Gasoline storage???

[JoJo]

I read a post somewhere on long term gas storage and I can't locate it again. I was about topping off your gas can with propane. The idea was the propane set up a barrier that when used with a fuel stabilizer the gas would last years. He was into five years and he claimed the fuel was as good as new. There's more to the story thats why I would like to find the fourm and thread.
Lets say this worked so then how would you get the propane out of the can without any danger of a fire? Couldn't an inert gas be used instead?
I have so many questions and
Yes I googled,binged and look everywhere I could think of for at least three weeks without any luck.

[JohnyMac]

Do you mean this? http://yarchive.net/car/gasoline_storage.html

From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: misc.rural
Subject: Re: Experience with "cheap" portable diesel gensets?
Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2006 18:12:31 -0500
Message-ID: <8b4e2251s65jvr7iv9i2r7av8shp25opjn@4ax.com>

In the past I've stored gasoline long term in 55 gallon drums
overpressured with 12 psi of either butane (preferred) or propane.
This technique maintains the Reid Vapor Pressure, stops oxidation and
evaporation.  Once the bungs are sealed tightly, one of those cans of
butane fuel used by lanterns and those tabletop stoves will pressurize
several drums for years. My purpose was essentially the same as you
describe for this guy in the forum.

One still has the problem of where to store the drums.  While I don't
mind having some gas cans in the house or garage, I do NOT want a few
hundred gallons of gasoline under my roof.  That means some sort of
outbuilding or shed or at least pallets and a canvas tarp.

One final comment.  If you use gasoline, do NOT use anything copper in
contact with the fuel.  NACA discovered back during WWII that copper
catalyzes the polymerization of gasoline into "gunk".  Bronze and
brass are OK.  No copper tubing, not even a little.  Copper isn't that
much of a problem if you're constantly using the engine but for
standby service, copper is a big NO-NO.

I finally realized that I was going to an awful lot of trouble when
compared to a single 500 or 1000 gallon propane tank. Fill 'er up and
forget 'er.  If flooding is a problem then get the burial type.  If
groundwater floatation is a problem, anchor the thing down before
backfilling over it.

On 26 Mar 2006 08:21:26 -0800, "GrtArtiste" <grtartiste@aol.com>
wrote:

>Just out of curiosity, what reasons do you have for not wanting to
>"store a lot of gasoline on site"?  Is it safety, cost, the
>neighbors...or something else?  Reason I ask is there is a recent
>thread on Garden Web
>http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tools/msg032102231798.html?30
>
>and the author seems to think his plan is a great one to store 80
>gallons of gas for the expressed purpose (other than a few lights and
>the fridge) of running several window A/C units so he can be
>comfortable after the next hurricane goes through. The response to his
>plan seems mostly favorable.  I dunno if it's a good plan or not.
>
>GrtArtiste

Click on the above link to read the whole exchange.

[thatGuy]

Hey Jojo, when you get a propane tank filled they purge the air from the line directly into the atmosphere, they also purge the vapor from the tank at the end of the process and have no issue with it. I'm not sure how much volume we're talking about but it has to more than the head space on a 55g barrel. I've got a 18k tank at work that purges a plume 3' round by about 8' long for the last half hour of its fill and it's never found the running propane truck that is 20' away.

[JoJo]

Thanks JMac thats the one.

[Nemo]

Lets say this worked so then how would you get the propane out of the can without any danger of a fire? Couldn't an inert gas be used instead?

If I read this right, you ask how to get the propane out of the gas can.  If so, you open any valve a bit of a crack.  Any propane under pressure will get out and not be an issue.  Open a bit more and let it sit for  a moment or 3 and the rest will find its way out.  It is lighter than air and will get out and uphill ASAP as it can. 

Just don't smoke when you do it and you should have no problem.  Just treat that drum like its filled with gasoline and job is done.  HHMMM, it will be filled with gasoline so treat it like that your good.

Nemo

[JohnyMac]

Good advise Nemo however I offer one correction. Propane is heavier than air unlike natural gas which is lighter than air.

When we lived on our sailboat we used propane for cooking. We had a solenoid to turn the propane on at the nozzle in the propane locker, Connected to the solenoid was a propane detector in the bilge to make sure that no escaped gas rested in our bilge and blew us to kingdom hall.