Storing Some Petrol At Home ?

[eyepea]

Guys, have you ever thought of storing some petrol at home ?

Specially with the recent (and also not so distant past) experience of no petrol and long queues, I wondered whether it is practical to store a little petrol at home. Well not a bowserful but may be a few liters to get on a day or two for urgent matters depending on how much one uses.

One can fill up frequently before the tank goes low (say lower than half), but then it is a hassel to be filling up abt 10 L at short intervals.

Well as petrol evaporates fast, it is not easy to keep in a plastic can.

Also this may not be very safe!

Where can one find the type of petrol can that is seen on the back of jeeps suvs etc ?

Any idea what the cost is like ?

Saw something like a little potty at Arpico sometime back. Cant remember exact price but several thousand - may be 8 or 10.

I think this may be quite useful for a lot of people until we upgrade to a solar charged electric cars

(can't be just a electric car - then if CEB strikes, you are stuck)

A foldable or small bicycle in the dicky is useful, but limited

Could you please share your experience and thoughts.

What are you guys doing to ease out petrol shortages ?

thanks!

[shanX]

I keep about 500ml of petrol in a small bottle on my car all the time does that count?? lol

[Corolla121]

  shanX said:

I keep about 500ml of petrol in a small bottle on my car all the time does that count?? lol

Is it a car or a skooter...?

[rez]

from the VW Beetle view..I always keep a 1.5 l mega bottle even for few weeks.. always handy....

[DevakaC]

  shanX said:

I keep about 500ml of petrol in a small bottle on my car all the time does that count?? lol

LOL!!! assuming your car is a 1.5L you gonna need atleast 3 bottles of what you have to get your car rolling.

[shanX]

  Corolla121 said:

Is it a car or a skooter...?

  DevakaC said:

LOL!!! assuming your car is a 1.5L you gonna need atleast 3 bottles of what you have to get your car rolling.

LOL. yep 1.5L car, am not sure but it's ok in case of emergency it'll atleast allow me to roll just another 1km or 2km?? would it? lol

[Bugatti]

Isn't it better to maintain a full tank at all times? Cos I know u can't store fuel for long periods.. it goes stale..

[rez]

  shanX said:

LOL. yep 1.5L car, am not sure but it's ok in case of emergency it'll atleast allow me to roll just another 1km or 2km?? would it? lol

U are correct dude....even the empty VW 1300 tank after the refill of 1 L..takes me few km's untill I find the next petrol shed !!!!

[shanX]

  rez said:

U are correct dude....even the empty VW 1300 tank after the refill of 1 L..takes me few km's untill I find the next petrol shed !!!!

hah hah that is reassuring

[da_kool_guy]

  eyepea said:

Where can one find the type of petrol can that is seen on the back of jeeps suvs etc ?

Any idea what the cost is like ?

Saw something like a little potty at Arpico sometime back. Cant remember exact price but several thousand - may be 8 or 10.

thanks!

i think you are referring to jerry cans... rite? i think a good stainless steel jerry can costs around 10k

i had one on my previous car..a gift from my dad after firing me but it was empty all the time.....

lol if its 1.45 am and ur bit drunk, then u can tune ur sterio for a classic channel and sleep... police patrol guys might help you out "Mahattaya tikak wedi welaa wagee".. and reply them with some goldleaf and malboro and "nee petrel ewarai".

DUDE you have figured out a good point...

Edited November 2, 2009 by da_kool_guy

[Ripper]

  Bugatti said:

Isn't it better to maintain a full tank at all times? Cos I know u can't store fuel for long periods.. it goes stale..

oh crap...didn't know this

i've been having 30litres of kero for the boat motor...suppose that's all kaput then

[Supra_Natural]

  Ripper said:

oh crap...didn't know this

i've been having 30litres of kero for the boat motor...suppose that's all kaput then

I dont think Kerosene is affected dude. Not entirely sure though, must check up. Also, I keep some petrol lying around usually in 4 liter engine oil cans, sometimes for weeks on end and it doesnt appear to degrade. Cars work fine when the gas is put in.

[Devinda_Z]

  Ripper said:

oh crap...didn't know this

i've been having 30litres of kero for the boat motor...suppose that's all kaput then

i keep a few litres of petrol in the generator for months on end - its not like its used much

do does it actually "go bad" per se? any AL boffins with chemistry knowledge care to enlighten us all & clear the air pls?

[Ripper]

  Devinda_Z said:

i keep a few litres of petrol in the generator for months on end - its not like its used much

do does it actually "go bad" per se? any AL boffins with chemistry knowledge care to enlighten us all & clear the air pls?

i did chem for a/l's but that was long time ago

but from what little i remember gasoline doesn't react with o2 or other gases and get messed up... it only evaporates...

dunno if that's the case if it has some additives and stuff... If i'm not wrong sometime ago they used to add lead to keep the engines from "knocking" but since leaded gas is out, dunno if they use some sorta additive to achieve the same...

[eyepea]

  da_kool_guy said:

i think you are referring to jerry cans... rite? i think a good stainless steel jerry can costs around 10k

thanks very much guys for all the input.

Aha yes a jerry can.

Would be useful for outstation trips a bit away from sheds too apart from storing.

If anyone can suggest some places where Jerry cans are available it would be most helpful.

A friend said chk M*t*rCade. Must see when going that way.

Any other suggestions please, (if not available at above place) ?

Thanks!

[Kavvz]

  Ripper said:

i did chem for a/l's but that was long time ago

but from what little i remember gasoline doesn't react with o2 or other gases and get messed up... it only evaporates...

dunno if that's the case if it has some additives and stuff... If i'm not wrong sometime ago they used to add lead to keep the engines from "knocking" but since leaded gas is out, dunno if they use some sorta additive to achieve the same...

I cheated and asked the google gods

[Ripper]

  eyepea said:

thanks very much guys for all the input.

Aha yes a jerry can.

Would be useful for outstation trips a bit away from sheds too apart from storing.

If anyone can suggest some places where Jerry cans are available it would be most helpful.

A friend said chk M*t*rCade. Must see when going that way.

Any other suggestions please, (if not available at above place) ?

Thanks!

outdoorsman in castle street should have em but i bet it would be pricey

or another thing is to check with those bothal pattara joints...

MiniAce has had very good experience with them in getting good stuff and great prices

if you dont mind plastics...arpico supercenter in hyde park too had larger cans

[Kavvz]

So I guess that's why my dad always tells me to keep my tank full claiming that otherwise its 'bad' for the car: I dismissed that as a 'parana-katha' but know I see that it could be because that would minimize the amount of air coming into contact with the fuel in the tank. Crap. And all this time I thought I was being smart by driving with a minimal quantity of fuel onboard...

Edited November 4, 2009 by Kavvz

[KLM]

  Kavvz said:

I cheated and asked the google gods

Interesting link, but that refers to E10, which would refer to commercial-grade fuel with 10% bio-ethanol. Interestingly, F1 moved to a bio-fuel blend this year, as did IndyCars 2 years ago. I think even the GT1 Corvettes in the American Le Mans Series used to run E85 until they moved down a class to GT2.

Would anybody know if the fuel in Sri Lanka is blended with ethanol or any other bio fuel? I do know, however, that you are advised to store Avgas in a cool, dry location away from direct sunlight, or else the octane value of the fuel drops. I know of guys who store barrels of Avgas in their warehouses for months without it going bad. As per that link, if the petrol in Sri Lanka is free of ethanol, then it can be stored for months on end.

[Kavvz]

  KLM said:

Interesting link, but that refers to E10, which would refer to commercial-grade fuel with 10% bio-ethanol. Interestingly, F1 moved to a bio-fuel blend this year, as did IndyCars 2 years ago. I think even the GT1 Corvettes in the American Le Mans Series used to run E85 until they moved down a class to GT2.

Would anybody know if the fuel in Sri Lanka is blended with ethanol or any other bio fuel? I do know, however, that you are advised to store Avgas in a cool, dry location away from direct sunlight, or else the octane value of the fuel drops. I know of guys who store barrels of Avgas in their warehouses for months without it going bad. As per that link, if the petrol in Sri Lanka is free of ethanol, then it can be stored for months on end.

Good point KLM.

I simply assumed Sri Lankan fuel would have the same additives and enhancers. The internet yielded the following table with regards to 95 octane fuel sold by Ceypetco .

Edited November 5, 2009 by Kavvz

[Ripper]

  Kavvz said:

Good point KLM.

I simply assumed Sri Lankan fuel would have the same additives and enhancers. The internet yielded the following table with regards to 95 octane fuel sold by Ceypetco .

well since they say it's "unleaded" its gotta be having some sorta additive counter the "knocking" effect of pure gasoline

[Ripper]

http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aabyb100401.htm

[eyepea]

  Ripper said:

outdoorsman in castle street should have em but i bet it would be pricey

or another thing is to check with those bothal pattara joints...

MiniAce has had very good experience with them in getting good stuff and great prices

if you dont mind plastics...arpico supercenter in hyde park too had larger cans

Thanks for the info. Will check.