Gas Can or Jerry Can?

Codger_64 said:
I suppose that the addition of alcohol and other additives to gas has some effect on how long it stays good. We had a 1,500 inground tank and a 500 gallon above ground tank on the farm (1950's-1970's) and I don't recall any storage problems.
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The fuel in those days was stable. Things have changed:(
 
I hate the newer style with the lever you're supposed to push when the fill tube is in whatever you're filling. They don't vent at all, or so it seems. So if you are using them on a warm afternoon and then it gets cold overnight, they suck in on themselves and then you have to wait for a warmer afternoon than you had to have the gas fumes expand and push the walls of the can back out. I finally put a screw into the handle of one can so I can let it vent if I feel it needs it (swollen sides or starting to crush...)
Don't know how really safe it is but that's all I could think of to do since I cant seem to find cans without those handles.
 
Plastic cans can be just as hazardous as metal cans. Always fill cans on the ground so they are electrically grounded. Static electricity can cause a fire if your loading cans on a tailgate or trunk.
 
mewolf1 said:
The fuel in those days was stable. Things have changed:(
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I think I am/maybe wrong on this topic. The info I found on gas going bad didn't talk much about storage. Might be the fuel has been reformulated, but I have no idea, really.:o
 
Codger_64 said:
IMHO, "airtight" is a misnomer. Cans and tanks have to be vented because of expansion and contraction of the contents. Otherwise, the cans will crush or bulge with temperature changes. When the liquid expands, some vapor is forced out. When it contracts, some air is drawn in along with whatever moisture is in that air.
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They have to be airtight for two reasons. For safety they must be air tight or fumes will build up in the storage area and lead to a fire, and secondly to keep gas from going stale. When air gets at the gas it causes it to break down and turn into paint thinner. Gas cans are designed to expand and contract and be strong enough to handle this.
 
Bufford said:
They have to be airtight for two reasons. For safety they must be air tight or fumes will build up in the storage area and lead to a fire, and secondly to keep gas from going stale. When air gets at the gas it causes it to break down and turn into paint thinner. Gas cans are designed to expand and contract and be strong enough to handle this.
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My understanding that it is a government regulation to save the environment from us humanoids. And... how does an unvented metal can expand? I've never seen that happen. The ones that are OSHA approved for solovents are made to not hold pressure (above 5 PSI) in order to prevent them from being bombs if they somehow ignite. It is easy enough to add a vent to the ventless plastic ones. And sometimes you can find replacement spouts that don't have the restrictions of those that come with in-spout vents.
 
The idea here is to keep the fuel from escaping from the can. I have some jerry cans that have good seals and some with that leak or vent. The ones that leak and vent clearly lose volume over time, I use those jerry cans first and should get the replacement seals kits that are available, but always keep forgetting. Given the price of fuel a leaky vent is no good, neither is the fire hazzard potential.
Not to mention the leakage of fuel if the container is knocked over, common during transport.
The gas can should get hard and firm up when its warm and go under vaccuum when temperature falls, and give an audible hiss when opening. If not then its venting fuel and money into the air.
 
Ok bought two No-Spill 5 gal cans. Hard to pass up their design and the reviews are stellar for these cans. I got two extension hoses also to do cars easily. All these other cans that are CARB compliant have such bad nozzles I didnt want them. I like Jerry cans but they are too expensive. I got 2 No-Spills and 2 extensions for under 70 bucks with tax and shipping. I considered Eagle but the spout sticks way out and storing it in a tight garage they would have gotten in the way. I would have loved to have 2 metal jerrys for they would store easier since they take up my space vertically but it was looking like well over 100 per can with a nozzle! 200+ for 10 gals of a might not needed event is alot to justify. I think I will be more then fine with the No-Spill. Would be cool if they made a jerry can and integrate their nozzle into the handle that would be sweet! These recent cans because of the nozzle being CARB style are just horrible!
 
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