Storing Gasoline

Mackay

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OK. I admit it. I'm really paranoid right now. I just about had an existential breakdown today about the economy. My son stayed home instead of hanging with the guys to soothe his mothers nerves and hear her out.

It helped to blow off steam.

And this is why I have taken to storing gas and diesel.

I've been real concerned about the economy and the collapse of the dollar.

I've stored enough fuel to get us out of town if needed.

here's my question and I put it here cause I didn't know where else to put it.

How long can you store gasoline for before it goes bad, before you shouldn't use it in a car?

Thanks
 

2dream

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I am not sure of the exact time frame since it depends on how it is stored, but I do know that you can purchase a product called Sta-Bil
that will prolong the life of the gasoline up to 12 months if the gasoline is fresh when the Sta-Bil is added. It will not re-fresh old gasoline.
Not sure about the diesel. Their website makes a vague reference to being able to use the product with diesel but I don't know for sure.
There may be other similar products out there but that is the only one I know of.
 

MorelCabin

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2dream said:
I am not sure of the exact time frame since it depends on how it is stored, but I do know that you can purchase a product called Sta-Bil
that will prolong the life of the gasoline up to 12 months if the gasoline is fresh when the Sta-Bil is added. It will not re-fresh old gasoline.
Not sure about the diesel. Their website makes a vague reference to being able to use the product with diesel but I don't know for sure.
There may be other similar products out there but that is the only one I know of.
Yup you are right, gas stabilizer...how to I know? My dh does alot of winterizing of boats around here and they are always stored with gas in them. He just adds the stablizer and we are good to go in the spring.
 

patandchickens

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Use stabilizer if you're going to store it more than 2-3 months. I do not think that stabilizer gives it an *infinite* storage life but I believe it's at least a year or so before it will start gunking your engine up too much.

Be real careful with stockpiling serious flammables like gasoline, though. If you're going to have more than, like, a 4 gallon jerrycan, make sure it's all in approved containers and stored in an outbuilding (that doesn't get too hot nor see direct sun inside of it), NOT the house or attached garage.

Doing Something Concrete like putting a couple cans of gas in the shed, can sometimes make a person feel better, but (I hope you are not offended by my saying so) if you are really feeling afraid and upset right now, perhaps it would be more helpful to go out and do a week of good solid hard work and/or make an appointment to talk with your minister or someone else of that sort. Fear just isn't good for a person, and it doesn't have to be this way ;)

Best wishes,

Pat
 

Mackay

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Well. If the SHTF here I do want some mobility. We have land 400 miles from here where my husband is building as I type. If we have to get out we need to get to our place. This is the main reason I have gone to the extreme of storing fuel.

I have taken all the precautions for safety. My husband wasn't too into it but I told him that if he is not here, then this is what I need to do to maintain my comfort zone.

I guess I cope with fear best by taking action. Keep moving. Keep doing. keep running energy through my body.

Believe me. I do feel so much better in this city than when we lived in South Dallas, Texas. Danger was palpable there, even in the early '90s. Me and the kids ducked bullets more than once. Finally we got out! It was a different kind of crisis we lived in there. A really silent and pervasive crisis of crime... so maybe Im hypersensitive at this point, from past experience.

I will look into the gas preservative. I feel better knowing people have used it and it has been reliable. I kept visualizing myself filling the gas tank all winter from stored gas cans. Really did not want to do that!
 

k0xxx

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A couple thoughts on storing fuel and traveling with it...

Gasoline with a stabilizer really doesn't last more than a year. Diesel will last a lot longer, but you have to be careful about moisture collecting within the tanks, as they go through warm / cool cycles. This can cause a type of algae to form in the diesel that can foul injectors. Their is a "stabilizer" for diesel also, that will inhibit the algae.

If you are truly worried about traveling the 400 hundred miles and not being able to find fuel on they way, their are a couple of other options. The best would be if you have a friend or relative that is located between home and your destination. You could then possibly store a couple of fuel cans with them. Another possibility is to rent a very small storage shed in a small town, that would be on your way. It's more expensive, but would be worth it in a worse case scenario.

Traveling with fuel in cans is very dangerous, especially if you attempt to transport them inside of a car or a trunk. If you will be traveling in a car, you may want to consider getting a receiver type trailer hitch, if you don't have one already. You don't have to get a trailer if you don't want, you can use one of the carriers that a attach to them. That way the gas is carried outside of the car.
 

FarmerChick

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I store very little gas. I have like 6 of the 5 gallon plastic gas cans. I use that up fast with the mowing and such on the farm.

But over winter, I do make sure at least 3 are full before cold weather cause I have a small generator. Might need it.

I don't like gas stored....just me I guess cause I am more scared of fire or explosion type thing than I am of not finding gas for some reason...LOL-LOL

So for me.....I store what my mind can handle without feeling like a time bomb and I store in a carport detached from the house....it it blows for any crazy reason, it is not near anything.

gasoline and things like propane and natural gas just creep me out...LOL...I think I got that from my Mom...she was a "you might die from gas poisoning or something" type person if you owned a propane fireplace...so I guess I inherited that from her..HA HA

Edited to say.....I am very fortunate cause Barb, the dairy farm owner and best friend, their farm has a gas storage tank for the tractors and farm trucks that aren't diesel. So if necessary, I could fill up from her gas pump. It is like 750 gallons and always filled...so that is a great relief knowing my type of friends have those things. I can trade sausage and stuff for gas if needed...LOL----being and knowing real farmers, I have a network of support and supplies. We share so it works! :)
 

patandchickens

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k0xxx said:
Traveling with fuel in cans is very dangerous, especially if you attempt to transport them inside of a car or a trunk.
Ditto, big-time.

Seems to me that the sensible solution, if you're contemplating that sort of scenario, is to simply make sure you leave for your place in the country BEFORE things get quite so bad that you couldn't get gas at all. And then stop to top up sooner rather than later, on the way.

Actually 400 miles is well within the maximal 1-tank cruising range of most smaller cars and many large ones too... if you have, like, a large old truck that can't get that far on one tank, there might be lots of other benefits too to switching it for something that gets better mileage, unless of course the truck is needed for work or something like that.

As far as storing a supply *there*, sure, but remember to rotate it a few times a year if you want to have even a year's storage time.

Pat
 

2dream

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We store a minimum of 25 gals of fuel at all times. We have a 55 gal drum that we try to keep at least partially full but with the tiller, lawnmowers, etc a 55 gal drum is never full for more than 5 minutes. We also keep about 5 10 gal propane tanks full and stored.
Even though this is a preparedness thing it is also something we have done for years before there was a problem. My DH hates to have to go buy gas for the lawn mower, weedeater, chainsaw, etc. It is just easier for us to keep it on hand. When it gets low - pick some up while on a normal errand. The same with the propane tanks. Nothing like cooking on the grill and NO GAS. Drives him nuts. Plus we use the tanks on the camper so we just keep some around. He also keeps enough diesel to fill the tractor 2 times. How much that is I have no clue. I just know he keeps it handy.

Edited because of spelling.
 

Mackay

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Well, guess I don't feel so crazy for storing some gas after reading all this.

The plan is to store 30 gallons. and then 15 of diesel.

Not a lot just enough to do the job and have about 10 gallons left in the tank of each vehicle when we get there. This is a plan for moving two gas vehicles and one diesel truck if my husband happens to be down here.

We have made a general policy to keep all tanks near full but to let them run down once every 8 or so weeks and start over.

You guys that already live in the country have a lot of stuff figured out. Im kinda bummed that this is all happening just as we finally found a way to escape the city ourselves.
 

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