Fuel Capacity

[Diesel]

So how much fuel do you guys store and how often do you cycle it out?

Also I have been looking at these tempo boat fuel tanx as a really nice aux tank.

I plan on getting the flat style on that will lay on my roof rack for several reasons.

1. Hard to steal esepcially with the weight of fuel.
2. Gravity drains, feeds right into your fuel tank
3. a perfect fit up there leaving room inside for storage as opposed to use your internal wheel well space.

I'm looking at the 36 gallon or 50 gallon models. The 30 is long and skinny, the 50 will probably stick up too high but i'm not sure. But even at 36 x say 11mpg you've just added an additional 396 miles of range and saftey for you.


Example:




Models:
http://www.tempoproducts.com/2004/bd_fuel_tanks2.html

[tracker]

I have been looking at ways to store fuel, the boat tanks are great idea. One thing I did learn that if you store it neer your house and there is a fire they can deny your insurance claim. I am useing 2 55 gal drums.I add Fuel stabelizer should keep for around a year.

[das]

With the largest fuel jump in history today this may be to late. It is a good idea but I am starting to think whatever we can do in the next few months may be it. After that we may not be able to afford anything but essentials.

It looks like we are all going to get to test our nerve against hyper-inflation. Welcome to the world economy my friends.

[kenno]

I've been using 5 gallon cans for years, I have both the GI and Jerry cans. I prefer the euro style cans as they have a built in spout. I guess I have about 20-25 cans. I can fill them in town with deisel at a discount. They cost less than a big storage tank, they are portable and easily hidden.

[das]

I also like the 5-gal jerry cans. Whenever I see them on sale I pick up a half dozen. They last forever. I don't have any experience with the euro style cans you mention. The ones I have leak when you use the spout so I tend to transfer fuel with a siphon though it does take longer.

Anyone who sees these on sale let me know!

[kenno]

I know what you mean, the GI style cans spill alot of fuel so I prefer the original Jerry can. I bought mine from Cheaper Than Dirt and Sportsmans Guide, I have French, German and Isralie marked cans but I think they all came out of the same factory.

[TheUnboundOne]

Folks, I don't yet have the space for large-scale fuel storage, but I do carry the conventional U.S. plastic gas can and a hand pump syphon in my truck for the emergency gas run.

Also, I wanted to pass along the strategy I read from Israeli security consultant Juval Aviv that helped me through the gas panic that prevailed in NC in the weeks following Hurricane Ike.

Juval Aviv recommends that all citizens keep at least half a tank of gas in all vehicles at all times. (This is an upgrade from the advice in the 1990's Practical Survival Magazine, which recommended no less than 1/4th a tank.)

The reasons Aviv recommends a half a tank are that, for one, in the event of an emergency where you have to evacuate, there may not be time to get fuel and gas stations may be jeopardized by the emergency. Also, he points out, in the event of a power outage, ATM machines may not work and pumps at gas stations may not work either.

I have used Aviv's strategy since I read of it over a year ago. Thanks to this strategy, I was able to avoid the craziness in the gas lines of the past 3-4 weeks.

Before Hurricane Ike hit, my tank was almost to the top, but not so high as to vaporize out of the tank...perfect! It took me about a week to get down to half-full, and during that time, I was able to stay away from the lines of cars piled up like Matchboxes in a toy chest and all the stupid fighting and shooting among the rabble.

When I finally had to fill up, I did so at night, when the lines were almost gone, there were still some pumps open, the air was cooler, and consequently, the gas was cooler and less vaporous. (Always pump at night when the gas is cooler, so you can get up to 10 percent more fuel into the tank.)

This strategy was the complete opposite of what Charlotte's Mayor McCheese Pat McCrory was prescribing to his sheeple followers. Early on after Ike struck, McCrory was telling people not to top up your tank if you were half full, and that supplies were on their way...Then, of course, the supplies were not forthcoming for another week, fostering another gas panic.

:rolleyes:

Yep, it feels so good to be far from the maddening crowd! They do make good sport to watch during lunchtime, though.

:cool: :)

[TheUnboundOne]

Folks, One small correction: The gas panics I heard about were mostly in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area of NC, including the surrounding Counties, and into South Carolina.

Since Raleigh and Greensboro and their surrounding areas got their gas from supply lines leading from the Atlantic Coast, they were largely unaffected by the post-Hurricane Ike gas craziness.

This, of course, drives home not only the need for energy independence by allowing drilling in ANWR and offshore, but also the need to stop taxing capital gains and so-called "windfall profits" and stop regulating refineries out of existence.

Capital and profits and decontrol are precisely what is needed for oil companies to develop more refineries and an interconnected grid of fuel supply lines, so that if one area of the country is affected by natural or man-made disaster, fuel can still flow freely and remain cheap throughout the nation.

[das]

TUO,
I am also a big believer in the never drop below half tank of gas rule. Even my wife who was a ride the "E" believer until all the gas price craziness has started to fill up when she reaches a half tank.

My brain cannot recall where I read this but I understand that the temperature of gas is not affected by pumping time. If it is cold outside or hot outside the temperature ten feet underground is fairly consistent. As gasoline is stored in insulated tanks buried underground I cannot help but question the 10% gain you are mentioning.

On the other hand I can agree that over filling a tank leads to losing gas. This is especially true when it is hot outside. Gas caps are not air tight so you can lose gas when it is in gas form and enough pressure builds up in the tank.

[TheUnboundOne]

Das,

I'm glad to hear that your wife now is better prepared at least in this department. Riding near empty is definitely not an option, since this can stick up an engine and cost hundreds of dollars in repairs.

While it is true that the gas in the underground tank of the gas station remains constant, the fuel loss that I'm speaking of would occur when the gas is pumped to the surface when the surface temperature is higher than inside the underground tank.

It's the difference between underground and above-ground temperature that evaporates and wastes the fuel. Thus, the cooler the surface temperature, the better it is for keeping the fuel from evaporating.

Although a locking gas cap is not perfect for preventing gas evaporation, I've found that it can help keep more vaporized gas in the vehicle until it can cool off. You can always tell this on a hot day if you unlock it, turn it, and hear and feel the "whoosh" of gas vapors from inside the tank. The gas vapors don't do this quite as much with a non-locking gas cap, since the non-locking cap isn't on as tight. And when it's cool or the vehicle hasn't been running for a while, the gas vapors don't do this at all.

I tell ya, discussing automobiles and their workings never fails to fascinate! When discussed in the context of survival and preparedness, it's a wonder that more males (and female gear-heads) aren't more into Survivalism.

[Ronald_THM]

diesel, it might just be me but, personally i would be a little leary of putting a fuel tank on the roof of a vehicle. Something about that just doesnt seem right. I dont know what you drive but I drive a 2005 GMC Canyon. I have a tonneu cover so keeping a temp tank in the bed would be quite safe and secure. Well i just heard another Obama ad so im going to go beat my head into the wall for abit.

[Diesel]

diesel, it might just be me but, personally i would be a little leary of putting a fuel tank on the roof of a vehicle. Something about that just doesnt seem right. I dont know what you drive but I drive a 2005 GMC Canyon. I have a tonneu cover so keeping a temp tank in the bed would be quite safe and secure. Well i just heard another Obama ad so im going to go beat my head into the wall for abit.

prob should have notied it's a very large truck with a full size roof rack

[Ronald_THM]

prob should have notied it's a very large truck with a full size roof rack

what about the line ran to your fuel system? could that be cut or damaged? is it sealed somehow? Im just not very familiar with that type of setup.

[Visinedrops]

Although gas storage tanks are cooler because they are kept underground, the internal temperature of your gas tank is much higher, and when gasoline warms, it evaporates immediately.

The hoses on gas pumps are black, and usually suspended overhead, so the fuel inside the hose has already expanded even before it's heated by your vehicle's fill spout. Because gas tanks are not air tight (vent tubes leading to a charcoal canister, then to your breather or intake port) even on a hot summer day, you are losing gasoline.

When I lived in Georgia, I met a man who was the biggest conservationalist I've ever met, and he devised a fuel tank for his boat which was made out of a collapsible 5-gallon water tote filled with household sponges. When he fills the tote with gasoline, it expands and the sponges are there to reduce impact and sloshing effect. As the gas is used out of it (it's a sealed container) it shrinks and collapses. No wasted fuel from fumes.

[Zombie Axe]

Since fuel is down to $1.86 (south of Hickory) it might be a good time to add capacity to your fuel stores...

Last time I saw it below $2.00 was a few weeks after Katrina... then now... bet it will not stay that way forever... dictators need some extra cash :eek:

As for the 1/2 tank mantra... yes it is a religion for me. Back during the fuel shortage I was enroute to FL. I waited until I crossed into SC for fuel since it is usually cheaper there. I still had a half tank trigger so I was good to go. First station I stopped @ limited you to 10 gallons :( Luckily for me, the tank on the van we took was a 20 gallon on, so it was well within the half tank trigger:)

Since the gas shortage I am NOW a 3/4 trigger guy. Drop down to 3/4 a tank, I refuel!

Other than my work truck, I didn't hafta play, "wait in the extremely long line with not so nice people"!:rolleyes:

YMMV