Bulk gasoline storage questions

[Precision]

I have done a bit of research on storing quantities of gas.

Basics:

so long as it is stored above ground my local (and most of the red parts country) have little in the way of laws if it is not stored in your actual residence

My local has no additional laws other than a fire code stating you should keep it in a ventilated, covered area and a pressure relief valve is a real good idea.

Now to my actual questions:

Will the 55 gallon blue or black plastic drums work - chemical resistant?
Would the 55 gallon steel drums be better from a pressure/chemical stand point if rust can be abated?
will the "plastic" ones be strong enough to mount a lever transfer pump?
Will I get in deep dung for filling them in the back of my pick up and thus need to fill 5 gals at the store?

http://www.jmesales.com/product/nationa ... 2,5406.htm

The goal is to have a rotating stock of at least 55 gallons (probably 110) of gas on hand. This will allow for 80 (160)plus hours of generator run time in case of minor SHTF (read as hurricane) as well as the ability to buy low(er) and avoid/ mitigate spike ups in price. Not to mention hoisting it up into the truck and giving me a range of 1200 miles.

[308Mike]

If you're a homeowner, better check your loan agreement about storage of volatile chemicals / gasoline. They probably won't mind a couple of 5 gal cans/containers, but if anything happened and the insurance discovered a 55 gal drum of fuel was in the structure at the time of a fire or full house destruction, they're likely to decline coverage to EVERYTHING.

Perhaps your's doesn't contain any such language, but I know mine did (from Countrywide).

[Aglifter]

We used to buy 55 gal drums for transporting diesel around the old ranch - and used to run to town to fill them up. (It was too much of a pain to take the equipment all the way up to the barn, and fill from the tank there.)

I imagine there are similar drums made for gasoline - don't know about that ethanol blend stuff, though.

[Netpackrat]

I would consider building a fuel trailer that you could tow behind your truck. That might also get you around residential storage restrictions, since it would be a registered vehicle. Or even get a second pickup truck (nothing fancy, just a beater that runs and drives) and put a fuel tank in the bed.

One of the things I did to slightly increase my emergency fuel capacity, was to buy a new auxiliary fuel tank for my truck, to replace the one that had been removed years before due to rust. It's only an extra 20 gallons, but since it is a part of my vehicle's fuel system, it's an extra 20 gallons that nobody can say shit about. I just have to be sure to keep it full. The main thing I do is treat the truck as though it still only had the one tank. In the summer I rotate which tank is in use, and at the beginning of winter (I don't use the truck in the winter) I put a fuel stabilizer in both (full) tanks.

[Yogimus]

Ethanol is corrosive.

Here is a tip for fuel storage: Find a fuel bladder, and place one in a barrel. (you will need to run a hose between the bladder and the drum wall to get air out) The bladder will prevent the gas from evaporating, and the 2 wall system will qualify as a safe storage facility for most insurance.

[Precision]

@ 308mike - I have a separate structure on property that I can store it in. Structure is not worth much, glorified gazebo so not worried about insurance aspect. I am not willing (crazy enough) to leave it in my actual residence.

@NPR - I have been looking into the second tank for the truck. But that removes my spare tire and costs $600 if I want it underneath. price is similar for the in bed type plus I lose space some of the already limited in the short bed. May go that route, but...

@ yogi - hadn't thought of that, but I like the idea.

[Termite]

DRUMS
Steel drums: safer than plastic drums regarding static charges, but unless they are stainless(think $$$), they will corrode eventually, especially if stored in a high moisture environment. Keep steel drums off the ground; a rack is good, pallets will do in a pinch. Ground them while pumping from them, and best practice is to ground your hose nozzle, also.

Plastic drums: don't corrode, lighter weight, etc. Static can build up on them, though, so ground them as best as possible, and ground your hose nozzle before pumping.
Long term exposure to sunlight will destroy them, and faster than you think.

You can use 55 gal drums if you wish, but I think you will find 30 gal drums much easier to handle. Gasoline weighs about 6.3-6.5 lbs per gal.
NOTE: many service stations WILL NOT allow you to dispense gasoline into drums, since they are not OSHA/DOT approved gasoline containers.

STAND ALONE TANK
Better than drums if you are not concerned with portability, and you can make the tank as big/small as you want. If you elevate it to 5-6 ft, then no pump is needed.
Bulk fuel companies will often deliver gasoline to you if you order a certain minimum amount

I would consider building a fuel trailer that you could tow behind your truck.

This is potentially full of win. It is the best of stationary and portability in one. You can size the tank to your needs, and still transport it where you wish to go.......with one issue: a fuel trailer may fall under your state's DMV HAZMAT regs, and require you to have a CDL w/HAZMAT endorsement. This may depend on the tank capacity, or not. It likely varies by state, so do your research. I would expect NE states and Kalifornia to be stricter than south/west/mid-west, and rural areas more lax than urban/suburban ones.

[JAG2955]

This may be very helpful to you.

He recommends HDPE containers.

[308Mike]

Termite, for the Stand-Alone Tank, do you think having the support legs on level EARTH/ground (NOT on any kind of slab) would be enough grounding?

OR would you recommend additional grounding, something like a metal stake driven four feet into the earth with a cable connected, to create a really GOOD ground (having dealt with flight ops for several years and hot refueling, I can get kinda' paranoid when it comes to grounding and fuel vapors with static during refueling)?

What would you consider sufficient grounding for such an operation (while NOT hot refueling)?

If it was ME, I KNOW what lengths *I* would go to EARTH ground such a set-up placed on the ground, but in regards to storing and refilling a storage tank above ground, that's a whole new scenario for me. And yet, if we get the opportunity, we might do such a thing when we get the money. A welded steel frame is one consideration, especially since we live in a low-humidity area (desert area east of San Diego, but NOT desert like Anza-Borrego). After all, PERSONALLY, my wife and I prefer the HIGH-DESERT, like Joshua Tree or Joshua Tree National Park, Morongo Valley, 29 Palms (YES, there IS a city there besides the Marine base), but we've had temperatures and weather here in Santee/Lakeside which are HIGHER than those in the high-desert on MANY occasions, and yet, THEY still get snow once in a while (a couple of days a year).

Of course, being in the desert, the static electricity is an even BIGGER concern where fuel pumping is involved. In that we might be looking to have our base of RV operations in the high desert (where NO ONE gives a shit what you do and it's easy to own MANY acres of land as a buffer), we might be looking to use something like you suggested.

As far as the grounding is concerned, is there any difference between handling diesel or gasoline?

The high deserts has SOME of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen (granted mountain sunsets are very similar except they have mountain peaks in their sunsets).

P1030963.JPG

[Yogimus]

take a steel 3/4 inch wire, spread one end apart, and tac weld to the barrel. Bury other end in dirt 2 feet deep.

0 <barrel
Y <wire