gas storage

Hi, folks,

I did a search first but didn't find what I what I was looking for so if this is redundant I apologize. Given the high price of gasoline and my concern that it might even go exceedingly higher if not even become unavailable at times I have been buying 5 gallon metal tanks. Any advice or caveats? I intend to keep 50-100 gallons on hand and rotate it by using it in vehicles as opposed to just storing it for months on end. I don't have an outbuilding though. I would have to keep it in an expansive well ventilated garage if I did it. Thanks for your advice. Duke

With the price of fuel, I would not let it me known to your neighbors & friends you are doing this. 100 gallons is $450.00 and everyone can use it. While you may trust your neighbors, people will talk. Mom & Dad talk about it, the kids hear it, their friends then can find out, the friend of a friend finds out and fairly soon 30 or 40 people know you have $450.00 worth of fuel for the taking. It would also be a good idea to not make it easy to see when looking into the garage. Don’t let yourself be seen carrying lots of gas cans into the garage, not only does it allow less then honest people to find out, it can also get reported that you are storing lots of dangerous fuel. This can make people nervous and they may call the police.

As a person that likes to be prepared, we should somewhat keep what we do from those around us.

You might want to check your local laws about how much you can legally store.

I have been a boater for years, and boaters tend to let their vessels sit for long periods of time without use. Fuel degradation is a problem. After trying several methods over the years, I have found two products that are effective at treating fuel.

Neither are cheap.

Both are available at marine supply stores.

Pri-G

SeaFoam

I have used fuel that I have stored at home, in sealed metal containers, that were treated with Pri-G, three years after pumping. It had not degraded. Pri-G can also restore stored fuel that has not been treated (at least that's what I've heard.)

I have used SeaFoam only in boats (not in my home storage fuel), but did have fuel treated with it in storage for nearly two years, and the vessel ran fine. SeaFoam also cleans the carb, and has a multitude of other uses, too.

Storing 50-100 gallons of gasoline in anything other than a tank specifically designed for that purpose is insane, dangerous, and in most places illegal. 5 Gallon metal tanks are intended for the temporary storage of fuels, and even with a rotation plan, you'll be storing a lot of fuel in a garage, a practice that represents a serious risk of fire and explosion. 5 Gallon tanks do not have the best vapor seals, they can and do leak fumes. Tanks designed to store gasoline are not cheap, for a reason. What's more, if you intend to use 100 gallons as a hedge against inflation, that's hardly going to be worth the effort. I've worked garage fires, it's bad enough with all the other stuff in there, throw in 100 gallons of gasoline and you've just made a bad problem much worse. Large gasoline tanks are underground or outdoors for a good reason - to prevent really bad fires.

The economics of a 100 gallon futures market are also questionable.
If you buy fuel at $4.25 a gallon, and you need 20 gallons a week, you're still going to be paying $4.25 a gallon, and then $4.75 and then $5.00 and so on to replenish your supply as you use it. You're not avoiding any expenses, you're just delaying them a week or so. Serious futures markets are contracts to purchase at a set price at a point in the future.

If you intend to store fuel for a while, for emergency use, the standard method is the metal 55 gallon drum: http://www.valumotion.com/index.php/cPath/700_4442_790_8949
You'll need to stabilize the fuel, a simple additive you can buy almost anywhere they sell gas-powered tools. You'll also need a gasoline rated pump to get the fuel out of the drums.
Finally, you'll need a way to FILL the drums in the first place, and handle them full. You can go back and forth with 5 gallon jugs to your drums. You'll need to be careful of static electricity when filling with 5 gallon cans.
Or, you can get a truck with a liftgate and fill the drums up at a gas station that is willing to look the other way while you fill them up (55 gallon drums would be considered an "unapproved" container in most places, and thus illegal to fill).
All in all, gas storage is tricky.

I understand that you are asking about the best way to store gas. And I agree with martinfocazio that you should only use rated storage containers.

However, I think that the risk/benefit ratio of the concept is undesirable.

I think a wiser course would be to consider hypermiling (change your driving) and make some vehicle mods as shown on ecomodder.com (change your car's gas mileage). Some things you can do once and save from again and again. I'm starting down that path myself, with my V8 Chevy.

If you had said that you wanted to store gas for a long time as part of a survival or bugging in plan then thats a different story, but, thats not what you were asking about.

Good points. I should say my intention was less an inflation hedge as a "can't get it at all" hedge. Or at least in fits and spurts. I expect someone to attack Iran with a subsequent Hormuz supply disruption. So I don't want to be high and dry but don't want to blow myself up, either. This isn't anything I really want to do.

I'll add my $0.02.

I store up to 40 gals of gas (increasing to 50 gals) and I add 2oz of Stabil for each 5gal can. I keep all of my fuel in a tin shed (store bought, assembled from a kit) that doesn't have any electrical power.

I'm storing sufficient gas to run my generator for 80 hrs (5 gals = 8 hrs running time) or to provide 1 refill for each of my vehicles (van req's 30 gals & the truck req's 20 gals) which would allow me to make it to my mountainous deep shelter and friends.

1) Is your garage attached to your home?
2) Do you have a gas or electric hot water heater and/or clothes dryer?

IMO, a "yes" answer to either one of those questions spells a very large, nasty, explosion in your future.

IMO, explosive mixtures (such as gas) should be stored away from the house within a ventilated structure that has no electrical or natural/propane gas service/appliances.

IMO, storing gas as an inflation hedge is not worth the risk for the small amount of fuel that you/we are discussing. Storing that amount of gas as part of a Bug-In or Bug-Out Plan makes sense, particularly if you balance the amount of fuel on hand against the known or perceived threat for your location and time of the year.

I reduce my gas storage during the months of Dec - May; increase my stocks from Jun - Dec. This provides the highest level of preparation for hurricane season while minimizing my "risk factors" during those time that I don't actually have a need for that larger amount of fuel.

I currently have 30 gals stored and will hit the 40 gal mark when I go home towards the end of the month. I'll hit my max amount of 50 gals just before the height of the hurricane season.
On Dec 1st, I'll pour my oldest 10 - 20 gals into my vehicles (Merry Christmas). I'll deplete another 10 gals in January, etc, etc. In May, I'll buy 10 more gals, another 10 - 20 gals in Jun, etc, etc.

#1, don't do it.

#2, Don't Do It.

#3, DON'T DO IT.

But if you do, add Stabul, or another fuel stabilizer; think about plastic can instead of metal (I have had those rust inside, even when kept full); never flip a light switch, turn on a dryer, use an auto garage door opener; be sure to turn off the water heater, etc etc etc...

I'll have to say I've found the caveats persuasive. I still want to store some but I'm going to find another place to keep it, like the outbuilding mentioned. I have access to an empty barn on another location which would be inconvenient, but this is just a hedge anyway in case of supply disruption.

Your fire department, sheriff and insurance company won't like it.
You may be denied a claim if you have a fire. The fire department
may not try to save your house if they find out.

You can only store 20lbs of smokeless gun powder in one place in
a residence in most locals, and it is less flammable than gas.

Take your money and invest it in one of the energy companies
making record profits on the sale of gas.

I have about 140 pounds of gun powder.


Me BAD!!!

Don't do it. Even in an well-ventilated outbuilding, marked for gasoline storage (ex. bright visible FLAMMABLE GASOLINE label, which may comply with local codes for storage of a *limited* amount of gas, but will defeat any effort to keep your gas cache secret from others), you're still creating a hazard for you, your family and anyone who happens upon your gas. Like most issues around consumption, planning for conservation is better. Buy a cheap bike, start now to reduce your trips, and pretty soon you'll find you're consuming less on a routine basis. If it will take you 100 gallons to get to some BOB location, reconsider your current or BOB location, or your vehicle and its consumption rate.

Easy. Store diesel instead. Much safer, less volatile. Only problem is you'll have to buy a diesel car/truck if you don't already have one.

And of course diesel costs a lot more than gas (as we recently discovered), which is a real bummer...

I have a 300 gallon "diesel" tank in my basement. It's hooked up to my oil burner. You know, I've often thought about picking up a diesel generator...hmmm.

Now that I can go for...

Don't know if you're near the border but they had a news segment the other day showing how a lot of people are heading over the border cause gas/diesel is less than half what it costs here. A lot of guys with big diesel pickups are getting that popular tank conversion (extra tank installed where the toolbox normally sits) so they can get twice the fuel.

Ah, here's the link. Its called "gas tourist."


http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=5281971

We are much closer to the Canadian border, and last time we were up there fuel was much more expensive than it was in the states.

Already got a cross bed tool box, and it is full of camping/survival stuff, so that option is out too. Darn it...

I would read all the fine print in my home owners insurance policy before storing gasoline inside a dwelling. Believe me, your insurance company has a bus load of lawyers ready to find any loophole if you file a claim after a fire.

My father in law has told me more than once that if his garage catches fire... run.

we live on 20 acres 10 min. out of town.

We have a 250 gal. gasoline tank for tractors, etc. We refill at 1/2 empty, so there's usually 100 to 150 gal. in reserve. It's not really any cheaper, but there is a "rolling reserve" of fuel available.

As long as it is smokless, and isn't sealed up in a really tight container, I suspect that all it would do is go whoof, and make the fire burn a little better. Black powder, on the other hand, could go boom...

I'm reading everyone's advice -- but the implication is storing even a little bit of gas is bad? I have (3) 5 gallon metal CARB-compliant jerricans in my garage, for the portable generator. They have rubber gaskets around the (seeming) tight screw-on lids. And of course I have electric in the garage -- lights, garage door opener, wall sockets. How much risk am I exposing myself and my family to? Is there a safe way to store small amounts of gasoline for this purpose?