Has anyone stored gasoline from a wholesaler in drums?
Posted by Charming-Attorney231@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 83 comments
Wondering if anyone has utilized a large drum for gasoline storage from a wholesaler or gas supplier. Not sure if it’s possible from a safety perspective or from a cost standpoint. What’s everyone’s solution? I imagine if SHTF there would be very long lines for a drop of gasoline.
Kitchen-Hat-5174@reddit
Fire code does not allow for more than 25gallons of gasoline stored at a residence. Unless you have alternative storing options, I don’t think that’s the best idea if code enforcement found your barrel(s).
Many-Health-1673@reddit
The biggest issue with storing gasoline long term is getting gasoline that has no ethanol in it. Ethanol gasoline is hygroscopic which means it readily absorbs water. The Mennonite communities around here use gravity flow fuel tanks for gasoline and store them away from their barns and houses. If you can keep the fuel in a shaded area, add fuel stabilizer, and try to minimize the amount of ullage in the tank your fuel should be fine for several months. Sealed barrels of gasoline and diesel fuel can last for a long time, vented fuel barrels do not.
justsomedude1776@reddit
Is it hard to get where you live? Where I live, like 75% of gas stations have a pump and a sign that says "ethanol free available," and there's a separate pump for it.
Foragologist@reddit
In Michigan it's called rec fuel, and it's usually a buck or so more expensive. Not hard to find, but not at a main pump. Usually a small above ground tank off to the side.
willwork4pii@reddit
I found one about 75 miles away for $1 more per gallon.
Sporktoaster@reddit
I came here just to mention using ethanol free and to add stabilizer. Being able to keep your stores rotated and as fresh as possible as well.
ProbablyABore@reddit
Gasoline has a shelf life of 1 year, if stored properly, before needing to go through a clarifier and purification process. Use of fuel older than one year can, and will damage your engine. Better to prep for a life without gasoline.
peonyblue24@reddit
We only have these as a short term solution for short term shortages. I agree with stacking propane tanks. https://a.co/d/85vtG6m
1one14@reddit
You need an airtight container and remember it expands with heat, so you need space for expansion. Also, you will need straight gasoline no ethanol. I would go with 5 gallon cans personally. I would also store it in an out building that doesn't get hot...
burningbun@reddit
do you leave some empty space in the tank or do you need some vent valves?
1one14@reddit
Empty space. Vents would let the good stuff out and bad stuff in.
Ready-Bass-1116@reddit
I stored half a dozen 5 gal cans of fuel in my garage for almost four years using "Sta-bil" fuel additive...it was fine when I filled up my 98' Jeep Cherokee...we had hot summers where I lived then as well..
burningbun@reddit
why arent you rotating them every 6 months or you dont drive that much?
Ready-Bass-1116@reddit
I just kinda filled them and got lazy...I checked them well past the time on the "Sta-bil" recommended time, and it smelled fine...lost interest again, and checked it a while later and it smelled fine...so I thought I'd better use it...point being, the Sta-bill far outlasted even it's own recommendation..that was a good while ago, and I now live in the mountains on mostly solar with a petrol generator as backup...
greylocke100@reddit
If you have the room get a farm tank. We had a 250 gallon gasoline tank and a 400 gallon diesel tank on my Uncle's farm. They would send a jobber tank truck out once a month to top off both tanks. Since they were "Off-Road/Farm-Use" we didn't pay fuel taxes on the fuel in those tanks, which was dyed to show. We also had a 125 gallon gasoline tank we did pay taxes on we filled up every other week. We still got a discount though from the Co-Op.
On the steel barrels, we used those for kerosene and had 2 barrels delivered every November. The supplier would take the old barrels when they dropped off the new ones.
LastEntertainment684@reddit
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/gas-go-30-gallon-steel-ul-listed-caddy?cm_vc=-10005
I’ve got a couple of these around. Holds about 30 gallons of gas each, designed specifically for use with gasoline, UL listed hand pump with the proper grounding, non-sparking feet, etc.
Get a a couple of good Jerry cans as well and you can use those to fill it up. That’s at least 40 gallons to start.
I’ve found there’s not a huge savings in buying gasoline in bulk unless you’re buying thousands of gallons and if you don’t use it in a year or so it starts to degrade anyway so I don’t keep a lot on hand anymore. Especially because it is so flammable.
I’ve since transitioned more to propane, diesel, and solar/battery based wherever I can. Diesel can last longer than gasoline, but it’s still questionable after a few years. Propane tanks can last 12 years before they’re supposed to be retested. Solar/Battery setups are often designed for 15 years of use, but can last longer depending on your capacity, acceptable level of degradation, and general wear and tear.
absolutezero78@reddit
I mean at that price you can get 6-8 high quality Jerry cans to store the same amount and you can rotate more often. Some painters tape and write dateon them, as well as fill with ethanol free gas and stableizer sounds like a better idea. That's what I do.
LastEntertainment684@reddit
The big difference I’ve found with a setup like this is who can use it safely. A full Jerry can weighs about 50 pounds. A large portion of the population isn’t able to lift that, especially to hold it at chest height while it emptys. So they end up having to use a hand truck and some sort of rigged up pump anyway (and often people use pumps that aren’t gasoline safe). Even then there’s often a worrying amount of spillage.
With this you just wheel it over or pull up next to it and just use it like a gas pump. Most people intuitively use it safely.
Your mileage may vary obviously but I’ve had my best luck having both options available.
absolutezero78@reddit
man look up a shake hose siphen? you dont have to hold it there at all? just move it up one place and leve it. and let it drain.
https://www.amazon.com/shaker-siphon/s?k=shaker+siphon
OtherwiseAlbatross14@reddit
A full 6 gallon plastic gas can weighs under 40 lbs. As does a full 5 gallon metal jerry can. A full 30 gallon caddy would weigh 270 lbs which might not seem like a big deal since it has wheels but it's got to be refilled somehow and most people aren't getting delivery for a couple 30 gallon caddies like we do for the big farm tanks.
OtherwiseAlbatross14@reddit
Yeah I looked into things like the link above, but even with much cheaper online prices, it still comes out much cheaper to buy multiple 5-6 gallon containers and that's much more portable than loading up a 270 lb container like that would be when full. Even if you just wanted to use it around home, you still need to fill it one way or another.
Another advantage of smaller containers is it can be used in lawn mowers or cars in a first in, first out system to keep it fresh as needed rather than having to use it all to refresh it all at once. This wouldn't be a big deal since you can just fill up your car a time or two to empty it, but non-ethanol is a decent amount more expensive where I live so I only use it in storage containers.
My main fuel storage is propane though for longevity. I use 20 lb tanks for that rather than larger tanks just because it's so much easier to move and can be swapped for a refill pretty much anywhere with any vehicle rather than a big ordeal of having to load and unload a bigger tank and taking it to a refill location.
absolutezero78@reddit
nothing wrong with propain i have a 500 gal tank that i run my grill off and also the under 40 deg hvac runs it. i can tap it into the generator for the house and go to xfer box to for a 240v hookup as well. i keep no ethonal gas as a backup and also for lawn and whatever.
Illustrious-Back9123@reddit
Ditch the gas and store propane. Propane will last indefinitely and nearly any gasoline engine can be converted to run on propane.
TheSensiblePrepper@reddit
No, don't do that. It is unsafe.
There's a reason gasoline is stored in tanks specifically designed for it.
Midnights_Marauder@reddit
It’s also hella illegal to store large amounts of gasoline in most residential addresses. Many municipalities limit max legal storage to 25 gallons (or less) in their fire code. Wholesalers won’t be an issue - that’s less than a tank in many vehicles.
Impossible-Web545@reddit
Also, home owners insurance might prohibit it as well. If something happens and they learn you violated the agreement you have with them, they drop coverage and refund the money you paid in. Would really suck to say, file a flood insurance claim, tell them you had a lot of gasoline onsite which voids your policy, so they refund the payments you made over the term of the policy, leaving you with nothing. Also, gonna really suck if something happens and the EPA finds out, they have given out 6 figure fines over dumping drinking water before, imagine the fine from a problem with something as toxic as gas.
Yung_Oldfag@reddit
Might want to re-read that, he's talking about using something specifically designed for it
justsomedude1776@reddit
What about those in-bed gas tanks with pumps? That's probably your best bet. The fuel is mobile, you don't have to unload it, pump is built in. For a couple years I rode around with one that had the tank underneath, toolbox above it, it was a toolbox/tank/pump combo. Held around 60 gallons, maybe 62. Usually kept it filled with diesel as a backup for the truck and other equipment that needed to be filled. It had padlockable steel caps, and anti-cut steel plates around the lock. I set it up with a quick disconnect so when I wanted to use it, I'd pop the hood, and plug in the wire to the hot side, so if some dingus cut off the lock and tried to use the pump it wouldn't work unless they got the hood open and connected it.
That's 62 gallons right there, and if you already gave a pickup you can fill it up, and if no disaster, just fill your truck with it and refill the tank, so you always are rotating it for storage.
blankblank60000@reddit
If ur going to go through the futile effort of stockpiling gasoline..
Better to go through the more realistic effort of converting over to propane or diesel. Two fuels that are much safer and do not expire
justanotherguyhere16@reddit
And diesel is “easy” to make
Burningmetalmaniac@reddit
Gasoline supposedly only stores even in a sealed environment with stabilizer for a rough maximum of a year, If I were planning to store gasoline for that long or longer, I would probably do a ratio of 91 non ethanol and 110 octane race fuel at around 8:1 so 8 gallons of 91 to 1 gallon of 110 race gas, as the race fuel stores longer and will balance out to be around 93 octane at that ratio and should be good enough to run reliably for at least 2-3 years. Just from personal experience, the race fuel or even adding some 2 stroke oil to it will greatly increase the stability of the gas; race fuel is good for a few years in a sealed container, and I would definitely purge the storage container of oxygen with an inert gas after filling and before capping it off
TheLostExpedition@reddit
Worked for a guy that stored gasoline in 55 gallon drums. He said a drum would last him over half a year running his well pump intermittently.
DeafHeretic@reddit
I have a 55 gallon drum in my shop that I bought from a private party. It has labels on it from a petroleum supplier that states it was supplied with gasoline in it. It was empty when I bought it (with a hand pump). I have filled it with 92 octane gasoline over time, 5-15 gallons at a time, and added Pri-G treatment.
I use gas from it from time to time and refill it from time to time. Right now it is about two-thirds full.
I have done this for about 10 years and had no problems with the gasoline it contains. I fill five gallon safety cans with gasoline and use those too.
I also have a 110 gallon aux transfer tank for diesel (with a 12V transfer pump), about 60-70 gallons full of diesel, as are the tanks on my pickup and truck (both diesel).
I also have three (IIRC) 20# propane tanks, one is empty.
I need to get more of propane, gasoline and diesel. I usually have power outages in the winter, and sometimes they are long enough that I feel the need to use one or both of my gensets.
Charming-Attorney231@reddit (OP)
I believe it’s not an option to store a large container, other than to keep a couple smaller gas containers for a golf cart short distance travel. I have some Amish neighbors that have horse buggy options as well:) The golf cart allows carrying a deer that is a fresh kill, or food supplies for a short distance on the utility bed. Bugging out is highly unlikely from a distance standpoint and I am rural so I will not be traveling into a city.
mr_melvinheimer@reddit
Since most people are telling you not to, I will tell you how to do it safely. I used to work at a chemical plant that stored hundreds of solvents and oils in 55 gallon drums.
You need to store it somewhere that if it leaked, it would be contained. We had concrete pads everywhere with raised edges that could hold every ounce if it spilled. They also make large plastic totes with grates on top.
You also need to store it at a constant temperature so that it doesn’t expand and burst the drum. You also need to keep it dry and out of the rain to keep it from rusting.
Then you need to ground the container to a safe grounding point so that the flow of gas doesn’t cause a spark and combustion. We had grounding straps that were tested often to ensure a good ground.
Finally you need to make the atmosphere inside of the tank inert so that if there is still a spark, you don’t explode too. We used nitrogen to pressurize the drums with a dip tube to the bottom.
The nitrogen provided pressure and kept the inside inert. We used 8 PSI max to keep the drums from bursting. The pressure would push the liquid up the dip tube and out of the drum.
You could get away with a pump but you would still need some sort of nitrogen to backfill the drum as it emptied.
I just bought 30 20 lb propane tanks instead of all of that bullshit.
Charming-Attorney231@reddit (OP)
Thank you!
RonJohnJr@reddit
All during WW2, gasoline was transported around the world, at sea and all sorts of rough terrain in 55 gallon drums. People hand-pumped them into jerry (and other) cans, then off to the jeeps, trucks and tanks.
"Safety" is relative, and so is cost. Where are you going to put the drums? Will the wholesaler pump the gas into the drums, or say "nope, against regulations"?
Here, "multiple 5 gallon jerry cans with fuel stabilizer, that get's periodically rotated" is the standard solution. Can you store lots? No. That's accepted.
TheSensiblePrepper@reddit
That was diesel fuel and not gasoline. It plays by different rules.
Aggravating-Bit9325@reddit
In the jeeps?
Truth-tellercanuk@reddit
Nearly all the jeeps were gasoline. This was an easy google.
Aggravating-Bit9325@reddit
I think you're responding to the wrong person, I wasn't making silly claims
Truth-tellercanuk@reddit
Apologies - I thought you were asking the legit question in response to the silly claim!
Aggravating-Bit9325@reddit
I was honestly curious. Maybe overall fuel consumption was a majority diesel or certain areas of the wars the jeeps were diesel
absolutezero78@reddit
Yes they are gas. They also shipped in these smaller squares fuel tens too. They sucked and leaked a lot, it's why they aren't around anymore. The US also started copying the original German Jerry can too mid war, as well as battle field pickups.
TheSensiblePrepper@reddit
Yes. Most of those original ones used diesel fuel. For the longest time, the US military was almost exclusively diesel.
Many-Health-1673@reddit
The U.S. military didn't use diesel trucks or jeeps until the early 1960s.
TheSensiblePrepper@reddit
Source?
Many-Health-1673@reddit
Throughout the 1950s, Army ground vehicles typically ran on gasoline. Except for a few World War II model Sherman tanks, even the main battle tank used gasoline. This that changed in the early 1960s when the Army introduced new lines of equipment that employed diesel engines, including tanks, armored personnel carriers, self propelled artillery, and a wide variety of other tracked vehicles. Even the 2 ½-ton truck switched to multi fue
Many-Health-1673@reddit
https://quartermaster.army.mil/qm_fuctional_areas/Petroleum.pdf
SmokeyMacPott@reddit
Jeeps are diesel?
absolutezero78@reddit
No I have a CJ2A that the same as the WW2 production models just without blackout lights. It's a Gas engine and you have a carburetor and spark plugs. Even the m38 jeeps in the 50s used that same godevel engine.
TheSensiblePrepper@reddit
They were and you can still get them in diesel if you order it that way.
Many-Health-1673@reddit
U.S. tanks were gasoline powered. As were the jeeps and trucks. The U.S. military didn't start switching over to diesel vehicles until the early 1960s.
United-Swimmer560@reddit
Gasoline will go bad quickly
Simple_Anteater_5825@reddit
Is this John Denver?
certifiedintelligent@reddit
There are 2 unique challenges to gasoline storage.
Expiration. Gasoline expires or goes “stale” after a while. Using stale gas will degrade the engine, use it long enough and it will cause damage. Stabilizer is a thing, but only prolongs the inevitable. This is why people rotate their gas stocks: using the old and replacing with new every so often.
Combustion. Yes, gas is supposed to be combustible but, compared to diesel, is dangerous to store without specific safety measures. Gasoline evaporates easily and the vapors will happily explode at low concentrations, so you need anti-spark containers and vapor venting. You can’t just store it in cheap drums you got off Facebook, keep it in your garage, and expect to live a long and happy life.
TacTurtle@reddit
Unvented steel drums don't have the oxidation / water absorption issue, especially if you dry nitrogen purge the drum before sealing.
DisastrousLab1309@reddit
What do you need the gas for?
There is a fuel called alkylate fuel ( made from butane) it’s used mostly in nordics for chainsaws as it’s less poisonous and the exhaust is cleaner. costs about twice the normal gasoline price but can be stored for at least 5 years.
ExtensionInitial6012@reddit
You can use an old heating oil tank too, but as with the drums, it's not a great idea. Also, the fuel destabilizes pretty quick. You can put a fuel stabilizer in it for storage, but that only works for so long. You might also have to test it with a refractometer, and your fuel can also contain microbiological growth, which needs different tests. Gas is so super unstable that I wouldn't bother with it.
hewhosnbn@reddit
You do know gasoline is a perishable product
FruitiToffuti@reddit
We have fuel storage tanks. You can pick them up fairly reasonably if you look around.
HeliMD205@reddit
Most farmers has a tank of farm gas. Aviation has drums of 100LL stored all over the place. The problem is most of the gas now has ethanol in it. Which absorbs moisture. So current gas won't last too long before it goes bad on you. If your running an older carburetor vehicle / generator you can get drums of 100LL that would work and last a longer. The lead in the fuel will foul up your spark plugs quicker. So have some spare plugs around. Also you don't pay road tax on 100LL it is dyed blue so don't get caught using it in your road vehicle. Honestly propane is the way to go for a fuel you can store and last almost forever.
Consistent-Field-859@reddit
seeing some posts about the differences of Gas vs. Diesel, I wonder if a better perspective would be to transition vehicles / generator using Diesel fuel?
0rder_66_survivor@reddit
gasoline does not hold well.
kitlyttle@reddit
They say the only stupid question is the one not asked.... could you realistically store a week or two of gasoline in a larger, junk yard, automobile gas tanks? Just use from there and refill?
kitlyttle@reddit
Dunno how to edit. I'm thinking like if you had warning of hurricane, whatever not permanently
hackedfixer@reddit
You did not mention what it is for... if it is for generator, propane is the answer.
Charming-Attorney231@reddit (OP)
It’s doe my back up generator and my golf cart
hackedfixer@reddit
When it comes to the generator... if you never let gas touch it, then you will always be ready. Of course you can do the maintenance thing and use really good practices and get by with gas, but with propane, it's just always ready to go and clean. It doesn't go bad, or gum up things.
Eziekel13@reddit
Biodiesel precursors…cooking/canola oil, ethanol, sulfuric acid, sodium bicarbonate, water, and laboratory glass…
if you can find pure ethanol stored in glass ampule, can be stored indefinitely… certain types of cooking oil can be stored for extended periods of time, best is sealed glass ampule, but haven’t found a 55gallon one…takes a day or two to process properly…
or for methanol based production, methanol and sodium hydroxide lye… though need ventilation…
Sulfuric acid can also be used for car/lead-acid batteries…
If going full bore with glass ampules…for best results pull a mild vacuum and argon displacement of oxygen…then Mylar wrap
KeithJamesB@reddit
High octane race fuel comes in 55 gallon drums. Find a local speed shop and buy an empty one.
Backsight-Foreskin@reddit
I think I saw this on an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
https://youtu.be/fqDnbRexbbE?si=fR9heYH91cdi1vWx
biggwermm@reddit
First thing that popped in my head🤣
rctid_taco@reddit
We're getting plowed in the ass by the oil companies and the gas companies. With their 10-gallon hats and their rotten ass-plowing hearts.
Charming-Attorney231@reddit (OP)
😂😂
slogive1@reddit
Second post this week about storing gas. I’m guessing they didn’t do a search.
Charming-Attorney231@reddit (OP)
No sorry I didn’t. Perhaps this post has different information? I’ll look up the other one.
biggwermm@reddit
I'm getting Always Sunny vibes here
Successful-Street380@reddit
Gas in cans life expectancy 4-6 months. Now I wonder if it’s cycled with air , if that will extend life. Diesel isn’t much better. Propane wins
whopops@reddit
Exposing gas to air shortens it's life dramatically.
Non ethanol fuel stored in a sealed can at relatively stable temperature will last well over 2 years. The oldest gas I've run in a vehicle was 7 year old ethanol fuel in a carburetor it was very not happy with it and needed starting fluid but once the engine warmed up it ran fine.
whopops@reddit
There are fuel rated 55 gallon drums but they generally suck to use and if you move them around full they can start leaking pretty easily.
If you go this route buy 1 more drum than you need. when transporting siphon full drums in truck bed into empty drum on ground move empty drum out of truck and repeat.
Swmp1024@reddit
There is the legal and safe way: with using double walled DOT approved gasoline transport containers.
If you look for 243 gallon fuel cube on Amazon there is a good example of one. They also make a 500 gallon one.
Most the in bed truck fuel tanks are only rated for diesel, not gasoline. Diesel is much less volatile. It is illegal and risky to transport gasoline in a diesel rated fuel tank.
Also when transferring fuel, don't use a diesel rated pump as they can spark gasoline. Use a gasoline rated pump or siphon.
Hypothetically... a 55gallon HDPE closed head drum, although not a DOT rated transport container (so is illegal) , isn't a terrible choice for holding gasoline. But if it cracks or leaks or fails you will have 55 gallons of volatile fuel spilling out your bed over your hot exhaust system and a high risk of lethal explosion.
I personally like the 15 gallon HDPE closed head drums. Much more robust than the 5 gallon red cans. They don't leak vapors or spill like 5 gallon cans. They use a bung wrench and form an excellent seal. You can get non-sparking gasoline hand pumps that fit 15 gallon drums. Much nicer to fill a generator, I hate messing around with those incredibly annoying anti-spill 5 gallon mechanisms. 15 gallon drums also hold 90lbs of gasoline. This isn't difficult to lift if you are moving them by hand. A 55 gallon drum filled with gas is like 350 lbs and is awkward to move. Consider the logistics in loading and unloading.
Impossible_Range6953@reddit
unless you intend to use it within next month and you can store within a safe distance from where you sleep I wouldnt bother storing gasoline.