"George E. Cawthon" wrote in
message
...
: Pop wrote:
: "George E. Cawthon" wrote in
: message
:
...
: : Pop wrote:
: : Hi,
: :
: : What do you folk do for gasoline storage for your
generators?
....
:
: They are hazardous because you have more chances
: of spills from splits, stumbling over them, vapor
: release, etc.
Agreed; that's why I made the little red, metal "closet" for
them to store in, besides the fact that the fire dept liked it
better (grudgingly, but they said there was nothing to stop me).
That was a long time ago; I'm almost afraid to ask again. We
only have volunteer FD's around here but they're pretty sharp in
general.
:
: You don't need to control moisture inside. If it
: really worries you a can of gas drier in or better
: yet about 8 ounces of ethanol (from the paint
: store) in a full tank. It won't rust inside when
: full of gas. But the best insurance is to have a
: new or nearly new barrel with no evidence of rust.

Good points.

You seem to be right. I have two metal and two plastic barrels
for water stored downstairs in the basement. I emptied the metal
barrels and pulled rings to look inside; they're pretty clean and
not rusty.

: If that still worries you put a filter on the
: outflow or use a built in filter at the tap. The
: barrel may rust through but not for a long time
: like 20 years.

Good; hadn't thought of that yet - already have funnels with the
copper water strainers in them.

:
: No, 55 gallon drums are heavy metal. I used one
: for compost half buried in the ground and later
: switched to one standing up in the open (easier to
: dump over to empty). The first lasted about 15
: years but the bottom rusted out because I had
: poked holes in it for drainage. The second which
: stand in my garden (and gets sprayed at least
: every 3rd day throughout the summer)is still going
: strong (bottom rusty because it has holes poked in
: it and solid except for the bottom. I bought the
: second at least 10 years ago from a farm woman who
: had used it for many years on a wagon to spray
: insecticide. Now if they can stand holding
: compost year round, gasoline storage is not going
: to affect them much. My father store gas in one
: for probably 25 years, unfortunately, the last
: placement was under a cedar tree standing upright.
: He only got gas out in an emergency so water and
: snow would fill the top rim, leaves would fall on
: the top and decompose, and then daily temperature
: changes would cause the barrel to contract and
: pull the mess from the top through the threads of
: the fill screws. What was pulled through was so
: fine you couldn't see it, but it plugged one of
: those sintered bronze gas filters. You are not
: going to rust out a good steel barrel.

Thanks for sharing your experience.
:
: I have no idea what the cost of a new one is
: (check any gas and oil company), but the best bet
: for a decent price is to buy a standard oil barrel
: from someone or some company that uses a lot of
: oil--diesel, lub oil, hydraulic fluid, cutting
: fluid, and whatever comes in barrels. Check
: garages, heavy equipment dealers and repair
: places, lub shops, farmers.

Ah, hadn't thought of Agway either - even have a relative works
at one of them. Also have a nephew at a car dealership. Good
thinking - if they can't help me they'll at least know where I
can call around to I bet.
:
: Check what the gas company URLs say. Gas remains
: fresh for at least 1 year if stored properly.

Yup, stale gas isn't really ever an issue. Worst happens here is
I use up the winterized gas in the summer for lawn equipment. I
do keep it rotating.
:
: Yep other tanks are possible, but they will be a
: lot more expensive, especially for the little
: amount of gas you want to store.
:
: Sealed gas tanks worked ok for my dad with
: temperatures ranging from -40 to 87 degrees. The
: end walls would bulge, but they never leaked. If
: a drum is full of gas it can collapse. Actually
: it won't collapse if you have 4 or 5 gallons in
: it. and the temp difference between hot days
: followed by cold night isn't significant.

Ummm, nearly empty cans can collapse too - I've done it; not
completely, but enough it wouldn't reliably sit upright any
longer. One side collapsed more than the other.
Are you saying the expand/contraction of gasoline can also
collapse a can if it's full and air tight? I never thought of
that, but I can see it's possible I guess, esp inthe case of 45
or 55 gallons; it would be a fairly significant volume change I
guess.

If you
: are really worried, when winter comes, open the
: top screw to equalize the pressure and then close
: tight, but there is no need for that, just taking
: some gas out every month eliminates any possible
: problem.

Right. Goog point.

Thanks for your thoughts.