New Fuel Tanks

[JohnyMac]

My neighbor and I share a diesel fuel tank for our two tractors. I use about 30-gallons a year while he uses 100 to 150-gallons a year for his 95-Hp New Holland tractor. At the end of the summer our diesel tank sprouted a pinhole leak. Filled the leak with a caulking packed screw and started our search for a used home heating fuel tank that was empty and in good condition.

After searching for a month we found one on line only about 45-minutes away. I called the number and was told it was still for sale but I was the fifth person who called. "the first person who shows up with $200- gets the tank" the seller told me.

Grabbed my neighbor and his truck then off we went.

Upon arriving at the sellers house, we handed him $200- and he loaded the tank into my neighbors truck bed.

The tank looked brand new and came with a hand turn pump too. This tank was a score for sure. Once home we had the tank installed next to the old tank and promptly transferred the 100-gallons or so left in the old tank to the new one. A couple days later we had the tank topped off with diesel.

Yesterday I was splitting firewood and my neighbor came home with another 275-gallon used home fuel tank. Apparently his sons boss had a old tank in his basement he wanted to get rid off. This tank also looked brand spanken new and it was free.

I asked my neighbor what he was going to use the tank for and he said, "gas". In short order we had it setup next to the diesel tank. Ya' got to love tractors with a bucket on the front.

There was a peacock on the bottom which we opened and got about a pint or so of old heating fuel out of it. My job is to find a solution to spray in the tank swish it around a bit and empty the solution hopefully with most of the residual heating oil. My neighbors job is to find a company that will deliver nonethanol, 93-octain or higher petrol. We had heard through the grapevine, that gas companies are not delivering to homes anymore due to some EPA restrictions. My neighbor's property is classified as a farm so maybe it will be easier than we think to get a nice load of petrol.

The last thing is to find the $1,000- to fill it. 

Post here what you are doing to store fuel for when the SHTF. 

[DMCakhunter]

To rinse the tank to prepare for gasoline, use charcoal lighter fluid. Safe to work with and relatively cheap. If you can rig the fluid bottle with a small diameter hose, you can squeeze and spray the sides to flush the tank. Or if you can tilt the tank around, squeeze the bottle and slowly rotate the tank to coat the sides. Any residual charcoal lighter fluid will mix with gasoline just fine.
FYI - if you want to flush a diesel tank, do the same thing as above if dirty. If clean and less than a couple of gallons of heating fuel in it, just put diesel on top of it because heating oil is a less refined version of diesel.

One comment - gasoline - summer blend fuel is easier to store than winter blend. Winter fuel is made up of lighter products that evaporate easier and lose their strength quicker. I have not had any issues with stabilized summer blend, non-alcohol fuel, stored for 12-14 months.

My storage - six 5 gallon sure cans of premium gas with stabil at home. All vehicles are kept above 3/4 tank and we have the means to siphon from each car. PU truck is a diesel with a 50 gallon fuel tank and a 50 gallon aux tank in the bed. Treated in the winter months.
Alternate location - six 5 gallon sure cans with stabil, toy hauler with 32 gallon fuel tank of stabilized gas, boat with 51 gallons of stabilized gas and the means to pull fuel out of it.

[Nemo]

As far as a sprayer, get a garden variety.  You can find them easy and often cheap at fall yard sales.  Fill the with the charcoal lighter and you should get a good hosing on most of the interior fairly easily.

Nemo

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Chapin-Mosquito-Poly-2014-Sprayer/19898385

[JohnyMac]

Thanks gents! 

[pkveazey]

You were very lucky that the last tank has a petcock. Its actually there to bleed off water because the petrol will float on toip of the water. Since hardly anything came out the petcock, I wouldn't get concerned about any residual fuel oil clinging to the inside surface of the tank. Putting 275 gallons of 93 octane in there in a worst case situation might lower the octane to 92. I would concentrate more on making sure the fuel gets filtered when taking it out of the tank for use.

Now, as to what I'm doing for SHTF petrol.......... I'm using about 50 gallons of ethanol free gas cans and about 20 gallons of Kerosene cans. I keep them all full at all times. That's the best I can do in my circumstance.

[JohnyMac]

Good stuff PKv