Blitz gas cans

[denis4x4]

I've been using Blitz "jerry cans" for years around the house and on off road trips since 1985. Went to a couple of hardware/automotive stores for some new spouts and gaskets. Nothing! went on line and found this:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectid=461&articleid=20120724_461_E2_MIAMIO729269

One of the comments was obviously from an attorney!

 

[Lippyp]

Way too many candidates for a Darwin award around these days, FFS slopping gas from an open can onto a fire and then suing the manufacturer when you go up in a massive fireball, despite the fact they have had to laughably print the advice (hopefully in big writing using very small words) not to do this on the cans. Only in the USA!

 

[wedge40]

Not only Darwin awards, but way to many lawyers. If lawyers didn't pick the case for stupid people things would be better.

Wedge

 

[digdug18]

Not a fan of the blitz cans myself, the spout design always sucked. But I'm sorry to see a company go down because of stupid peoples

 

[mmack66]

Some of the rest of the story:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444025204577546950866595374.html

 

[digdug18]

I've started buying these:

 

[sharkytm]

I always buy old vented gas cans at yard sales and auctions. They are usually missing parts, but I've pieced together about a dozen cans ranging from 5 gallons down to 1 gallon over the past 8 years. Total cost: under $25.

If I had to buy new, I'd buy Eagle metal cans. They are galvanized so they don't rust, and they really don't leak. The built-in funnel works OK, and keeps a funnel handy.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004Y75M/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Reasonably cheap too, considering the quality. We've had three of them in use on our boat (in saltwater), and they have lost some paint, but no rust. Just remember to vent them when they are upright, if you vent them after you tip them, they'll spray everything with fuel.

 

[GMCAMARO]

Way too many candidates for a Darwin award around these days, FFS slopping gas from an open can onto a fire and then suing the manufacturer when you go up in a massive fireball, despite the fact they have had to laughably print the advice (hopefully in big writing using very small words) not to do this on the cans. Only in the USA!

And then the courts supported some of the suits. This why some companies take manufacturing to other countries and also shows like the UK top gear often make jokes about being sued in the US.

 

[KinzeMech]

I like their gas cans. I will miss them, it's a shame to see them go this way.

This is complete absurdity. Even the part about the plastic gas cans lacking the flame arrestors that were present in older cans. Flame arrestor or not, you should not be pouring gas within range of an ignition source, whether it is an open flame, a still hot uncooled engine, or anything else.

People who refuse to take responsibility for their own actions piss me off. Stupid hurts, and for good reason. If you set your dumb *** on fire it is your own damn fault, you shouldn't get to blame it on the gas can and then get awarded ridiculous judgments like this.

 

[1320stang]

Blitz spout didn't always ****, this one was good.

 

[burleymike]

That is sad to hear, fecking lawyers killing more jobs. I really liked the old blitz metal can my dad used to use. I wish I had it.

 

[ImportTuner]

Wow, hard to believe that a bunch of stupid people legally destroyed a company. I'm going to miss Blitz ...

 

[Fastback]

Well, the government (EPA) ruined gas cans for everyone anyways, I have been buying up older cans that still have the rear vent so I can actually use them.

 

[KinzeMech]

You can find replacement vents on ebay. In conjunction with the "self venting" spout, they work pretty good.

If you get a can with the current iteration of the spout with the integrated valve assembly, that just *****, I've seen nothing that fixes that.

 

[shannonw]

That sounds too much like a headline to me.

interesting read on the topic i guess osha requires flame arrestors

http://www.forensic-society.org/whitepapers/GasCanPaperSFES.pdf
http://www.protectconsumerjustice.o...z-usas-products-for-causing-the-lawsuits.html

I believe nothing i read but this bit in the last link sounds highly likely it's not just joe ******* pouring gas on a fire:

Three-year-old Landon Beadore knocked over a Blitz gas can while putting away his sister’s tricycle and the vapors were ignited by a water heater, then flashed back into the can, causing an explosion that severely burned nearly half Landon’s body. A flame arrestor would have prevented the explosion. Firefighter Chad Funchess was filling up his chain saw when his Blitz gas can exploded. He spent more than four months in a coma. William Melvin, a member of a Porsche racing team pit crew who certainly knew how to handle gasoline, was filling up his lawnmower when the Blitz gas can exploded and threw him through his barn. None of these sound like examples of Yosemite Sam or the Three Stooges.


Anyways sounds like crappy [ edit =) ] management. They got a 5cent part that could have prevented it and the lititgation (be it stupid or not) yet they continually didn't litigation after litigation ...I'd have put the 5 cent part on to cover my ***. The cans seem crazy expensive to me for what they are.

And the blitz stuff at the auto stores are ****..those oil drain pans with the caps that come loose and never tighten.

I've seen better...i never liked the spouts on any of them but nothing is worse than these new ones, i rip that junk right off. IMHO this just seems like stupid management.

 

[shannonw]

Just a followup...these blitz containers at the auto stores are so junky i mean they are, they work (somewhat) and the gas cans at the big box stores i mean there's 1 choice of brands?

I dunno..i've never liked that, i know i can find an oil container i can sit on a shelf vertical after using it, and i know there are probably better gas can manufacturers but why is it there's only 1 you can find easily at practically every brick morter store?

 

[BlindViper]

I use 5 gallon race jugs and the rear vent cants. I have never met a person who can use one of the new cans with out spilling gas.

 

[fflintstone]

This was gone over in a thread in off topic.

I will say that having lost a **** load of gas cans in the two fires I have now replaced them all with metal safety cans.

I have bought both eagle and Justrite. IMO Justrite is 5 times the can the eagle is, although the design of the eagle allows it to have a better funnel. They are all around $36 bucks wherever you get them.
The big advantage is they do not leak in your car at all, no fumes, nothing.

My second fire was mainly burning dry leaves on the ground. If there was no fuel the fire just burned the leaves and noting else. Plastic melts. Once it did a whole lot of fuel got added to the fire. I firmly believe if I didn’t have plastic fuel tanks and a plastic drain tile next to a wood building I might still have the building and all the stuff in it.


I now keep all the fuel in metal safety cans in a vented metal cabinet in a metal building.

 

[Lippyp]

Most of my fuel cans are Nato style metal jerrycans, both in 10L and 20L although I do have a few plastic 5L cans I tend not to use these as much. I do keep one full of pre-mixed two stroke gas/oil for the chainsaw/line and hedge trimmers, but I keep the gas for the ride-on mower in a metal can. TBH theres so much flammable stuf in the average garage unless you keep it in a proper fire safe you're a bit screwed should a fire start anyway.

All of the examples of fires above show some degree of carelessness on the users behalf, to get an explosion you need to have a source of ignition nearby, either filling a running or red hot chainsaw/mower, storing fuel near a water heater etc. I always fuel up my power tools outside although I do refuel them when hot like most people do I am very careful and always use a proper spout and a funnel to reduce the chances of slopping gas on the exhaust etc.