Venting a 55 gal drum for diesel

[Texasmark]

I have been using 55 gallon drums for so many years I can't remember. I keep them under a car port kinda of thing. The drums remain sealed unless the pump is installed and the mounting of it is pretty tight. Unscrewing (not removing, just unscrewing somewhat) the small bung will work for you. I don't need to do that.

My pump is the cheapest battery powered pump TSC sells. When I start pumping and I get all the flow I want, the barrel top compresses with a bang indicating a vacuum in the tank but the pump keeps pumping like nothing happened. I have slight leakage around the pump to tank mounting.

When filling the barrels, there is always an inch or so of diesel left as the suction tube has slots preventing you from sucking all the fuel out.....good as there could be water there that you don't want. I usually shine a flashlight down there before filling and using off-road diesel, all I see is crystal clear red diesel. No algae, no water, no crud I guess thanks to Power Services storage (white container) snake oil.

Other thing is at the outlet of the pump I have installed a Goldenrod water absorbing filter (TSC has that too) to pickup any water that may be in the fuel.

I have 3 barrels in a dedicated trailer so when it's time for a trip to town, just hook onto the trailer and get-r-done.

 

[TractorGuy]

The pump tube I made for mine leaves 5 gallons in the drum. I tip the drum and use a small fuel pump to get the last of it into a fuel can so I can check it for water.

 

[Texasmark]

The pump tube I made for mine leaves 5 gallons in the drum. I tip the drum and use a small fuel pump to get the last of it into a fuel can so I can check it for water.

Fuel floats on the water if agitation wasn't long and hard enough to homogenize it, like you find in a transmission with milky fluid due to water ingestion. Course if your diesel was anything but crystal clear you would know right off you have a serious water problem.

If you had condensation water below the 5 gallons left in your barrel you could see it looking through the 2" port with a flashlight. It would make an irregular puddle or a main puddle and smaller circular puddles with the diesel on top. Having dyed farm diesel makes it easy to tell the difference.

Having the slit near the bottom of the pickup tube of the pump prevents you from using the last drop in the container so if a little water was left you wouldn't be pumping it.

 

[larryws]

Is there some type of screw-in gauge for 55 gallon barrels to determine amount of fuel inside? Thanks

 

[larryws]

Has anyone had experience installing a trenching bucket (6")on a RK24 (TYM backhoe)? If so, what brand? Modifications needed? Thanks

 

[RjCorazza]

Is there some type of screw-in gauge for 55 gallon barrels to determine amount of fuel inside? Thanks

I just stick my drum with a 1/2" section of PVC pipe. Measure the fuel and use a chart to determine fuel level.

 

[4570Man]

Is there some type of screw-in gauge for 55 gallon barrels to determine amount of fuel inside? Thanks

A white plastic barrel would be the easiest.

 

[larryws]

I just stick my drum with a 1/2" section of PVC pipe. Measure the fuel and use a chart to determine fuel level.

Thank you

 

[larryws]

A white plastic barrel would be the easiest.

I tried a plastic barrel before. I had it about 1/2 full. Walked passed one day and noticed it had caved in on itself. Haven't had that problem again with using metal barrels. Thanks

 

[Fallon]

I tried a plastic barrel before. I had it about 1/2 full. Walked passed one day and noticed it had caved in on itself. Haven't had that problem again with using metal barrels. Thanks

I've got a white barrel & fuel inside is nice & visible. If the barrel is collapsing that gets to the origional question in the thread. You need better venting on the barrel regardless of plastic or metal. If you seal a barrel on a hot day with low ambient pressure then it cools off it can collapse.

Mythbusters & many others have done this experiment over the years.

more extreme than normal weather swings. I'm betting plastic collapses easier, but it will also likely return to normal undamaged after its vented.