Is it illegal

[Soundguy]

Come to eastern Kentucky!

they will?

down here, there are big signs up all over the bottled gass sellers / tank renters.. shows burned cars and whatnot.. and some mention of no loading in vehicles without anti roll cages.. and not loaded into passanger area of vehicles...
nor will they take em without the screw on cover..

soundguy

 

[sam5570]

well im confused now but thats normal all i can say is if you get by with hauling what ever in any volume it's legal. it's only illegal when you get caught.

 

[3930dave]

Vehicles have factory underbody fuel poly tanks, but any I've seen still have a metal filler tube (can't afford new four wheelers, so somebody rich may correct me on this). The static issue comes in with the fuel flowing from a metal pump nozzle directly across/into plastic tanks. Hence, as already mentioned, you are supposed to fill approved plastic gas containers on the ground (as in planet Earth).

Post #24 did a great job of summarizing how strictly some jurisdictions enforce regulations. Practically, I'd say the biggest issue with diesel would be leaks from a non-approved container, as it is less volatile than gasoline.

The person who started this thread doesn't have to go far, so probably can get away with this indefinitely. Me, I have Murphy hanging around way too much...... you can read plenty of accident reports of "Farmer just pulled out of his laneway, speeding car crested the hill........"

Where I live (Ontario, Canada), I would NOT want to find out what the Hazmat cleanup bill would be for 55 gallons of diesel if my insurance company dug in it's heels about the container of choice. Here, it would be real spendy.

Rgds, D.

 

[aczlan]

Vehicles have factory underbody fuel poly tanks, but any I've seen still have a metal filler tube (can't afford new four wheelers, so somebody rich may correct me on this). The static issue comes in with the fuel flowing from a metal pump nozzle directly across/into plastic tanks. Hence, as already mentioned, you are supposed to fill approved plastic gas containers on the ground (as in planet Earth).

All the cars I have worked on (several Volvos made between '84 and '04, a Dodge Caravan, a Dodge 1500 pickup, a Ford E350, a couple of VWs and some others that I have forgotten) have a metal filler port, then a rubber hose, then a plastic fuel tank.
I can see the metal hose receptacle grounding the fuel hose, but not the fuel tank as it is electrically isolated from the frame of the car.

Aaron Z

 

[3930dave]

Static typically needs electrical potential, and a physical separation to create a spark. The metal pump grounds the car at the metal fill tube. Static may build up as fuel flows into a poly tank, but with no physical gap between the metal filler (otherwise you've got fuel pouring on the ground) tube and the tank, there is no gap for a spark to jump.

There can be OE extra safety grounds on the metal filler tube. If you are maintaining older vehicles, it is a good idea to verify that these grounds are in place and not corroded/broken.

Rgds, D.

 

[Dr Dave]

The fuel pickup/sending unit is grounded, on a vehical or tractor with a plastic tank.

 

[hosspuller]

I'd guess that a food-grade barrel isn't officially an "approved" container, but its probably safe for fuel use if it is the same kind of plastic as is used in the approved containers. As others have noted, how fuel containers are filled, handled and hauled is different for gasoline than for diesel.
I noticed that lots of folks were filling red gasoline containers at the local fuel oil (dyed) pump, whereas I always put diesel/fuel oil in the yellow containers and gasoline in the red. The provincial fire marshall's office told me there were no regs preventing this practice...despite the warning message embossed in the plastic container itself about what fuel it is approved for!
BOB

My experience with plastic drums has been failure via a cracked wall. Plastic fuel tanks may have an internal coating. So instead of used plastic drums of unknown specification I use 55 gallon metal drums to store and transport my diesel. I figure the likelihood of a catastrophic failure is less. Also corrosion will create a small hole vs. a large crack. Again, better to have a leak against a mass spill of $3.75+ per gallon fuel. Also the potential clean-up cost of a haz waste site is pretty spendy.

 

[Soundguy]

55g metal drums will sure hold up in the sun better too!

 

[Bird]

I had a steel drum (55 gallon barrel) and it was supposed to be closed up tight and had a tarp over it, but it also got a lot of water in it, one way or another, and the first thing I knew, my tractor had water in the fuel. So I got a 55 gallon, blue barrel that came from a construction company and had some kind of detergent or solvent they used to clean their equipment. Of course it was thoroughly washed out and dried before I used it for my diesel, and I kept it just inside the overhead door in the shop and never had a problem with it.

 

[Soundguy]

probably a temperature sweating theing with the poly vs steel?