesn't gum up carbs.  And propane is a WAAAYY safer to store than gasoline. 

[Gil Bang 25967]

1 minute ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Yeah, definitely harder as you have to use a pretty small tube. I made the mistake first time to buy one of the kits that was a "hand" siphon and after testing it out.. it worked but no way was I going to sit there and do that on more than a gallon or two as would take forever. Definitely need to get an electric one... so would need limited power source for it to run.

12v for the win.  Hook to the car battery. 

[Catpfish 618]

56 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Are you planning to fill the 55 gallon drum going into winter, or wait until a major storm is approaching?

Outside of some process improvements (hopefully) I doubt the industry really did much to improve their equipment since February.

Actually planning on keep it year round and using it for lawnmowers (push and zero-turn) to cycle the gas and then have the tank full for a just in case situation.

[CooterBrown 18014]

This right here.  LPG doesn't go bad, and LPG doesn't gum up carbs.  And propane is a WAAAYY safer to store than gasoline. 

But it has less potential for good “hold my beer” stories later on.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

6 hours ago, RPM said:

+1 for keep it outside. I would add stabilizer when filling. Now my question is how are you going to fill it? You'll need to piss ant 5 gallon cans or have a way to carefully lift 350 lbs of flammable liquid. You'll also need a pump to get it out unless you're a real man and want to syphon. I have a pump.

https://4refuel.com/us/mobile-on-site-refueling/

 

[RPM 26322]

Just now, Nueces River Rat said:

https://4refuel.com/us/mobile-on-site-refueling/

 

Yeah, You're going to have a hard time getting a distributor to deliver 55 gallons and if they do it's going to expensive. I have a couple 55 gallon drums I store fuel in for my tractors. I strap them in the bed of my F350 and fill them at a farm dealer. 1 barrel fills my big Allis Chalmers with 5 gal left for the small Massey Ferguson. I use the bucket on the AC with a strap to unload the other barrel and pump out of it as needed.

Deadshank has the correct answer. Get a 500 gal tank on a stand.

16 hours ago, deadshank said:

If you’re gonna do it the. Get one of these. 
 

 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21907]

After you take that and get it filled how do you lift it up on the stand?

Edited October 22, 2021 by NeverMarryAStripper

[RPM 26322]

4 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

After you take that and get it filled how do you lift it up on the stand?

One that big, they deliver.

[Bevo&Pevo 5195]

Properly ground the tank.  If you don't keep it really full the inside will develop condensation.  So you will need a way (occasionally) to check for H2O and drain it off.   Don't store any oxidizers (pool tabs) near it.

[Gil Bang 25967]

Just don't fucking do it at all.  It's a really, really bad idea.   Ask any fireman if they have a story about somebody that stored gasoline.  They will have one, and it won't have a good ending. 

[Gil Bang 25967]

Get a fucking generator that runs on Diesel or Propane (not fucking butane...that's a bastard gas).

Propane is pretty fucking safe to store. Diesel is "fairly" safe to store.  Gasoline is a bad day waiting to happen. 

[atomheartbevo 89710]

10 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

After you take that and get it filled how do you lift it up on the stand?

Well, if you fill up some barrels and your pickup bed is decently high, you are part of the way there.  Just need a small pump to get it the rest of the way.

 

Edited October 23, 2021 by atomheartbevo

[Kennythetiger 9389]

On 10/22/2021 at 3:32 AM, 52-80 said:

great shooting target

I don’t think that’ll blow up. Needs ignition of some sort, like a small jar of gunpowder that you shoot first. 

[52-80 19162]

13 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

I don’t think that’ll blow up. Needs ignition of some sort, like a small jar of gunpowder that you shoot first. 

whatever it takes!

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4976]

15 hours ago, Kennythetiger said:

I don’t think that’ll blow up. Needs ignition of some sort, like a small jar of gunpowder that you shoot first. 

It blew up. And it was glorious.

http://blog.joehuffman.org/2015/05/07/road-flares-and-gasoline/

[Bill Brasky 1449]

On 10/22/2021 at 11:18 AM, Catpfish said:

Actually planning on keep it year round and using it for lawnmowers (push and zero-turn) to cycle the gas and then have the tank full for a just in case situation.

if you use it year round and cycle the gas you should be okay.    if it sits too long (6+ months) it may lose some octane rating but that's about it.   keep the tank as full as possible to avoid having too much condensation develop inside the tank.    

[Catpfish 618]

That's my plan.  I also ended spending a whole lot more money than I planned on originally, but I bought a DOT approved gasoline transfer tank to, hopefully, avoid a lot of the potential issues.

[immortal13 4059]

Call these guys

 

[XYZ 2154]

What’s the problem with ethanol?

[gmr548 16580]

On 10/21/2021 at 3:30 PM, Catpfish said:

 Is this a completely stupid idea?