Proper Gasoline Storage

[marrt]

I suspect this topic has been discussed before but, if so, I can’t find it using the search function. My question is a simple one…what is the safest method to store gasoline. Currently, I have several cans of gasoline setting in my garage. This can’t be safe. I have seen storage cabinets for flammable liquids but they are rather expensive (like $500). I imagine one could use any common steel utility cabinet but, without the double lining, I’m not sure it would be much safer. And I don’t want to put the fuel cans out in the weather because of potential water contamination. Also, I don’t have a storage shed to get them away from the house. Any suggestions?

 

[JJT]

I don't keep more than 1 gallon of 2 cycle mixed gas and a 2 gallon can of regular. Get a siphon hose and use the gas in your car or truck.... It will always be fresh and you won't have a need for more than a gallon or 2 in cans.

 

[EdKing]

My father had a small flamables shed he built away from the house and the garage. It was about 3 ft tall, by 2 ft deep, by 5 ft long. He kept his kerosene, gasoline, paint thinner, etc., out in the shed. Figured if it went up he was only out the wood he built the shed out of.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Gasoline is a very powerful flammable liquid we all take for granted. As a firefighter and employed in the insurance industry, I can tell you a few gallons of the stuff will give you a lot of heat in a very short period of time and can do a huge amount of damage. The best container to store gasoline in is a UL Listed or FM Approved METAL safety can. They come in ½ gallon to 5 gallon size and cost from $20-$50, a very cheap insurance policy. The spout should have a screen inside of the can to prevent the vapors from igniting and it should have a self closing lid. The lid does two things, it prevents spills if the can is tipped over and more importantly, it will relieve pressure should it be exposed to a fire. The pressure build up in the can will cause the top to lift, the screen will prevent the escaping liquid from igniting the liquid inside of the can and lighting it off.

If you have a 55 gallon drum of gasoline you should store it in the upright position and pump the liquid from the drum with a UL or FM drum pump for flammable liquid. It is good practice to have a pressure relief valve in the bung you are not using to relief the pressure if the drum is exposed to a fire. The drum should be grounded, a 10-12 gauge wire connected to a 6-8 foot ½ inch copper rod into the ground. A bonding wire, a wire with two alligator clamps on either end, should be used when dispensing. One is connected to the 55 gallon drum and the other onto the vehicle or safety can you are dispensing into. The gas pump nozzle you pump gas with at a gas station has a similar set up, except you can not see it as it is covered by rubber hose. The purpose of the bonding wire is to carry the static electricity away to prevent it from igniting the gasoline. The best place to store gasoline is away from important buildings ( such as the building you have your tractor in, or your house) and in the shade.
Hope this helps, and oh yea be careful!

Regards

Tom

PS
Now for the legal stuff…
This information is based on NFPA 30, 2000 edition, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code and is my interpretation of the code. If you have any questions please contact your local fire inspector of fire protection professional or NFPA.

 

[JJT]

Tom, I stand by my original post. Store your gasoline in your car's fuel tank, and don't keep more than a gallon or 2 around in a small gas can for immediate use. JJT

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

JJT,

I just hope when you use your siphon hose, you use it outside and not in the garage. Remember gasoline vapors are heavier then air and will be at your toes. Those vapors can travel a good distance find a source of ignition and flash back, not a fun thing! Be careful when you get a mouth full of gas and need to spit it out or try putting the hose with gas coming out of it into the safety can! Come to think of it, buy a metal safety can.

I like my diesel engine on my Kobota BX 2200 so I do not have much gasoline around just for the weed wacker, about a gallon in a metal safety can, what else!

Tom

 

[Golfgar4]

<font color=blue>"I have seen storage cabinets for flammable liquids but they are rather expensive (like $500).'</font color=blue>

I don't know if it is still allowed, but in Wisconsin you used to be able to build flammable storage cabinets out of wood. Yes, you read it right - wood!

The specifications were fairly strict. I think it had to be 3/4" plywood, the joints had to be made a certain way, and of course, it needed to be waterproof. These cabinets could be used to store a small quantity of flammables, I think it was no more than 60 gallons.

I took a quick look at our State website this a.m. to see if I could find the specs, but I ran out of time. I'll try again later, and if I can find them (if they're still approved), I'll post the link to them.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

The following is from the NFPA 30 code

4-3 Design, Construction, and Capacity of Storage Cabinets.

4-3.1
Not more than 120 gal (454 L) of Class I, Class II, and Class IIIA liquids shall be stored in a storage cabinet. Of this 120-gal total, not more than 60 gal (227 L) shall be Class I and Class II liquids.

FYI

Gasoline is a class one and diesel is a class II

(c)Wooden cabinets constructed in the following manner shall be acceptable. The bottom, sides, and top shall be constructed of exterior grade plywood that is at least 1 in. (2.5 cm) thick and of a type that will not break down or delaminate under fire conditions. All joints shall be rabbetted and shall be fastened in two directions with wood screws. Where more than one door is used, there shall be a rabbetted overlap of not less than 1 in. (2.5 cm). Doors shall be equipped with a means of latching and hinges shall be constructed and mounted in such a manner as to not lose their holding capacity when subjected to fire exposure. A raised sill or pan capable of containing a 2 in. (5 cm) depth of liquid shall be provided at the bottom of the cabinet to retain spilled liquid within the cabinet.


Hope this helps. You may want to check with your fire department to make sure the NFPA 30 Code is something you can use. Some states may have a different code they follow.

 

[Ozarker]

The purpose oF a flamibles storage cabinet is separate flamibles from possible ignition producing devises and to prevent ground contamination. Thus, the drip pan in the wooden cabinet described above.

The finest flamibles storage cabinet known to man an the old used refrigerator. Add a hasp and padlock to make it perfect for the task. If you don't like the looks of an old refrigerator or upright freezer, build a cabinet around it.

 

[Golfgar4]

Tom,

Thanks for finding that info. Maybe the memory isn't fading as fast as the hair is greying after all! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Of course, it is a little fuzzy around the edges!

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

As long as the refrigerator is unplugged. A leaking can and a non rated electric motor would be an excellent source of ignition.

 

[Ozarker]

Thanks. I assumed everyone would understand that it would not be plugged in because it was probably an old refrigerator that no longer worked and, even if it did work, there was no need to refrigerate flamables.

 

[bgott]

Maybe if you refrigerated your gas it would stay fresh longer!/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[DocHeb]

Of course if you're leaving it plugged in, be sure to use anti-gel for your diesel /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

 

[zip]

BE CAREFUL WHEN PULLING SIPHON HOSE OUT OF CAR TANK, THAT LITTLE METAL FLAP CAN SHAVE TINY PIECES OFF THE HOSE AND CLOG FILTERS AND TANK. HOW DO I KNOW? WHEN TEENAGERS (MYSELF, AT ONE TIME ) SIPHON GAS FROM PARENTS CAR FOR MOTORCYCLES, GO KARTS ETC. AND CAR ENGINE DIES ONLY TO FIND FILTERS AND TANK FULL OF GREEN GARDEN HOSE SHAVINGS. OOOPS!

 

[cstocks]

Tom,

Why metal cans and not plastic cans? All of my cans are plastic. Are plastic cans less safe? Does this apply to diesel cans too?

Chris

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Chris,

Plastic cans melt and dump the contents, giving you a large, hot fire, very quickly. A metal can that is UL listed, Metal, Type 1 with an automatic closing lid and flame arrester will not release the contents thus no fire and or no big fire. So what would you use to store gasoline, a container that will fail in the first few seconds of the fire and dump 5 gallons of gas, or one that does not spill?

Diesel fuel is not flammable, meaning the vapors will not ignite unless temperatures are higher then about 125F.. But to be safe you could store it in a "safety can" too.

By the way Tractor Supply has a 5 gallon gas can for $30.
Hope this helps

Tom

 

[cstocks]

Tom,

Hmmm. /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif That was a no brainer, huh? I guess I never gave it much thought. I have always kept my gas cans away from ingition sources and far removed from anything of value such as my house, cars, etc. I guess the obvious answer escaped me for that reason.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[yaouk]

I had a shed fire once.
I used to keep 3x 20 litre 'Jerry' cans in the shed. The generator caught fire one day and the whole shootin match went up. I was not there but the metal fuel cans exploded and spread the fire badly. But i expect they lasted a lot longer than any plastic container; but would the plastic container have exploded and spread the fire??

I dunno. I now have an earth insulated concrete shed and have built a small concrete bunker with steel doors to keep flammables. Its about 10 metres from the shed itself. Once burned, twice shy.

 

[skid mark]

Call me a dummy. I probably deserve it.

But I almost always have containers of gasoline in my shop. And this is my WELDING shop!

I do keep it in approved containers and don't use it to scrub the floors with, but I do have a fair amount of gas there most of the time and (until now) haven't really given it much thought.

I do think that IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE, it would be best to not have fuel in my shop. But I don't think that the presence of the fuel is much of a fire risk by itself (ie, it's not likely that it will contribute to a fire STARTING).

The gas in my shop is in the form of 5gal steel cans and/or gas tanks in any number of trucks/tractors/mowers/motorcycles/weedeaters.

When I first thought about adding my $0.02 about this, I figured that I'd catch heck for mixing gasoline and welding, but in my defense, my portable welder is fueled by gasoline, so no chance of removing the fuel from welding there.

And my cars all have hot exhaust pipes that run very near the fuel tanks. So does every other car on the road, and even when they're clapped out POS's, they generally don't burst into flames from fuel vapors.

I think that in a perfect world, it would be best to have all fuel stored in a safe place, but at my place, that would require that I have a fuel storage area big enough for many cars, trucks, jeeps, mowers, weedeaters, motorcycles, etc.

So with all those fuel burners storing their own fuel, I'm not going to bother to move a couple 5gal fuel cans out of the shop - it'd not significantly reduce the fuel that is "stored" in my shop.

Mark