# How do you guys store your gasoline?



## Fig (Mar 16, 2021)

I pulled the trigger on a new gen taking advantage of the Hurricane tax free weekend, I ordered the *NorthStar Portable Generator with Honda GX630 OHV Engine — 13,000 Surge Watts, 10,500 Rated Watts. *Coming from an EU7000, I realize my gas consumption will most likely triple. I am looking for a safe solution to store a large amount of gasoline once a storm starts heading my way. I am currently using 5 gallon cans stored under my carport. They never see the sun, it stays cool and is open on 2 sides. Just wondering if I should stick to the 5 gallon cans and get more, or is there is a better solution out there that I have not discovered. 

Thanks.


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## Browse Deweb (Jan 16, 2021)

I use 5 gallon cans as well. These are the ones I have:


https://www.amazon.com/Justrite-7250120-AccuFlow-Galvanized-Flexible/dp/B003PGRR5W



I bought a 12VCD siphon kit that I can use to empty the gas tank on one of the cars. It's an older car and I have tried it. It works, despite there being an anti-siphon device near the tank. After we experienced Hurricane Sandy back in 2012, the state now requires all gas stations to have emergency backup power so that gasoline can still be pumped. I will probably get a natural gas conversion kit for my EU7000IS just in case.


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## Fig (Mar 16, 2021)

Thanks for the link. I also have a battery powered pump that I stick in the cans to transfer fuel, and an external fuel filter I use when putting the remaining fuel back into my cars.


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## ToolLover (Jan 13, 2020)

There is another solution: If there is a car wash near you, they will happily give you the 5 gallon heavy plastic containers that the soap comes in. Just stop and ask. Then there is a small pump available from Amazon.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

are you in town or out in the sticks?
watch the local fire code etc. if you are in town.

also look in to a farm tank for fuel.
above ground storage tank made for gasoline...

or do marine tanks.
those mount well under a deck.

and look in to truck service for the fuel....
some places have good deals on bulk tank truck delivery.

plan your fuel.... maybe alt fuels as well. and how many gallons a day.
plan your outage time (2 weeks min)
plan your service of the gen (oil filters etc)

that is the best advice


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## Davejb (Dec 7, 2018)

I use 2 of these








Eagle UI-50-FS Red Galvanized Steel Type I Gasoline Safety Can with Funnel, 5 gallon Capacity, 13.5" Height, 12.5" Diameter, Red/Yellow: Hazardous Storage Cans: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific


Eagle UI-50-FS Red Galvanized Steel Type I Gasoline Safety Can with Funnel, 5 gallon Capacity, 13.5" Height, 12.5" Diameter, Red/Yellow: Hazardous Storage Cans: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific



www.amazon.com




I keep the fuel treated with Star Tron & use it for the mower and snowblower as well, once a year I dump what's left in the cars then refill the cans.


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## LaSwamp (Mar 16, 2021)

Davejb said:


> I use 2 of these
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I bought one of those when they were $31. Now they are almost $50. I might toss one in my cart and see if the price comes back down again. You can never have enough fuel cans.


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## Davejb (Dec 7, 2018)

LaSwamp said:


> I bought one of those when they were $31. Now they are almost $50. I might toss one in my cart and see if the price comes back down again. You can never have enough fuel cans.


I bought mine July 2018 for $39 each, the pricing on them can be screwy at times, they were selling them singly for $39 or a 2 pack for over $100. If you want to do amazon price tracking try Amazon price tracker, Amazon price history charts, price watches, and price drop alerts., been using them for years to be notified of price drops.


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## exmar (Jun 29, 2015)

You might consider a transfer tank, they come in various sizes. Choice of electric or manual pump. Probably have to haul the gas in 5 gallon cans which would make mixing the fuel preservative easier. The ones for hauling in pick up trucks might be heavier built. As Iowa mentioned, check with your local municipal folks as to legality. It would be a bit of effort filling prior to Hurricane season then using up afterwards in vehicles but doable I guess. Your generator is rated 10 hours at half load with an 11 gallon tank. Here's one I grabbed at random, again various sizes and shapes out there. My experience with them around the farm is the manual pumps are slower but last longer and MUCH cheaper than the electric ones. Also, the electric pumps typically use 12VDC.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...p.ds&msclkid=323beab0f6221c599b978a379e0e91a8


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## Gen10K (Jun 25, 2020)

Fig said:


> I pulled the trigger on a new gen taking advantage of the Hurricane tax free weekend, I ordered the *NorthStar Portable Generator with Honda GX630 OHV Engine — 13,000 Surge Watts, 10,500 Rated Watts. *Coming from an EU7000, I realize my gas consumption will most likely triple. I am looking for a safe solution to store a large amount of gasoline once a storm starts heading my way. I am currently using 5 gallon cans stored under my carport. They never see the sun, it stays cool and is open on 2 sides. Just wondering if I should stick to the 5 gallon cans and get more, or is there is a better solution out there that I have not discovered.
> 
> Thanks.


I went with a Tri Fuel Gen set because Gasoline is hard to store in long term. You have to do nothing to it if you use the fuel in your car and replenish, you know, rotate the stock. I had cars with gasoline in their tanks about a year old and they are fine. Usually, on long term, I use Ethanol Free fuel.

To prevent that hassle and have more choices I went with a Tri Fuel 10K. Natural Gas is my primary, Propane or Gasoline as scondary or tertiary. I have two 100Lbs tanks of propane, it can be stored indefinite. Another advantage is that I can use propane for cooking.

You can buy adapters to convert your gen set to Tri Fuel and enjoy the flexibility.

Sad thing about gasoline is not only a bitch to store for the long term but also, fuel pumps use electricity. In a city power outtage, might be fuel in the tanks but no electricity to pump it out. Is as bad as having none and the risk to fight other people seeking gasoline.


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## JRHill (Nov 19, 2020)

One will get all kinds of answers to this Storage question.

The bottom line is that when you go to draw the stored fuel and will it work?

I spent bunches of money filling two 55g drums for the winter, one jug at a time. Into each drum I put the Stabile At the ratio and a glug of Marvel Mystery oil. During tht winter I went to pull for the generator, 6 months later. It absolutely screwed up the gen set. Most of it was water settled in the bottom of the drums. Darn ethanol.

I wicked up fuel from the upper ends of the barrels. Now I have two 55g drums with dangerous contents at the lower of the drums and nowhere to dispose of it. No one will take it.

It was an expensive lesson: 1) I buy only non ethanol fuel; 2) I buy only non ethanol fuel.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

grin jr!
yea the learning curve is steep on ethanol...
"JUST SAY NO"
lol!
there are places that accept waste oils...
yea water and fuel mix is a hard sell...
most do not want it in the recycle equipment...


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## jkingrph (Sep 18, 2017)

I have 6-7 of an earlier model of the justrite safety can with the flex spout, and 8 of the Wavian NATO cans with a selection of spouts, one is a long flex spout that I like. The Wavian and Valpro are made in northern Europe and are of a heavier steel than the ones made in the Asian countries but cost a bit more. They seal via a lid which cams shut then a locking pin. No mater which, I fill full and treat with stablizer and seal shut, with very little air in can. I try to pick days that are dry with low humidity when refilling them. I generally use through the summer in lawn mower, and related equipment and refill when tropical storm season starts up which is usually in late fall here. I also refill if any are empty and snow or ice is predicted,


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

Fig said:


> I pulled the trigger on a new gen taking advantage of the Hurricane tax free weekend, I ordered the *NorthStar Portable Generator with Honda GX630 OHV Engine — 13,000 Surge Watts, 10,500 Rated Watts. *Coming from an EU7000, I realize my gas consumption will most likely triple. I am looking for a safe solution to store a large amount of gasoline once a storm starts heading my way. I am currently using 5 gallon cans stored under my carport. They never see the sun, it stays cool and is open on 2 sides. Just wondering if I should stick to the 5 gallon cans and get more, or is there is a better solution out there that I have not discovered.
> 
> Thanks.


well think fuel handling....
a wheel carboy is nice when dealing with heavy stuff!

if you had a fuel trailer those are nice!
and easy to hitch up to refill at a bulk plant or fuel station...

moving large heavy cans during a outage can be a pain...
rain, mud , snow.... super cold.. or even super hot!
so maybe a fuel station as your main storage tank and then smaller cans 
if you are not able to place the fuel station near the gen set location...

a remote fuel setup would make it easy to fuel when running!
easy to do... and nice for extended run!
just make your setup so it can run on the internal tank or the external tank with a valve and a external port.
pm me if you need links for parts.


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

I have a 500gallon propane tank for heat, hot water, and my EU7000. But just in case I keep 20-25 gallons of ethanol free gasoline in the shed in 5 gallon cans. My preferred gas can is by far the ‘No Spill’ cans.


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## Gen10K (Jun 25, 2020)

Ethanol is a great fuel, the problem is that is Hygroscopic. That means that absorbs water. If you do that, on the tank, at the lower end, install a petcock to drain the water if you have any. Is done on aircrafts for the same reason, water in the fuel tanks.

That is why I went with Propane instead of Gasoline. If you have a Diesel engine, Diesel last a super very long time. Also, you can run Gasoline/Motor Oil mix on a Diesel engine, including Veggetable Oil and grease/fat.

Anway, back to Spark Ignition engines. When using other gas fuels, Gasoline on a 10KW will work to that amount of output. Same Gen in Propane might be 8KW and Nat Gas 6KW. Learned that the hard way with my Gen Set. Burned the Gen Head assuming that will produce 10KW with Nat Gas.

Also, some to consider....

Fuel Container, does not matter, Gasoline, Diesel, LPG, NG, etc... think on how are you going to refill them. For example, on Propane, a 400 Lbs or 500Lbs is great, lots of fuel. Roughly, depending on power demands, 100 Lbs might get you 1.5 days of continuos operation at about 2KW demand. 4 or 5 days later, how are you going to fill that tank? Taking it to fill or get someone to fill it. That is why I went with 100Lbs because I can put them on the back of my truck and get them filled, also, I can handle them once they are full. To me, Propane was a better choice as Mid BTUs for the Gen, ease to fill, can I use for cooking and long shelf life.


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## Fig (Mar 16, 2021)

Thank you guys for all your input. I looked into it and they do make a LP/NG kit for that gen, I have propane as I live in the sticks, and have a 1000 gal tank for the house and a 500 gallon tank for the pool heater and outdoor kitchen, tanks are tied together in case one runs low and I need to tap into the other. Not really crazy about the de-rating using propane so I think I am going to stay with gasoline. I have ordered 2 of these to mount in my trailer: Tank with a handpump. Only concern I have is legally transporting 200 gallons of gasoline, fortunately for me there is a Costco nearby and I can take mostly backroads to get to it. 

The ethanol issue isn't an issue for me, as after the power is restored, I run the remaining fuel in the cars. 

Thanks again guys for all the great info!


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

Fig said:


> Thank you guys for all your input. I looked into it and they do make a LP/NG kit for that gen, I have propane as I live in the sticks, and have a 1000 gal tank for the house and a 500 gallon tank for the pool heater and outdoor kitchen, tanks are tied together in case one runs low and I need to tap into the other. Not really crazy about the de-rating using propane so I think I am going to stay with gasoline. I have ordered 2 of these to mount in my trailer: Tank with a handpump. Only concern I have is legally transporting 200 gallons of gasoline, fortunately for me there is a Costco nearby and I can take mostly backroads to get to it.
> 
> The ethanol issue isn't an issue for me, as after the power is restored, I run the remaining fuel in the cars.
> 
> Thanks again guys for all the great info!


Gasoline engines run particularly well converted to propane. NG is the issue. I wouldn’t sweat the whole de-rated thing. The problem comes from import generators having insincere ratings. Engines that are too small, and alternators that can’t actually support the rated number. In your case, that north star generator has a appropriately sized engine and a quality alternator capable of its ratings.

I would reconsider a tri-fuel conversion and keep gasoline on hand in case.


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## Fig (Mar 16, 2021)

drmerdp said:


> Gasoline engines run particularly well converted to propane. NG is the issue. I wouldn’t sweat the whole de-rated thing. The problem comes from import generators having insincere ratings. Engines that are too small, and alternators that can’t actually support the rated number. In your case, that north star generator has a appropriately sized engine and a quality alternator capable of its ratings.
> 
> I would reconsider a tri-fuel conversion and keep gasoline on hand in case.


The only issue I have is with the LP/NG kit I found for this gen set requires fuel tank removal. I would like to have the option to run both with minimal effort to change between the 2 fuels. I didn't look too hard for a different kit, maybe there are other kits out there that are more user friendly.


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## Ground Fault (Jun 9, 2020)

> I use 5 gallon cans as well. These are the ones I have:
> https://www.amazon.com/Justrite-7250120-AccuFlow-Galvanized-Flexible/dp/B003PGRR5W


Same here. Bought two for gas and one for gas/oil mix for the Stihl products I use. I use them to bring home gas-only gas, then pour it into the boat. 36 gal tank, so between it, three Justrite cans, two jerry cans and a 5 gal plastic racing fuel can I've got enough gas for most any eventuality. When the cans are empty I pull the gas line off the Mercury outboard, connect it to a 12-volt Holley fuel pump and fill a can or two. Slow, but cellphone. 

Guys, be careful about on-site gasoline storage in bulk gas storage tanks. Of any type. If you live on a farm and insure your place as a farm then you are okay. If not, email you insurance agent and inform him (meaning he is, for all intents and purposes, "the" insurance company and as such you are informing your home insurance company) that you have bulk storage of gas at your place. I represent 27 home insurance companies. ALL of them have a question about bulk storage of gas on-site. Most won't insure you if you do. Failure to disclose this can be viewed as a _material omission of significant underwriting fact_ and can be grounds for denying a claim related to gas storage. BE SAFE: tell them about it now so later on they can't deny your claim. Then they can't say that you didn't tell them about it. Chances are he's gonna' blow it off, forget about it and nothing will happen. But you TOLD HIM. That's all that matters. KEEP A COPY OF THE EMAIL. THAT CYA.


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

Fig said:


> The only issue I have is with the LP/NG kit I found for this gen set requires fuel tank removal. I would like to have the option to run both with minimal effort to change between the 2 fuels. I didn't look too hard for a different kit, maybe there are other kits out there that are more user friendly.


I’ve worked on that exactly north star generator. The tank needs to be removed to gain access to the carb. But once the snorkel kit (US Carburetion) is installed the tank can be put back in place and operated with either fuel.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

the fire guys may throw a fit over LARGE fuel tank storage in the city...
rural not so much..
there are rules on fuel storage where I am.
so a fuel trailer and cars and trucks are exempt.


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## Robh (Aug 19, 2019)

I'll give the obligatory smart aleck response by saying I don't store gasoline. I converted my genny to propane.


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## Fig (Mar 16, 2021)

drmerdp said:


> I’ve worked on that exactly north star generator. The tank needs to be removed to gain access to the carb. But once the snorkel kit (US Carburetion) is installed the tank can be put back in place and operated with either fuel.


This makes me feel better, I am going to look into this option. Good point about the insurance too, didn't think about that one. Leaning more and more towards the propane option. 

If I go that route, do you guys seafoam it to store it or just shut it off and disco the propane and leave it be? 

Thanks again for the input guys!


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

fig,
if you are running on LP as the primary.
clean out the fuel system (full drain and blow down of every thing)
change the oil and you are ready to store.
and at least shut off all valves on the LP system.

if it is in a gen shed or gen shack you can leave the lines connected with the valves off.
then it is ready for a run at a moments notice.


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## Fig (Mar 16, 2021)

Thank you for all the detailed info Paul. I think I am going to go this route.


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## Gen10K (Jun 25, 2020)

One advantage on running LPG or NG is that the Oil does not get as dirty as it would with Gasoline.

Still, keep in mind, LPG has less BTUs than Gasoline, so if your gen is, for example a 10K, you might get 8Ks on full power. The engine will have less Torque and HPs since the motor is tuned (timing/compression) for Gasoline. However, that small power loss is perhaps a small price to pay for the convenience of propane storage and some flexibility (illumination, cooking and heating).


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