Fuel Tanks - Portable

I bought 4 new fuel tanks recently. The typical Wally World 5 gal. plastic gas jugs so I can carry an emergency supply of about 16 gals.
I use gasoline. The new tanks do not have vents. Great idea, no fumes escape - initially. Looks like all of the fumes will escape at the same time when the tanks explode from the pressure inside. These things really bloat.
QUESTION: Is it safe to assume that there is some form of pressure relief if the internal pressure should get real high?

The new fuel jugs are a very poor design mandated by the EPA. Wait until you try to pour fuel from them.

The older style had a vent with a screw cap so it was normally sealed and bulged when heated. The new design is no better in that respect but is much more difficult to use. I modified mine by installing vents and duplicating the old pour spout. A PITA to buy something brand new and have to "fix" it before it's useable.

Tony B said:

I bought 4 new fuel tanks recently. The typical Wally World 5 gal. plastic gas jugs so I can carry an emergency supply of about 16 gals.
I use gasoline. The new tanks do not have vents. Great idea, no fumes escape - initially. Looks like all of the fumes will escape at the same time when the tanks explode from the pressure inside. These things really bloat.
QUESTION: Is it safe to assume that there is some form of pressure relief if the internal pressure should get real high?

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I do not believe they have vents...but they may have a weak part of the cap assembly to prevent bursting...though I can't find that documentation easily.

They will balloon up to the point of scaring normal people...the ones we carry on the assistance towing boat get pretty scary the way they overpressurize but haven't had one burst yet. After a couple years in the sun...I already thinking of pushing the boss into some sort of rotation program where the sun dried ones go to the salvage trailer before they do leak.

Tony: You need vents. Tanks will expand and will, given gas build-up, explode. As well you need air to go it to pour out properly. Ron has the fix, but the better one is take back and buy proper tanks. Also look for an approval by some-one who has tested them. Bill.

Cyclone said:

Tony: You need vents. Tanks will expand and will, given gas build-up, explode. As well you need air to go it to pour out properly. Ron has the fix, but the better one is take back and buy proper tanks. Also look for an approval by some-one who has tested them. Bill.

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they quit building "proper" suitable tanks a few years back.

HOLLYWOOD

hollywood8118 said:

they quit building "proper" suitable tanks a few years back.

HOLLYWOOD

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Yes they did. You may be able to find tanks for fuelling race cars, motorcycles, etc. but they are very expensive.

The currently available jugs (and the ones before them) don't need a vent to prevent bursting if you leave the air space that you're supposed to leave for expansion. You do need some sort of vent to let air in when removing fuel or the fuel will gurgle and spill.

The tanks we use are filled to the manufactures fill line and still bulge uncomfortably so...they haven't burst yet...but I'm not sure how much UV degradation they can take or if an unnoticed scratch could cause a rupture.

I don't think many people are happy with them and I would hate for anyone to be the first to discover their flaws.

metal 5 gallon gas can in eBay Motors | eBay

or Lowes

Shop Eagle 5-Gallon Metal Gas Can at Lowes.com

When needed, I purchase metal 5 gal gas cans.

There are lots of reasons not to like metal fuel cans but if that's your choice, it's good that there is a choice.

What scares me- is that the same regulations that "fixed" our old style fuel cans
Are also being used to "fix" our ozone depleting Diesel engines!


Lehman 135 Twins

The old style metal gas cans you saw strapped to a WWII jeep are still made.

Strong , heavy , but they do hold fuel with no venting.

This is my favorite 5 gal tank type. Spring loaded pull latch has good rubber seal at short pour spout so it does not spill when jostled... yet lets expansion fumes release under hot circumstances. Funnel easily removes for filling at gas pump. MOF – I usually leave the factory funnel off and use long neck transmission funnels cut shorter in appropriate lengths to suite various needs. These cans pour easily and are virtually spill less. In decades of using these type tanks I’ve had only one go bad. Got a puncture in its slightly recessed bottom... I tossed that baby?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_145709-40109-U150FS_0__?productId=1136093&AID=11259695&PID=1319015&SID=1397342943z413360z42073b0a26391z&cm_mmc=AFF_CJ-_-1319015-_-1189274-_-11259695

Amazon carries Racing tans with a vent for $32. I have 3 and they work fine.
Amazon.com: VP Racing Fuels 3512 Red Motorsport Jug - 5 Gallon Capacity: Automotive

I actually like the new style containers. When I see that they have expanded I open them up a little and let the pressure out. What I like is it is very difficult or impossible to get them to spill. That's what I always had trouble with.

jleonard- I have to respectfully disagree. For me, getting the new EPA compliant fuel can to spill is as simple as trying to fuel up my mower most times!! Not to mention wear and tear on my old shoulders as I patiently wait for it to fill.
I think this could have been as simple as stating on the can, where you can see it and not be distracted by all the other unread government mandated warnings:

*Leave cap off and vent unplugged, BAD because the gasoline will evaporate into our atmosphere.
*Put the cap on and plug the vent, GOOD.

An informed public will usually want to do the right thing?


1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Lehman 135 Twins

jleonard said:

I actually like the new style containers. When I see that they have expanded I open them up a little and let the pressure out. What I like is it is very difficult or impossible to get them to spill. That's what I always had trouble with.

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To each his/her own, but I find it tiresome to hold a five gallon fuel jug in the air while holding the "trigger" open. What's really a shame is when government regulations force consumers to pay more for inferior products.

Even with the old jugs I much prefer a decent siphon.......thousands of year old tech is available for everyone who want it...

psneeld said:

Even with the old jugs I much prefer a decent siphon.......thousands of year old tech is available for everyone who want it...

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A jiggle siphon is my favorite. Still doesn't address the vent issue of the new tanks though.

http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Grade-Jiggler-Shaker-Siphon-Hose/dp/B003N2UW1O/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

Larry M said:

A jiggle siphon is my favorite. Still doesn't address the vent issue of the new tanks though.

Amazon.com: Premium-Grade Jiggler - Shaker Siphon Hose: Automotive

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You don't need a vent if you're using a siphon. Air will get in around the hose. Just like siphoning from a bucket.

rwidman said:

You don't need a vent if you're using a siphon. Air will get in around the hose. Just like siphoning from a bucket.

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Ron: Please, I didn't say you needed a vent for siphoning. I was agreeing with Scott about siphons and also commenting on post #1.

I think most of us that worry about the bulging know about vents or none....or about how siphons work....

The jiggle siphons from harbor freight are like $7...$5 on sale...when the clear vinyl hose hardens.. I have found the cheap 1" corrugated bilge hose works good...

Good Golly Folks!

Pouring fuel from a 5 gal container is not rocket science!!

Diesel weighs approx 7 lbs, gasoline approx 6 lbs per gallon.

In a 5 gal container filled with 4.5 gals (allowing for expansion) the approx content weight (avg 6.5 lbs per gal) weighs 29.25 lbs; even with weight of container at 5 to 6 lbs... that's still only 35 +/- lbs total. If you don’t have enough muscle to handle that – fill it less! If you don’t have enough flexibility – I can’t help ya, sorry!

Siphons work OK, but they never get the last drops and if perchance the item being filled suddenly reaches overflow there could be spillage due to liquid in siphon tube (no matter which end you extract first). And this method is slow!

SOOOO... be it with old school metal 5 gal cans or new BS govt regulated containers... take off the top completely and pour out of can’s opening into a funnel. You can accomplish the task quickly while keeping close track (by sound and sight) to know if item being filled is reaching toward overflow (if so, you can instantly stop pouring - with no spill)... you also will empty nearly every last drop of fuel out of the 5 gal mobile container (as you should before refilling).

Happy ‘5 Gal Can” Boating! - Art

rwidman said:

To each his/her own, but I find it tiresome to hold a five gallon fuel jug in the air while holding the "trigger" open. What's really a shame is when government regulations force consumers to pay more for inferior products.

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Mine have a small lip on the spout so once pressure (weight) is applied the spout stays open.

I have had two older plastic jugs split along the molding line from the vapour pressure while sitting in the direct sun. A lucky recipient got the fuel but not without some mess. I now have a light grey cover to protect the gas jug and it does the job. There will be a light bulge but the jug no longer looks like a red balloon.

I won't keep it in the boat so it lives on the swim grid.

I don't refill the outboard tank directly from the 5 gal jug, but rather fill a 2 gal. jug into which I mix the oil. Much easier and with a strong flashlight aimed at the jug side I can usually get a good idea how full the 2 g. jug is getting. Sometimes the jug can be arranged so the sun does the job.
That 2g jug of mixed fuel also is extra if we are going for a long dinghy ride.

I try now to not really carry the weight of the 5g jug due to back problems so a few ideas from here will be tried.

I agree though that the design of the new jugs I have and have seen is the pits. So now there is minimum vapour loss but they make it more difficult to avoid spills.

I will make an adapter, which I have done before, to accept a flex. hose that actually bends to make things easier.

I stopped using metal cans due to rusting problems so I guess the plastic is better, to me at least, even with its problems.

I'm thinking that maybe I am doing this wrong. It appears that when I re-read the info that the venting will work IF the spout is left on. I have been storing with the spout inverted and inside the jug in the same position as when I bought it new.

People, the purpose of the vent on portable fuel tanks is to let air into the tank so the fuel can flow out freely. The tanks are designed to expand and collapse with the increase and decrease in internal pressure from the fuel heating and cooling.

The vent is not there to let out gas vapors when the fuel gets hot and in fact this is why the EPA mandated the removal of the manually operated vent; to reduce the amount of fuel vapors released into the atmosphere.

I am not in any way in favor of the new required design but it's important to get the facts straight when discussing this.

Tony B said:

I'm thinking that maybe I am doing this wrong. It appears that when I re-read the info that the venting will work IF the spout is left on. I have been storing with the spout inverted and inside the jug in the same position as when I bought it new.

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First problem is the govt designed BS pour ends on 5 gal or less plastic fuel jugs. It is their "new-legal" spout (that leaks all over) and its BS cap with an already notched, ready to leak knockout hole in its center (so you can't just toss the pour spout and simply use the cap to seal the jug). Even the flimsy rubber seal for all this apparatus is a POS! Those “tax payer dollar” design idiots thought of every way to F up a portable fuel can! LOL

In addition to metal 5 gal cans with spring return gasket-seal-cap close spouts (that allow pressure release)... I also have two of govt's poorly designed pour spout plastic fuel jugs.

I take the govt spouts and lay em aside on a shelf (probably eventually to be thrown away!). Then, I take the cap and with fuel accepting adhesive I full-contact adhere a fairly thick (1/16 to 3/32) round cut piece of plastic over top of cap without ever having knocked out the cap’s hole. I go to NAPA auto and find correct size thick o.d. "O" ring for the cap’s inside... and... bingo, I have a sealed plastic gas can that I can pour out of into any hole or a funnel if desired.

Only problem with this is there is no vent for pressure release, such as the spring loaded seal cap allows on the metal 5 gal cans. I don’t fill any 5 gal can with more than 4.5 gals and only use the plastics for quick transport and soon to be completely emptied. Also, I do not carry 5 gal fuel jugs aboard boat while cruising.

Happy Fuel Jug Daze - Art

rwidman said:

People, the purpose of the vent on portable fuel tanks is to let air into the tank so the fuel can flow out freely. The tanks are designed to expand and collapse with the increase and decrease in internal pressure from the fuel heating and cooling.

The vent is not there to let out gas vapors when the fuel gets hot and in fact this is why the EPA mandated the removal of the manually operated vent; to reduce the amount of fuel vapors released into the atmosphere.

I am not in any way in favor of the new required design but it's important to get the facts straight when discussing this.

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There is no real need for separate vent during pouring... sure, it works nice to have one and open it while emptying portable tank, but it is not really needed. Any decent sized round pour opening can serve as both pour spout and vent by holding can at correct angle during pour and in accordance to the level of fuel remaining in tank. There is a pressure release area (valve so to say) that should be working on tanks (such as spring loaded pour seals on metal cans) for extreme sun conditions. For caution sake... I simply will not put more than 4.5 gals in a 5 gal tank and do not leave tanks in direct sunlight - full or empty! Safety Is As Safety Does...

Art said:

There is no real need for separate vent during pouring... sure, it works nice to have one and open it while emptying portable tank, but it is not really needed. .............

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If you pour directly from the container.

If you pour through a spout or hose it will gurgle and splash or just stop.

rwidman said:

If you pour directly from the container.

If you pour through a spout or hose it will gurgle and splash or just stop.

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That is why I do not use hose attached to can. I pour directly from container's short neck opening and use funnel when necessary. Allows complete "flow control", air vent at (in) spout, "fill sound" of tank being poured into (so no sudden overflow)... and... no spill from portable can!