Do gas cans need to be vented?

[302w 83]

I have a 16 gallon steel drum that I am looking to use for gasoline storage. Do gas cans need to be vented while in storage? This would be stored 100% sealed. I'm wondering if the change in temperature will be an issue.

[JT Custom Guns 956]

Here:

 

http://www.midwestcan.com/static.asp?path=3336

[Howard 538]

If you vent them, they will be empty when you go to use them.  Just seal them up tightly.

[Sota 1,191]

your bigger concern is thermal changes. the vapor pressures for gasoline can be quite substantial and can result in bursting or collapsing the container, depending on it's level of fill.

[maintenanceguy 510]

Seal it tight.  It will be fine.

[302w 83]

That was my concern. Is there anything like a pressure release valve I can use?

[oneshot 45]

Not sure if you noticed but you can't buy vented gas cans anymore. EPA reg i'm pretty sure.

   If you are going to store it (prolonged period of time)   in a metal/steel container make sure it is topped off so no moisture can build up and cause rust

to contaminate the fuel

[The brew guy 22]

I work with drums for a living and have seen firsthand what can happen when they are stored improperly. I have seen steel drums burst from the pressure caused by temperature changes and I've also seen them collapse. Do NOT top off the drum all the way up if you want to store it unvented.

Liquids expand and contract with temperature changes but they don't compress like gasses do. A drum filled in the winter can easily burst if exposed to summer temperatures. Likewise, a drum filled in the summer can collapse in on itself when the temperature drops. It is indeed best to seal the drum up tight, but a drum is considered full when the liquid is 2" below the bottom of the bung, 3-4 inches would be even better. Better still, get a poly (plastic) drum, there's a reason you can't buy a metal gas can anymore.

[blackdeerhunter 0]

Not fully off topic, but what do you guys think about these cans for in door cooking if shtf. Also these cans can be stored long term in almost any condition and the price is about $2.75 a can.

 

http://imgur.com/c1xECDP

[GrumpyOldRetiree 38]

Not fully off topic, but what do you guys think about these cans for in door cooking if shtf. Also these cans can be stored long term in almost any condition and the price is about $2.75 a can.

 

http://imgur.com/c1xECDP

The canisters are great for emergencies. I keep a dozen or so for use in a small camp stove and catalytic heaters. $2.75 each seems a little pricey to me. The last time I bought them at HD they were $8.99 for a 4 pack.

But, then I still have small pistol primers marked $9.75 a 1000 box. After hurricane Sandy both the stove and heater helped enable my elderly neighbors to remain in their house until power was restored. Well worth whatever I paid for them.

[Vlad G 345]

Not sure if you noticed but you can't buy vented gas cans anymore. EPA reg i'm pretty sure.

 

Yeah and I had one deform to the point that it looked like a balloon ready to burst, and the fumes were so heavy that they would condense when escaping the screw cap and then leaking down the side stinking up my garage. My vented cans never did that and never really had to worry about an explosion. The EPA reg is about no polluting with the vent caps, which is ironic because their mandated self locking spouts have also resulted in me spilling a lot more gas then I have have before.

[blackdeerhunter 0]

The canisters are great for emergencies. I keep a dozen or so for use in a small camp stove and catalytic heaters. $2.75 each seems a little pricey to me. The last time I bought them at HD they were $8.99 for a 4 pack.

But, then I still have small pistol primers marked $9.75 a 1000 box. After hurricane Sandy both the stove and heater helped enable my elderly neighbors to remain in their house until power was restored. Well worth whatever I paid for them.

I'm guessing 2.75 would be the single price and the 4 pack would be discounted.

[blackdeerhunter 0]

Can you post pics of the stove you're using.

[T Bill 649]

I use two portable chef stoves like you see used in restaurants.  About $20 each. They use butane canisters that I get by the case in the market.  Store well in a cool dry place.  I prefer these than the propane bottle top stoves, no tipping over.

http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Butane-Stove-Camping-Burner/dp/B000RA8V1S/ref=pd_sbs_sg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1MN8BNDSSC4GKNH8KPGF

[blackdeerhunter 0]

I use two portable chef stoves like you see used in restaurants.  About $20 each. They use butane canisters that I get by the case in the market.  Store well in a cool dry place.  I prefer these than the propane bottle top stoves, no tipping over.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Butane-Stove-Camping-Burner/dp/B000RA8V1S/ref=pd_sbs_sg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1MN8BNDSSC4GKNH8KPGF

 

Nice stove and reasonably priced, I'm watching a youtube video now.  Also found this video http://youtu.be/XWmQYYhTFCg

[T Bill 649]

We use those stoves when backpacking, as weight is everything.  MSR fuel is expensive, and a lot of those stoves once you connect the stove it has to stay on the fuel container. Not with a chef stove, you can take a partially filled can out of the stove for storage.

[jackandjill 683]

On the stove topic, did anyone here try the "Kerosene Stove" that has a pressure tank and mechanism to pump it. I came across reading about it in a blog by a dude who sailed around the world.  Still debating between butane and kerosene in terms of cost and maintenance.

[blackdeerhunter 0]

On the stove topic, did anyone here try the "Kerosene Stove" that has a pressure tank and mechanism to pump it. I came across reading about it in a blog by a dude who sailed around the world.  Still debating between butane and kerosene in terms of cost and maintenance.

Wouldn't Kerosene be cheaper??

[mp123 0]

I had a 5 gallon empty plastic container out of the newer types that are not vented.

I left it empty when it was around 60 degrees in the garage

came back a month later when it was about 20 degrees and the damn thing got scrunched up and I can't get it

back into shape the negative pressure caused by the temperature drop caused the sides to get sucked in

Does not happen with the full cans but you have to watch

I had some gas in a car for about a week in a 1 gallon metal container that was not made for gas

and you could see the flexing when it got hot and when it cooled off

another few weeks it would have been a disaster

[jm1827 284]

On the stove topic, did anyone here try the "Kerosene Stove" that has a pressure tank and mechanism to pump it. I came across reading about it in a blog by a dude who sailed around the world.  Still debating between butane and kerosene in terms of cost and maintenance.

We used to use a Kerosene stove with the mechanical pump at tailgate parties all the time.  It worked well for that purpose and seemed very reliable.  From what I recall the kerosene lasted quite a while.