Storing gasoline
 

Where can I store gasoline in gas can ready to use in mower or generator if I have an enclosed lanai?

In the garage where you probably have your mower and generator.

I am guessing that there is someplace on your lot where you can place a small deck storage box such as the "Suncast SS601C 22.5" x 17" x 22.5" 22 Gallon Outdoor Small Deck Box with Storage Seat and Reinforced Lid for Backyard or Patio" (Amazon). In this small box you can fit ten gallons of gas or so.

Yes, yes, 100 times yes; someone could complain that those aren't allowed. Nevermind that I have seen dozens upon dozens of this boxes throughout TV. The advantage of the box is the fumes that escape are vented outside your living space

Reality, most of us store it wrong. Gasoline is highly flammable. Not only that but it oxidizes over time. The way an engine works, you spray gasoline vapor into an enclosed space, the cylinder, the spark plug, sparks and it starts an explosion driving the piston.

In an enclosed space, ie your garage the gasoline vaporizes. At high enough concentrations, fortunately not likely, you turn on the lights or anything makes a spark and explosion is possible-not likely. A generator will require a fair amount of gasoline.
Depending on what you need or want as well as budget. There are generators that run on gas as well as others that run on diesel which is not as explosive or easy to ignite as gasoline.

Few do it right. Most get away with it.

I’m leaning towards storing gas in the car’s tank. And when I need it just siphon it into the gas can and then whatever is not used siphon back. Any suggestions?

My plan is to store ten gallons in cans, five in the cart and more in the car's tank. Use "GasTapper 12V MAX Electric 12 Volt Gasoline/Diesel Transfer Pump for UTV's, Boats, Planes, Farm Equipment, Tractors, Vehicles - Excellent Tool for Preppers - Built in the USA" (Amazon). This pump can defeat the anti syphon mechanism in your car, they claim.

No comment on generator gas usage is even qualified to be useful without knowing what type of generator that you have and your expectations.

I lived eight days in the south without power and used under twelve gallons of fuel. I had hot water, cold food, lights, internet. It can be done, much depends upon your home, the time of year. All this to say most posters here on this forum don't know much about this topic in this climate.

Nucky and I had a detailed discussion on this, I believe that he is in your neighborhood. I bet he will help you/relate his experience to you, Velvet.

Don't listen to the person who said to get the storage box and put it outside. It's against the rules and if you break them and something goes wrong(gas fumes explode...damage your place and others)you're libel. People that don't take into account consequences and break simple rules can't be trusted to use common sense.

As to the person who said it might explode in your garage due to the concentration of gas fumes and electrical lights or appliances...bollocks. Your garage is too big and not air tight in the least so you'd never get that volume of gas fumes collecting. Just google the cubic ft. of the garage and the what is required for the concentration of gas fumes to become a danger.

I wouldn’t, and if you do away from the house. Plenty of containers you can buy to safely store it outside and away from house few feet, (yards better).

Choose one you like. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=flammable..._ts-doa-p_1_10

Definitely not the garage. Outside is best

Newbie
 

Some of you guys with your gas storage questions are as far out as Mars. Just by your suggestions I can tell some of you never lived in rural areas and don't know how many Americans live day to day. You put your gas where you need to and where you want to when you don't worry about it as long as you got a decent can.

Anywhere outside is acceptable for the gasoline itself it's just a matter of whether you want to break the rules according to some here. I love the idea of a deck box that someone suggested right out of the chute. The risk of an explosion and all the scary tactics that they put on year is BS when it's outside.

Yeah, that won't work.

Depending on the vehicle there are screens, check balls and a number of other anti-siphon/anti-tipover/anti-splashback measures. If you did want to do it, it would require a very small tube and with luck your vehicle won't have a screen. The small tube will make siphoning fuel out a long process.

It is possible to attach to the fuel rail and use the fuel pump to deliver it to a hose, but again, it's different in each vehicle and some don't have an easily accessible shrader valve as an attachment point.

I store two gas cans at a time.
One 5 gallon is in garage, which I use over the year to top up the other 1 gallon container (for mower) in my garden shed.
Been doing it for years, with never a problem from fumes, or leakage.

I think the safety issue is less about an explosion from the vapors (unlike with propane tanks) than it is about the risk to firemen if your house catches fire due to some other cause and the fire sets off the gasoline. The same goes for any combustibles. Although I do not, we should keep all our combustibles in a cabinet for flammables.

Just put it in good gas cans and in your garage. I store gas for my golf cart and cannot smell any gas fumes. Do you ever open the garage door? There won’t be any fumes if the cans are sealed properly. Don’t put them in a tiny, enclosed space out in the heat. That is looking for trouble.

It's really funny how everyone is talking do's and don'ts of storing gasoline in the garage. No one is talking about the propane tanks of your barbeque being stored in the garage for 6 months. which I think much more dangerous Up north, you NEVER store a propane tank in an enclosed space.

propane gas tanks are also never stored in your home just like gasoline

What?? How about you dont actually store it. Need it for a mower or any other thing, go get whats needed. Storing gas if not done the right way is extremely dangerous. If you dont mind blowing up your house, I might if mine blows up if youre my neighbor

Of the 10's of millions of houses that store gasoline in their garages, how many explosions have you ever heard of?

I’ve always stored my gas in the garage.

This is the right answer. Rest of it is telling you how to build a beach!

Have you tried to siphon recently?
 

Most modern cars and trucks have a ball or other obstacle that prevents inserting a siphon hose down the filler neck. You will be sorely disappointed if you try to siphon gas for emergency use.

This is the most sensible comment in this ridiculous thread. I thought, "this has got to be a joke", but siphoning gas out of your car...

Read a book, donate your time, take a walk, just don't worry about trivial matters.

Mortal1: you must be Irish or have been to Ireland to use the word “Bollocks” fairly common word at home in ireland. Reading gave me a laugh

Duh. Garage.

Garage

Is this the proper method????:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

gas in a bag video - Bing video

I put it in my refrigerator, next to my ice tea pitcher.

I suggest you try doing that before the need arises. Most modern vehicles make this very difficult if not impossible.

Gas is stored in millions of gas tanks, in garages around the world. Your car has a gas tank, your golf cart has a gas tank, your lawn mower, weed whacker....... one more tank won't matter.

New gas cans with push button valve are safe
 

The new gas cans with a push button shut-off valve are good for storage and should not release fumes since the push button spring keeps the opening closed when the can is stored. There is also a cap that covers the spout so you have double protection from fume leakage. I have used this type in my garage for many years and have not smelled gasoline fumes.

Have another question, any idea how do we get rid of old gasoline which we bought for our generator in case of a hurricane and it has not been used? It is probably 5 years old.

It is amazing how much dangerous misinformation is posted in this thread. The fact that someone managed to "get away" with doing something dangerous does not make it safe.

There are laws in most communities about how you can legally store gasoline, and they are not based on politics, but based on trying to help prevent deaths.

Here is a page on how to store gasoline safely and legally.

How to Store Gasoline (DIY)

You can take it to any shop that works on automobiles. Including Walmart, etc. They all have disposal mechanisms for petroleum products like oil and gas. Do NOT pour it on the ground - don't pour oil gasoline, kerosene, or any other petroleum-based product on the ground on in the drainage.

Oil and petroleum products are toxic to people, wildlife, and plants. One quart of motor oil can pollute 250,000 gallons of water, and one gallon of gasoline can pollute 750,000 gallons of water!

Got a link to just one of those "laws" not related to commercial storage?

We had a “Just Right Safety Can” and stored it outside.

Ohiobuckeye
 

Don’t know anything about outside storage boxes but everything else you said I agree! Personally I’ve always stored gas in gas cans in my garage. Never had an issue. But I know someone personally in Harbour Hills. where a Gas Golf Cart caught (battery shorted out) on fire & gutted their garage, car & everytime & smoke damage to the total inside of house. Lucky for them the Fire Dept. was just going by H.H. from another fire so this fire got put out before it got into the house. Lucky for them, sorta!

Why, yes I do. The flow down is the state adopts the national fire code, which is: Maximum residential storage of flammable liquids (gasoline & white gas) shall be limited to 25 gallons; preferably stored in an unattached garage or shed. Of this 25 gallon total, no more than 10 gallons can be stored in an attached garage; and absolutely no flammable liquid storage is allowed in basements.

So there you have it, outside storage has a preference as I recommend in my post on the deck box.

Gasoline
 

Most cars have an anti siphon valve so getting gas in that manor is probably not an option.

Back in the day on TOTV, most people actually read the previous posts before utilizing their keyboard:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl: