Storing fuel in a old jerry can

[Phil_D]

picked up an old 20l military jerry can yesterday. It's has some surface rust n the outside and even using a torch I can't really see into it too well.

Has a little bit of fuel left in it (diesel I think). are there any simple ways to see if it has rusted internally?

Got it on a whim thinking it may be better for storing petrol for longer periods of time compared to a plastic can. Is there any truth to this? What's the max time I should be actually storing fuel for without it risking going bad?

 

[rcx132]

I use year old fuel in my chain saw as it hardly gets used and seems ok though I read somewhere that fuel goes bad quickly.

Can't you shine a torch down it to check for rust?

 

[tflnemesis]

To get a decent look inside you will need to lower a light into it, then you should be able get a good look inside.

I use an Led with 2 long bits of wire soldered onto it, bit of hot glue to seal em and tape other ends of wire to a watch battery.

 

[wilbur]

What's the max time I should be actually storing fuel for without it risking going bad?

About the time it takes to drive back from the garage, in my recent experience. Unless you can buy petrol from somewhere with ethanol in it, then don't bother trying to store it at all for any longer than you absolutely have to.

I can't really see there's much difference between metal and plastic can, as long as they're both sealed and you keep the dead space as small as possible. I don't think you're supposed to keep 20l of petrol at home, so that would imply that the jerry can would be half empty which wouldn't help with the water contamination either.

 

[rcx132]

About the time it takes to drive back from the garage, in my recent experience. Unless you can buy petrol from somewhere with ethanol in it, then don't bother trying to store it at all for any longer than you absolutely have to.

Do you mean "unless you can buy petrol from somewhere *without* ethanol". Because I heard it's the modern ethanol content that makes petrol go off quickly?

 

[8ob]

The biggest problem with old army Jerry cans is the paint they used on the inside, it starts to peel off and break down. I would give it a rinse and see if any flakes of paint come out, if it does bin it because they will cause no end of grief plugging filters and hose unions.

Bob

 

[fizzy]

picked up an old 20l military jerry can yesterday. It's has some surface rust n the outside and even using a torch I can't really see into it too well.

Has a little bit of fuel left in it (diesel I think). are there any simple ways to see if it has rusted internally?

Got it on a whim thinking it may be better for storing petrol for longer periods of time compared to a plastic can. Is there any truth to this? What's the max time I should be actually storing fuel for without it risking going bad?

The biggest problem with the old cans is the red coating tends to flake off. You need to get a donkey's "dick" spout which has a gauze filter and makes pouring far quicker.

 

[fizzy]

The biggest problem with old army Jerry cans is the paint they used on the inside, it starts to peel off and break down. I would give it a rinse and see if any flakes of paint come out, if it does bin it because they will cause no end of grief plugging filters and hose unions.

Bob

Lol beat me to it!!!

 

[wookie]

I don't think you're supposed to keep 20l of petrol at home

The "story" I heard was some members of public were storing petrol during the fuel crisis in unsuitable containers so the "advice" was not to store more than 20l.

Being a pedantic sod... does that mean we shouldn't fill petrol tanks on our cars with more than 20l ?

 

[Robotstar5]

The "story" I heard was some members of public were storing petrol during the fuel crisis in unsuitable containers so the "advice" was not to store more than 20l.

Nobody told a guy at Longbridge who had 3 or 4 45 gallon drums full in his garage I don't think it was obtained legally either.

 

[fizzy]

The "story" I heard was some members of public were storing petrol during the fuel crisis in unsuitable containers so the "advice" was not to store more than 20l.

Being a pedantic sod... does that mean we shouldn't fill petrol tanks on our cars with more than 20l ?

I was offered petrol for sale during the fuel strike. I went to see the owner of the local takeaway. Nice bloke a Bangladeshi version of Arthur Daley. He had about 50 of the tins they get veg oil in fuel. The final straw was when he took me to and outhouse and there was a bath full - seriously!!!!!!!!!!
Storing petrol is a bit of a grey area. What about my boat? It holds 500 litres!

 

[rcx132]

I was offered petrol for sale during the fuel strike. I went to see the owner of the local takeaway. Nice bloke a Bangladeshi version of Arthur Daley. He had about 50 of the tins they get veg oil in fuel. The final straw was when he took me to and outhouse and there was a bath full - seriously!!!!!!!!!!
Storing petrol is a bit of a grey area. What about my boat? It holds 500 litres!

From what I remember the rules talk about storing fuel outside of the vehicles tank. They explicitly state that you can keep larger amounts in the vehicles tank.

 

[fizzy]

From what I remember the rules talk about storing fuel outside of the vehicles tank. They explicitly state that you can keep larger amounts in the vehicles tank.

I have a 500L external fuel tank from another vehicle. Can you store in that?
And talking of grey areas believe it or not petrol stations are only allowed to dispense 10L into a portable container. So you can legally only half fill a jerrycan! Nuts! Fortunately I have never been refused.

 

[fizzy]

It's in no way at all a grey area.

It's tightly legislated and the law is black and white on the subject.

There are limits to how much you can store and how you store it without any issues at all - and then there are limits on notifiable amounts, and then there are licences available for larger amounts.

If anyone bothered reading the link I helpfully placed above, these rules and limits would become abundantly clear.

I haven't looked into it in a while in fairness. I see they clarified the laws in 2014.

 

[fizzy]

Reading the new regs they do seem to have streamlined them quite a bit although they say there are no British or international standards regarding design of a suitable container!

They mention the ADR regs but they are pretty weird in themselves.

For example you can't ship 205L of solvent in a single steel drum but you can in 41 5L plastic cans as used for screenwash! I know which I think is safer.
It is a little loophole called limited quantities.

 

[Robotstar5]

...And talking of grey areas believe it or not petrol stations are only allowed to dispense 10L into a portable container. So you can legally only half fill a jerrycan! Nuts! Fortunately I have never been refused.

I normally fill up a jerry can and a couple of 10L cans at a time for the stable genny, never had any problems.

 

[wookie]

petrol stations are only allowed to dispense 10L into a portable container. So you can legally only half fill a jerrycan! Nuts! Fortunately I have never been refused.

Oh, and obtaining fuel from a filling station the limits are 10l in a suitable plastic container, 20l in a suitable metal container - no more than 20l in a single transaction and no more than 2 containers (the maximum allowed for in vehicle transportation excluding the fitted fuel tank).

I normally fill up a jerry can and a couple of 10L cans at a time for the stable genny, never had any problems.

And that's because the zit infested teenage oik behind the counter doesn't give a monkey's about the rules and regs, he just sits there bored stupid pressing the button to start the pumps working and taking payment whilst counting down the minutes until his shift is over.

 

[fizzy]

I wonder if people realise that most petrol station staff are never trained in ANY emergency procedures? They know nothing about fire extinguishers or even where the emergency stop switches are.
I filled up at our local Asda the other night - there was 1 fire extinguisher in a cabinet and no buckets of sand in sight.

 

[wookie]

From @pdg 's link....

Can I dispense petrol into the tank of my vehicle, boat or airplane at my home, club or my association?
Yes, provided you have a licence to store petrol at your premises issued by your local Petroleum Enforcing Authority (PEA). Your local PEA can issue you with a licence if you are storing more than 275 litres of petrol, and the licence can include conditions relating to your storage and dispensing arrangements.

If you do not have a licence to store petrol, you should not dispense petrol into the tank of vehicle with an internal combustion engine, either by manual or electrical means.

Err, does that mean you aren't allowed to pour petrol from a jerry can into a vehicles fuel tank unless you have a licence???

Does the petrol in the fuel tank of my car count towards the total I can store?
No – the petrol in the fuel tank of your vehicle, including boats and aircraft, does not count when you are calculating the total amount you are storing.

So I can have multiple cars each with a full tank of fuel but I can't keep a couple of jerry cars full at home.

How much petrol can I store on a vehicle? You can store up to 30 litres of petrol in a maximum of 2 suitable containers in your vehicle.

Is that per vehicle or in total ?

In all honesty that site leaves more questions unanswered than it answers.

 

[fizzy]

I was shocked to see a British official body using the word Airplane!