55 Gal Barrel for Gasoline

[m***@UNLISTED.com]

Has anyone ever rigged a 55gallon barrel with a rotary or lever pump?
I have seen them on farms, and looking on the web there are lots of
pumps from inexpensive lever pumps tp costly rotary pumps. I am not
looking for anything fancy, just something to store some gas and be
able to pump it up to my tractor rather than always carry a 5 gallon
tank up there, which is a pain to do....

It all looks pretty simple. Screw the pump into the barrel, put
something under the tank to prevent rusting on the soil, and fill it
with gas. But one thing. I know it needs to be vented. Just a one
gallon can sitting in the summer sun tends to boil over, so I know a
30 or 55 gallon drum really needs it.

If you have made a barrel like this, what do you do to vent it, yet
keep rain water from getting into the tank thru the vent?
This is being discussed on another NG and I have been wanting to do
this myself, but the venting has me confused, because I dont want
water getting in.

Thanks

Mark

[Dean Hoffman]

Post by m***@UNLISTED.com
Has anyone ever rigged a 55gallon barrel with a rotary or lever pump?
I have seen them on farms, and looking on the web there are lots of
pumps from inexpensive lever pumps tp costly rotary pumps. I am not
looking for anything fancy, just something to store some gas and be
able to pump it up to my tractor rather than always carry a 5 gallon
tank up there, which is a pain to do....
It all looks pretty simple. Screw the pump into the barrel, put
something under the tank to prevent rusting on the soil, and fill it
with gas. But one thing. I know it needs to be vented. Just a one
gallon can sitting in the summer sun tends to boil over, so I know a
30 or 55 gallon drum really needs it.
If you have made a barrel like this, what do you do to vent it, yet
keep rain water from getting into the tank thru the vent?
This is being discussed on another NG and I have been wanting to do
this myself, but the venting has me confused, because I dont want
water getting in.
Thanks
Mark

...

I take it you're going to stand the barrel on end. One way to vent
it would be with a few plumbing fittings. Start with a 90? street L,
then a pipe nipple, and a 90? elbow with the end turned down. Put
another pipe nipple on the end of the elbow to help keep dirt out.
Another option would be a manufactured vent used by boaters.

Dean

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[Jim Ledford]

Post by m***@UNLISTED.com
Has anyone ever rigged a 55gallon barrel with a rotary or lever pump?
I have seen them on farms, and looking on the web there are lots of
pumps from inexpensive lever pumps tp costly rotary pumps. I am not
looking for anything fancy, just something to store some gas and be
able to pump it up to my tractor rather than always carry a 5 gallon
tank up there, which is a pain to do....
It all looks pretty simple. Screw the pump into the barrel, put
something under the tank to prevent rusting on the soil, and fill it
with gas. But one thing. I know it needs to be vented. Just a one
gallon can sitting in the summer sun tends to boil over, so I know a
30 or 55 gallon drum really needs it.
If you have made a barrel like this, what do you do to vent it, yet
keep rain water from getting into the tank thru the vent?
This is being discussed on another NG and I have been wanting to do
this myself, but the venting has me confused, because I dont want
water getting in.
Thanks
Mark

...

the tank system I bought uses a cap that acts just like the
cap on a vehicle radiator. there is a spring in the cap which
is calibrated to compress at 12 pounds of pressure. when the
spring compresses the excess pressure in the tank is vented.

been there done that with the 5 gallon cans and it sucked. the
tank on the combine holds 60 gallons and filling it with 5 gallon
cans was a pain since you'd have to hold them over your head or
climb a ladder. the JD 4020 was a pain also but not as bad.

do yourself right and get a 12VDC pump. you can power the pump
from the battery on the tractor you are fueling. get the auto
shut off type nozzle to add more convenience as well as minimize
spillage from over filling.

I recommend you find a place in the shade to setup the tank.

when storing fuel you'll want to consider
http://www.fuelright.com/

the Fill-Rite pump has lasted and served well.
http://transfer.tuthill.com/

give consideration to their tank products and be sure to add a filter.

[Farmall]

Post by m***@UNLISTED.com
Has anyone ever rigged a 55gallon barrel with a rotary or lever pump?
I have seen them on farms, and looking on the web there are lots of
pumps from inexpensive lever pumps tp costly rotary pumps. I am not
looking for anything fancy, just something to store some gas and be
able to pump it up to my tractor rather than always carry a 5 gallon
tank up there, which is a pain to do....
It all looks pretty simple. Screw the pump into the barrel, put
something under the tank to prevent rusting on the soil, and fill it
with gas. But one thing. I know it needs to be vented. Just a one
gallon can sitting in the summer sun tends to boil over, so I know a
30 or 55 gallon drum really needs it.
If you have made a barrel like this, what do you do to vent it, yet
keep rain water from getting into the tank thru the vent?
This is being discussed on another NG and I have been wanting to do
this myself, but the venting has me confused, because I dont want
water getting in.

...

By the time you buy all the add ons you'll need for your 55 gallon drum
it will cost nearly as much as a ready-made system, but will still be a
55 gallon drum. Your add-ons will be worth much more than your drum.
I'll assume you're thinking "drum" because you can get them for free,
don't do it... many times once used they develop pinholes at the
crimped seams and will weep, slowly of course but enough that over time
they will empty out one drop at a time.

I have a 30 gallon gas caddy from Handy Industries:

http://www.handyindustries.com

Place Gas Caddy into their search.

I keep it inside my barn, just inside the big drive-in door, filled
with diesel. I fill it by lugging fuel in two 5gal yellow deisel
containers from the one gas station in town that sells deisel (I drive
into town about once a week anyway). There's really no advantage to
the 55gal drum, they're not portable nor is 55 gallons enough to get a
bulk delivery price discount... then you would need a 275 gallon fuel
tank like for home heating oil and arrange for deliveries... I don't
use anywhere that amount of deisel in a year, would take me three
years. I like the Handy Caddy, it is very easy to manuever up to the
tractor. The pump that comes with it pumps in both directions, making
it easy to fill from the 5gal cans without having to hold the full can
up in the air. Once I pump out the fuel can most of the way then I can
easily pour the last dregs directly into the Handy or into the
tractor... If I'm feeling particulary energetic I simply just hold the
can up and pour... pouring - cranking, six or half dozen. The Handy is
a bit pricey (about $350 plus shipping) but I think is worth it, has
the nice pump, an easy to read guage, is vented, has a grounding wire,
and rolls very easily, is also much heavier guage steel than a typical
55gal drum, and looks a lot nicer if that matters. You can buy it
direct from Handy, and also Northerntool.com sells it. Northern Tool
also sells a similar product, made by Todd, a few bucks cheaper, but
all plastic, I like a metal tank.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&langId=-1&productId=533&R=533&issearch=145030

Whatever you choose I suggest you don't keep it out in the weather, if
need be at least some kind of lean-to shed, if only a couple fence
posts and a tarp.

[Pat]

I don't know how much fuel you need, etc. but I know that I see pickup
trucks with tanks and pumps on them for filling construction equipment.
Maybe you want to look for something like that -- pre-made and self
contained.

I don't know how much they carry, but even 55 gal approaching 500 lbs.
plus the equipment., so I don't think they are carrying around much
more than that.

[Larry Caldwell]

Post by m***@UNLISTED.com
It all looks pretty simple. Screw the pump into the barrel, put
something under the tank to prevent rusting on the soil, and fill it
with gas. But one thing. I know it needs to be vented. Just a one
gallon can sitting in the summer sun tends to boil over, so I know a
30 or 55 gallon drum really needs it.

Most of the hand pumps you find on the market have an integrated vent.
You don't have to do anything else.

Open tank storage of gasoline is not a good idea, though. You will lose
a lot of gasoline to evaporation, and partial tanks will draw moisture
and sludge up. If you are going to store gasoline, use a tank that will
handle a few psi of vapor pressure, and put a bi-directional pressure
relief valve on the vent. That way the tank won't rupture or collapse
as vapor pressure changes.

[Leif Erikson]

Post by m***@UNLISTED.com
Has anyone ever rigged a 55gallon barrel with a rotary or lever pump?
I have seen them on farms, and looking on the web there are lots of
pumps from inexpensive lever pumps tp costly rotary pumps. I am not
looking for anything fancy, just something to store some gas and be
able to pump it up to my tractor rather than always carry a 5 gallon
tank up there, which is a pain to do....
It all looks pretty simple. Screw the pump into the barrel, put
something under the tank to prevent rusting on the soil, and fill it
with gas. But one thing. I know it needs to be vented. Just a one
gallon can sitting in the summer sun tends to boil over, so I know a
30 or 55 gallon drum really needs it.
If you have made a barrel like this, what do you do to vent it, yet
keep rain water from getting into the tank thru the vent?
This is being discussed on another NG and I have been wanting to do
this myself, but the venting has me confused, because I dont want
water getting in.
Thanks
Mark

...

Go to rural hardware store and buy a pump.

The pump won't fit in the tank so tightly that it won't vent.
To keep rain out simply tie a long rag around the pipe going into the
barrel and hang it over the edge. It will wick the water away.

This type of storage should only be used if you are using the fuel in a
short period of time. If you plan on long term storage your gasoline
will become stale and won't fire anyway.

[Farmall]

Post by Leif Erikson
This type of storage should only be used if you are using the fuel in a
short period of time. If you plan on long term storage your gasoline
will become stale and won't fire anyway.

Excellent point, it's unwise to store more gasolene than can be
consumed in about one month. For the same reason it's a good idea to
run your gasolene vehicles until the gas guage is fairly cloes to Empty
ever so often... I also have a bad habit of always topping off at the
halfway point... run low on gas just once while driving south around
the east side of Lake Superiour from Thunder Bay, you'll become
permanently paranoid about watching that gas guage. I think there was
only one gas station from Thunder Bay and not until almost in
Michigan... that is one long loney road.

[s***@somewhere.org]

Post by Farmall

Post by Leif Erikson
This type of storage should only be used if you are using the fuel in a
short period of time. If you plan on long term storage your gasoline
will become stale and won't fire anyway.

Excellent point, it's unwise to store more gasolene than can be
consumed in about one month.

Are you planning to store it in a bucket with no lid in a 95 degree
temperatures or something? Gas with MTBE in it should be fine for at
least three months. Straight gas ought to be good for at least nine
months if you keep it cool and dry. Adding Stabil (or other gas stabilizer)
ought to double those numbers.

Post by Farmall
For the same reason it's a good idea to run your gasolene vehicles
until the gas guage is fairly cloes to Empty ever so often... I also
have a bad habit of always topping off at the halfway point...

Assuming you fill up every week with half a tank then
- 0.05% will be more than 12 weeks old
- 1.56% will be more than 6 weeks old
- 12.5% will be more than 3 weeks old

As I said, even gas with MTBE ought to be good for at least three months.
1/20th of a percent being older than that should burn right through as well.

[Larry Caldwell]

Post by Farmall
Excellent point, it's unwise to store more gasolene than can be
consumed in about one month.

I use Sta-Bil, and just rotate my gasoline supply once a year. Every
autumn I pour any leftover gasoline into vehicles, add Sta-Bil, 2 oz.
non-alcoholic carb cleaner and 2 oz. Marvel Mystery Oil to every 5
gallon can, fill and seal tightly, and store them in an outbuilding
where it's cool. That leaves me with maximum storage in the winter,
when I may have to run a generator. In the spring, I start pouring
gasoline into mowers and tillers. In the autumn when I put the small
engines away, I make sure to run them empty, so they are not sitting
with gas over a year old.

[Offbreed]

Post by Farmall
Excellent point, it's unwise to store more gasolene than can be
consumed in about one month.

Suit yourself.

I used to take three 55gal drums in to fill every 6 months. The neighbor
used to take 5 in.

[J. Chris Tilton]

How about going to a farm auction and buying a tank from there. My son
recently bought a 500gal storage tank for like $25. It is still in good
shape and works. Even if you had to retro fit the pump/filter, etc. the
actual tank is worth the money. I see them go for good prices all of the
time.

[Farmall]

Post by J. Chris Tilton
How about going to a farm auction and buying a tank from there. My son
recently bought a 500gal storage tank for like $25.

Hmm, periodically there are government auctions where one can pick up a
surplus US Navy tanker at a very good price... naturally shipping to
Iowa is the lucky bidder's resposibility. hehe

[Neon John]

Post by m***@UNLISTED.com
Has anyone ever rigged a 55gallon barrel with a rotary or lever pump?
I have seen them on farms, and looking on the web there are lots of
pumps from inexpensive lever pumps tp costly rotary pumps. I am not
looking for anything fancy, just something to store some gas and be
able to pump it up to my tractor rather than always carry a 5 gallon
tank up there, which is a pain to do....

Pretty much any pump that will pump kerosene will pump gasoline. I've
used the rotary type that has a handle to crank. I've also used
conventional automotive fuel pumps. A racing pump can move a LOT of
gas quickly.

Post by m***@UNLISTED.com
It all looks pretty simple. Screw the pump into the barrel, put
something under the tank to prevent rusting on the soil, and fill it
with gas. But one thing. I know it needs to be vented. Just a one
gallon can sitting in the summer sun tends to boil over, so I know a
30 or 55 gallon drum really needs it.

The gas will keep longer if you don't vent it. Depending on the
season, gas will develop up to maybe 20 psi from the high volatiles
such as butane. If the tank is vented, these will gradually
dissipate. Air can diffuse in and start oxidation that leads to
polymerization (gum).

I've kept emergency gas for years pressurized in 55 gal drums with 15
psi of butane overpressure. This overpressure maintains the butane
concentration necessary for easy cold starting.

If you can't keep the drums out of direct sunlight then you might want
to fit a safety relief valve set to relieve in the 15 psi range. Low
enough to keep the drum from swelling but high enough to preserve the
high volatiles.

John
---
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.johngsbbq.com
Cleveland, Occupied TN
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.-Ralph Waldo Emerson