gasoline container

[ZippyDan]

i want to carry some extra gas around just in case. last time i tried carrying a gallon of gas around in a gallon gas container in my trunk, however, the inside of my car smelled like gasoline fumes every time i got in in the morning...

is this to be expected or simply the result of a cheap container... or erm what should i do

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

I wouldn't recommend regularly carrying gasoline in a gas can in your trunk. There's a gasoline substitute that is packaged in tightly sealed containers and isn't nearly so volatile(read: dangerous), and is marketed specifically for this purpose. IIRC, it can only be run in a hot engine, so you'd want to use it as soon as you run out of gas, or before you run out, and try and get to a fresh supply of gasoline and not turn off your engine and allow it to cool while burning the gasoline substitute. I'll do some Googling and post a link if I find it.

:buddies:

Edit: Here is the closest I could find. I don't think it's what I saw in the auto parts store years ago, but it's the same basic idea.

Edit again: I've never used this stuff and can't vouch for it's effectiveness. Caveat emptor, this is not legal advice, YMMV, insert standard disclaimer here.

 

[Kristofg]

Almost any container starts to smell of gasoline after a while since every time you fill it a few drops get spilled. I tried different containers, but the smell always gets back after a few fillings. I've resorted to keeping the small container in the garage in case I ever need a little fuel and just filling up at the station before I take a long trip

 

[jrmcferren]

There is another hot engine alternative to gasoline (may not work anymore, but was used a primary fuel in the early days of autos), and that is Kerosene. I DO NOT recommend this because most Kerosene is for off road use and therefore illegal to use on road. In the early days of automobiles you started up and warmed up your engine on gasoline and switched to kerosene for normal operation.

I DO NOT recommend this for a few reasons:
1. If may not work with modern cars.
2. Kerosene is dangerous as well, but not as dangerous as gasoline
3. Most consumer Kerosene is for Off Road Use (and illegal for environmental and TAX reasons).
4. Due to reason 3 such a recommendation would run afoul of CPF rules.

MODS:
1. If such information is considered in violation of CPF rules despite my warnings please delete this message without further notification.
2. Please excuse (or edit if really needed) my attention getting caps.

 

[TorchBoy]

Edit: Here is the closest I could find. I don't think it's what I saw in the auto parts store years ago, but it's the same basic idea.

I suppose that's quite a good idea for someone who has a non-working fuel gauge.

What do off roaders do about the smell when they put a couple of 20L/5 gallon containers of fuel in the boot/trunk for an extended trip? Wind the windows down?

 

[Fallingwater]

There are special containers for gasoline.
They are made of metal, are theoretically fire-resistant and have a good system for closing them.
You still have to scrupolously clean them with detergent (not just water...) right after filling them, otherwise the few drops that invariably get spilled will stink them up.
But once closed and cleaned they can be stored almost indefinitely without any gas fumes leaking.

 

[will]

There are also RED plastic containers used for gas. These are approved and you mostly see them used to fill gasoline garden equipment.

Kerosene is considered Number 1 fuel oil, Diesel is Number 2 fuel oil. I don't think they will work in an engine that is supposed to be fueled by gasoline.

 

[binky]

Lab Safety Supply is one place among many that have cans from Eagle and JustRite. It's unlikely you'll find these at your local hardware store. They range in price from reasonable to well over $200 for the DOT II versions, depending on how paranoid you want to get. I haven't used them, but I'd expect the metal ones to have a better seal against the fumes than the HDPE ones.

Remember that if the gas is in your car, it's probably going through some radical temperature changes between the cold of night and baking hot sun of the daytime. The vapor getting out of the can might be what you smell, aside from the inevitable drips on the outside. That cold/hot/cold introduces a huge pressure change of the, uh, gas above the gasoline. I'm not smart enough to know whether the amount of gas you have in the canister would have some or zero effect on the intensity of pressure in the can as temp changes. Let's see... pV=nRT. I guess it's not an ideal gas, and you'd likely be getting more gasoline vaporizing as the temp rises. Aw heck I don't know. I was going to suggest that you fill the tank full so there wouldn't be much vapor to cause a problem but on second thought I think the volume of vapor you start with would be irrelevant to the pressure as the temp bakes the gasoline sitting in the canister. Something to think about, though.

 

[bitslammer]

Yeah I figured any container would have to vent excess pressure caused by the gas expanding when temp is high.

 

[ZippyDan]

ok. so some followups:

is that spare tank a good thing to put in an engine?

more info on this metal gas containers plz

and i was using the standard red plastic tank

 

[binky]

Oh -- and since you're going to store it, adding a fuel stabilizer might be a good idea.

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

Zippy - I'm sure it's not good to run all the time, but one gallon shouldn't make much difference.

Seriously, just look at your gas gauge, it's really not that hard. If you know you're going to be on an extended trip with no gas stations nearby, THEN carry extra fuel.

:buddies:

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

There is another hot engine alternative to gasoline (may not work anymore, but was used a primary fuel in the early days of autos), and that is Kerosene. I DO NOT recommend this because most Kerosene is for off road use and therefore illegal to use on road. In the early days of automobiles you started up and warmed up your engine on gasoline and switched to kerosene for normal operation.

I DO NOT recommend this for a few reasons:
1. If may not work with modern cars.
2. Kerosene is dangerous as well, but not as dangerous as gasoline
3. Most consumer Kerosene is for Off Road Use (and illegal for environmental and TAX reasons).
4. Due to reason 3 such a recommendation would run afoul of CPF rules.

MODS:
1. If such information is considered in violation of CPF rules despite my warnings please delete this message without further notification.
2. Please excuse (or edit if really needed) my attention getting caps.

Like you said, won't work in modern vehicles. While kerosene would flow through a fuel system and vaporize/spray just fine when hot, the octane rating isn't adaquate for most vehicles made in the last 30-40 years. Serious damage would result.

:buddies:

 

[gadget_lover]

Most modern cars have a "low fuel" lamp on the dashboard. The idea is to add gas before the injectors run dry, so you add gas before you hit zero. Fuel injectors are known to need bleeding when they get air in them.

Adding gas when the gauge shows 1/4 tank is always a great idea.

I used to travel with a gas can in the early 70's, and never had a problem. You have to realize that the car exhaust back then usually smelled of raw gas anyway, so it was probably masked by the normal smell of traffic. Occasionally I get behind an old car from the 50's and I'm always astounded by the smell of unburned gas.

If you can smell gas, there's a chance that there are fumes building up that might be a fire hazard.

Daniel

 

[tebore]

Most modern cars have a "low fuel" lamp on the dashboard. The idea is to add gas before the injectors run dry, so you add gas before you hit zero. Fuel injectors are known to need bleeding when they get air in them.

Daniel

I've never heard of injectors needed to be bled. I've done injectors swaps before and I've done was pop off the old and on goes the new(less details of PCM programming).

 

[InTheDark]

What do off roaders do about the smell when they put a couple of 20L/5 gallon containers of fuel in the boot/trunk for an extended trip? Wind the windows down?

I don't know about everyone else, but most of the offroaders I've seen, their cars had so many holes and leaks in their vehicles that the gas fumes weren't noticable over the exhaust fumes coming into the vehicle.

On a serious note, a good fuel container will help a lot too. There's a big difference between the cheap metal jerry cans sold at Walmart, and the true Military fuel containers that cost 4x more. Here's a good link about the history of the Wedco and all the little details that make the differenece between a crappy container and a great one.

https://www.expeditionexchange.com/wedco/

Most people keep extra gas outside the vehicle. No matter how careful you are when filling up, there's almost always going to be fumes coming out, so rather than going through the trouble to eliminate the fumes, it's just easier to put it outside where it won't bother people. If you really need to carry extra fuel on a regular basis, look into adding a spare gas tank to your vehicle. It's probably the easiest way to add lots of capacity.

For my daily driver vehicle, I was looking at getting one of those folding carbord fuel containers. They are basically an empty foling box, but if you do run out of gas you could walk to the nearest gas station and fill them up. So it won't help if you're out in the boonies with no gas stations, but they'd be good for around the city.

 

[Datasaurusrex]

I suppose that's quite a good idea for someone who has a non-working fuel gauge.

What do off roaders do about the smell when they put a couple of 20L/5 gallon containers of fuel in the boot/trunk for an extended trip? Wind the windows down?

They mount a 5 gallon jerry can to the outside of their rig.

Many also install a smaller secondary fuel tank and a manual switch/valve.

 

[InTheDark]

ok. so some followups:

is that spare tank a good thing to put in an engine?

more info on this metal gas containers plz

and i was using the standard red plastic tank

It would help a lot if you were more specific on your problem. How much gas do you want to carry? What kind of vehicle is it? Are you carrying it because you don't check your fuel level very often, or because you go to remote areas where there is no fuel? If the only reason you are carrying it is because you are afraid of running out of fuel going to work, it's easier just to fill up more often.

 

[knot]

I found this gas can with some gas in it. I put it on the floor behind the passenger seat and it didn't smell at all. When I opened it, pressure was released. I think it's for boats. It even has a gas gauge on it. It's 6 gallons.
The shape is nice as it's low profile. Much less chance of it tipping over.






***edit - I checked the net. It says automatic venting but I think that is only when it's attached to fuel line: http://www.theoutboardwizard.bizhosting.com/_177001_universal_duratank_6_gallon_fuel_tank.html

Or it might be this one: http://www.theoutboardwizard.bizhosting.com/_175981_duratank_6_gallon_fuel_tank.html



It's hard to understand how a non-flammable gasoline derivative can burn in car. ***ok it says, SPARE TANK is a unique blend of environmentally safe, bio-degradable, organic and synthetic compounds with a National Fire Prevention Agency (NFPA) and DOT rating of "Combustible" as opposed to conventional gasoline which retains the significantly more hazardous NFPA and DOT rating of "Flammable".