On Fri, 22 Oct 2010 20:01:17 -0400, Stormin Mormon wrote:
How many galons of gas do you use, in a week, month, etc?

Three vehicles, which fill up (about 18 gallons each) about once every
two weeks so a 55-gallon drum should last, oh, about two weeks, maybe
three.

CY: Hmm. That works out to a reasonable ammout of fuel. Are these road
vehicles, or at-home machines?

I sense that you're tired of going to town to fill 5
gal containers? Or, do you want a bunch of gas on hand for power
cuts
and storms?

Mostly it's the convenience of not having to drive far and wide to
fill
up constantly. There's the added benefit that the wifey loves when I
fill
up her car but she hates me driving it 'cuz I move the seat and
mirrors!

CY: When I shared a vehicle with my parents. I could tell who was the
last driver, based on the seat and miror. I figured out after a while
how to reset the seat and miror to match one of my parents. It comes
to mind that you could put one or two 4-galon gas cans in your car
trunk, and keep her tank topped off that way. Buy your own gas at the
gas station. Of course, you check her oil and fluids on her car, and
keep them topped off.

Some fuel suppliers have the round 200 gal tanks, with the crank
pump
provided. I'm sure the gas is more expensive, as they have to
deliver.

More expensive? I would think "bulk" is less expensive. But I don't
know.

CY: I remember asking a gas guy about that. He says the corner gas
station is much cheaper because the truck can dump 5,000 galons at a
time, and there is only the one hook up and disconnect. Coming out to
someone's house to deliver 200 galons is a lot more labor, and keeps
the truck busy.

Hand crank pump is more work, but also simpler and less likely to
break.

I'm leaning toward the hand pump, if for no other reason, it's cheaper
and does not have electricity to give off a spark.

CY: That's a real concern. Electric motors often spark.

Filter is cheaper than having your equipment break down account of
sediment or crud.

I figure the fuel is already filtered; but I understand that crud can
build up in the 55-gallon drum, I guess.

CY: That's my guess. Rain, and whatever else gets in. In the case of
my snow blower, I think it was a rubber gasket that came apart.

Please let us know some more about what you want to do.

You hit the nail on the head pretty much. It's all for gasoline for
on-
road vehicular use. It's for convenience. The least convenient part, I
guess, is filling the drum, which I would hope I can find someone to
deliver. If they don't deliver in 55-gallon quantities, then I'll have
to
fill 'er up with 10 5-gallon jugs.

CY: I do like the idea of having some gasoline at home. Me, living in
a trailer park, I can't safely store any gasoline at home. But, in
case there is any supply line problems, it's nice to have some fuel at
home. If you can do it safely, and it's clear that you can. I'm
guessing you will find it easier to use the 5 galon cans and fuel up
her car 5 galons at a time. I could easily be mistaken. I hope you let
us know what works out. So we can learn from you.