Oil Tanks for Gasoline?

[Charly]

Today I noticed the below posting on Craigslist. http://kansascity.craigslist.org/bfs/1926255603.html

I wrote to the man and asked if these tanks could store gasoline in them and he said yes.

We recently moved to the country on 40 acres and are pretty rural. Would like to have a small amount of gas stored here for when the mower runs out and when our teen daughters bring there vehicle home on empty Do you think we could use one of these? What do I need to know? Thanks.

Oh, and is that a fair price?

[Ross]

Fair price and he's right to a point. That point is the local regs for fuel storage. I know I could use them here in Ontario, I know in Quebec they need an over flow catch system. They look like 200 gal plos tanks, do you want that much storage?

[TnAndy]

The oblong one on the right is a 275 gallon, don't know about the ones on the left, without measurements, hard to say exactly.

If you can get a stand, you can gravity feed with them, and forget the pump. That's how I do mine ( gas and diesel ). You may also need to check the pump if you plan to use and see if it is rated for gasoline.....some are not....be careful there.

Also, you might want to check the cost of home delivery.....some places won't even do it, and some charge more than if you bought it at a gas station.

Also consider the location of the tanks.....I put mine WELL away from the house, in case of the worst case.

If you plan to store gasoline for quite a while in them, look at buying some PRI-G for preservation. Since these will be vented, you will lose the light ends and the fuel is more subject to degrade than in a sealed container.

[Windy in Kansas]

How will you have a tank filled, delivery truck coming to the farm?

With the somewhat short lifespan of gasoline these days with out Stabil or a similar product I really don't know how long you would want to store fuel. Also don't know how much you use.

Here is a similar set up already on a stand and for less money. Overhead to allow gravity flow into receptacle. http://kansascity.craigslist.org/for/1900054428.html It would need filled on premises.

Have you considered a fuel transfer tank like farmers haul in the back of their pickups? You would need a pump, or a tractor or other to elevate it to a platform for gravity feed filling. With one of those you could take the tank to town for filling. Smaller so the fuel would stay fresher.

Well after doing some looking the latter may not be an option as it seems the prices on them have really skyrocketed since I last bought one.

[foxtrapper]

Those tanks will indeed physically hold gasoline, provided they are not rusted out. They will not dispense gasoline, and you probably will not be able to get them filled with gasoline by anyone.

You will most likely be forced to fill them yourself with 5 gallon gas cans and many trips to the gas station.

[Forerunner]

I've used the old, oval, heating oil tanks for gasoline and diesel.
I've used above ground, standard fuel tanks for both, with pump.
I've used the old standard three hundred gallon mounted tank that sits on an eight foot stand, gravity feeding the fuel.
I've used, and my suppliers even recommend for their extreme durability, old bulk liquid propane tanks...500 and 1000 gallon, to store liquid fuels.

The main thing is to get a filter housing to thread on after your main valve.
That filter will catch the evils that one might miss while cleaning out an older tank, by whatever means.

I can see how, in many areas, suppliers would be hesitant to work with a new customer and other than industry-standard tanks.
Call several suppliers in your area and get a feel for what they are and are not willing to do.

Delivered fuel has always been ten cents or so higher than what you can go buy in town.

Diesel, in my experience, will store for several years.
I've had gasoline in a three hundred gallon tank last three.
Quantity is key with gasoline, barring the use of additives.
The more you store, the longer it will stay fresh.

[Ramblin Wreck]

It's relatively easy in our area to get off-road diesel delivered, but I'm not sure anyone delivers gasoline around here. If I were going to store gasoline, I'd probably buy a tank that could be easily loaded/off-loaded from a truck. I'd also plan for a way to filter it for debris and water between the bulk tank and the machine being fueled. One bad tank of fuel can cause a lot of heartache and headache. Unless you go through the gas in a hurry, there are treatments that can be added to extend the life of the fuel.

Good luck.

[texican]

That much gasoline? It'd scare me having it in anything but a brand spanking new tank... and it'd still scare me, knowing how quick the stuff 'rots' with the alcohol bs that's in most of it. Stabil would make me feel better, but....

Diesel? I'd have zero problems... I'd put a filter system on it with a glass viewing bulb, to see when water was accumulating.

[watcher]

As forerunner pointed out back when we ran a gasoline tractor (50ish Super M) we found it was cheaper to buy gas from a local filling station than having it delivered. We just used 55 gal drums in the back of the truck. I don't know if you could get away with doing it now or not. Might find yourself being visited by a few guys with guns asking if you were making bombs.

[Forerunner]

Texican, one can still request "regular, methanol-free gasoline".

Alcohol doesn't digest well in my chain saws, and that's what a lot of my gas goes to power. I always specify alcohol free gasoline for that and storage longevity reasons.

As for old containers, I've used nothing else.... and had one start leaking, years ago...diesel.... and that tank still belonged to the supplier.
I cheerfully let him have the tank back and have used the heavier propane tanks for storing liquid fuels, since.

Watcher.... three or four red, plastic gas cans in the old pick-up bed still don't draw too much attention.... and they can be transferred to the bulk tank, at home.
It certainly is a viable option.

[Windy in Kansas]

http://wichita.craigslist.org/grd/1933627188.html

Two overhead tanks and stands for $50. Inman, KS which is a few miles from Hutchinson. If I had a need I'd see to it that they were mine.