Bandaid for Gasoline Spout?

houser52 · Oct 9, 2015

TerryR said:
I have an ancient 1-Gal. metal gas can I use for mixed fuel for small engines. It has a handy flexible (rubber, plastic?) spout with a plug on the end and a nice big opening for mixing oil and fuel. No doubt no longer legal.

Trouble is some critter chewed a hole in the spout. I don't find anything as handy currently offered. It looks like it could be fixed with a tight wrap of tape. Is there any sort of tape that would withstand gasoline?

The same happened to me several years ago. Something chewed a hole in my Chilton plastic spout. Here's what I did.

I removed the spout and washed it well inside and out to remove any gasoline. Heated a small putty knife til red hot and wiped it across the hole, filling it in with the melted plastic from around the hole. I added a little melted plastic from a old garbage can or something. The hot putty knife melted everything together and made it leak proof.
It's held up ever since.

oldpilgrim · Oct 9, 2015

I've switched all my cans to this:

EZ-Pour Universal Replacement Spout Kit - For Life Out Here

If they don't have the black one, the white ones (for water) work just as well.

oops, same as post 10 above but the actual link to TSC.

fried1765 · Oct 9, 2015

The real problem for the new style containers is that there is no vent.
I too hate the new containers, but one must eventually buy some.
My solution is to drive a nail into the plastic near the very top of a 5 gal. plastic fuel container.
Then take the nail out, and use a straight slot sheet metal screw with a washer soldered into the slot.
Now you have an easily removable vent plug.
Do not use a drill to make the hole, as the drill cuttings will fall into the container to mix with the fuel when you fill the first time.

drizler · Oct 9, 2015

fried1765 said:
The real problem for the new style containers is that there is no vent.
I too hate the new containers, but one must eventually buy some.
My solution is to drive a nail into the plastic near the very top of a 5 gal. plastic fuel container.
Then take the nail out, and use a straight slot sheet metal screw with a washer soldered into the slot.
Now you have an easily removable vent plug.
Do not use a drill to make the hole, as the drill cuttings will fall into the container to mix with the fuel when you fill the first time.

It's a crying shame when some egg head can dream up a Rube Goldberg device to take the place of a vent. I used to have a German can from the late 70's. It didn't have a vent either. What it did have was a small tube up the inside of the spout that just plain acted as a vent. Not the fastest pouring but light years ahead of the foolish contraptions these boobs force on us. It actually worked pretty good. The little one gallon can I have now from over there was made in 1974. Funny, it's faded but just as sturdy as the day I dug it out of a junk car in 79. Today the cans aren't going to last 10 years and I hang onto my ancient 1980's Wedcos jealously. The very best are the Canadian 6 Imperial gallon cans. Fill one up to the top and you have over 7 gallons. The little 5 gallon jokers they sell are just too small and they don't usually want to stay upright in the back of your truck..
Oh to the original poster. If your tape goes to crap like it probably will and you want to fix it nearly permanently go to Lowes and buy you a tube of automotive windshield urethane. Spread the goo on like butter onto a clean surface and you will be good for 5 or 6 years at least. The only drawback to windshield urethane is that once the tube is opened it's going to all harden in a few days no matter what you do. 3M 5200 Marine sealant is very similar and you can get in a small tube on a card. It hardens up just like the other stuff though.

4570Man · Oct 9, 2015

It doesn't help the op much, but you can still get a metal can with a funnel that is the best of the current cans. I have a 1.5 gallon can like the one pictured below. The 5 gallon version sucks and takes way too long to empty, but I actually like the small one for filling my small mixed gas tanks. The push button valve makes it easy to not over fill the tank or spill fuel trying to get the spout in the tank. It has a nice large opening when you remove the the spout.

oldpilgrim · Oct 9, 2015

The link I provided has a vent included in the kit.

sixdogs · Oct 10, 2015

Those replacement spouts for $10 are often on sale for $7 and work really well. For a vent I force thread in a sheet rock screw and after a few times you can remove and install with finger pressure.

Some guys use racing fuel jugs--5 gallon- and they work well also. For fixing a small hole, what about hot glue? It's just melted plastic and I use it for lots of things.

DJ54 · Oct 10, 2015

I bought one of these at Rural King, and love it. Rather pricey, but got it on sale for $19.99. I still have my old plastic cans, and the one safety can that sets in the corner, but this empties out in less than half the time they do.5 Gallon Polyethylene Fluid Container by Vp Racing Fuels, Inc for $24.99 in Fuel Transfer - Lube Equipment - Air Compressors - Automotive : Rural King

Rural King also has replacement spouts for the safety cans also. Need to get one of those, one of these days.

If you read the reviews on this container, some say the caps don't seal well. Can't say that for mine, as it seems to seal OK, and no leaks to date. I will pick one up again when they run a sale on them.

drizler · Oct 10, 2015

Now if you want the non approved nice square 5 gallon can with a nice wide turn tap nozzle you can get them from the local pool store. They come with chlorine in them and last I knew were with a $5 deposit on the can. They come with a standard plastic wide mouth cap but you can buy the screw in taps and caps around town. What's nice with these is that the inner bore of that cap is just smaller than the size of a pipe filter. So you get ya down to the local head shop or pipe or online store and get a few of those little stainless ultra fine filters, theyre cheap,. Then put it into the bore of the plastic tap inside the cap and just heat the edges with a soldering iron. It's in there forever and is a fantastic filter. I used to use this rig to fuel my plane with car gas and it was easy to use because the square can laid right down on top of the wing and stayed put nicely. The cans are as good as any and leak less than anything the EPA goons have dreamed up today.