To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Where do you store gasoline/propane?

MUD DAWG

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
396
Location
Ontario, Canada
I live out in the country, and it's good idea to always have a bit of gas on hand, for the generator, lawn mower, snow blower, etc. I also have 2 spare 20lb propane tanks for the BBQ.

The shed is away from the house, but's not ventilated too well. The garage isn't air tight, but I still worry about storing it there.

What do you guys do? I just want something safe, and not trek through a few feet of snow to get gas for the snow blower in the winter.

Thanks
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

CrashmanS

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 25, 2015
Messages
147
I keep two 55 gallons barrels of gas in my metal pole building. They are stabilized and I rotate each every other year. I use last year's barrel this year in the mowers. And this years fresh gas gets stored for power outages. Never had an issue. Plus I have a 500 gallon tank for emergency heat in my gas logs in the house. But use a heat pump as main heat.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
 

gungatim

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 8, 2013
Messages
8,101
Location
west mich
propane I store in propane tanks. one under the grill, one out back, couple on the side of the shed, a couple under the lean-to.

gas I store in gas cans. most have caps. the ones that don't just sit inside the shop out of the way. the ones that sit outside I try to keep out of the shade.

do you store gas in your car parked in the garage? same difference...
 

tjdux

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
801
Location
Southern Nebraska
Maybe for propane look into getting a bigger tank. I got a 100# tank at a farm auction for 30 bucks still 75% full of propane. Or get an even bigger one and buy in bulk delivered.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 

phred

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
525
Location
NC
Usually in the fridge next to the sliced turkey.
Seriously I keep 6-8 Jerry cans full of fuel in the garage for emergencies. No different that having it in your car


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

KMdef9

Well-known member
Joined
May 2, 2016
Messages
713
Location
The Motorcity
I also use metal cans stored in the shed. Shed came with ventilation, which is something you could add yourself too. Most sheds aren't air tight anyways.

Winter I do keep one in the garage for the snowblower, as with several feet of snow one the ground, the shed is a PIA to get open.
 

exranger06

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
1,686
Location
CT
Gas cans stay in the garage. If/when I ever get a shed, they'll go in there. Propane tank stays outside.
 

58Yeoman

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 1, 2010
Messages
8,999
Location
Central IL
When I bought my house in 08, it had an outside brick charcoal BBQ pit built outside the back door of the attached garage. It was built less than 3 feet from the 500 gallon propane tank used for the house. I never used it, and a couple years later, I demo'd it. Some of my gas grill tanks are outside, and a couple are inside. All my metal 5 gallon gas cans are in the wooden shed.
 

TractorJeff

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
Messages
3,309
Location
Elkhorn, WI
4 twenty pound propane tanks and 3 two & half gallon plastic gas cans stored in the garage. Propane tanks are no longer overfilled so they aren't going to off gas. Gas jugs are airtight so they won't off gas either.
Older vehicles had vented gas caps, your lawnmowers typically have vented gas caps.
What is the worry?
 

CitadelBlue

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 1, 2009
Messages
710
Location
Northern VA
I have a small flammable storage box that is outside away from the house. I made it out of a sheet of treated 3/4 inch plywood and Its roughly the size of a pickup tool box.
 

crewchief888

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
13,742
Location
NW indiana
in the garage right now...

currently moving yard type "stuff" to the shed i put up a couple weeks ago, gas and propane will eventually get moved out there...


:beer:
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

mnoeltne

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
772
Location
Grantsville, UT
In the garage well away from my power tools. As said by others, what's the difference between the gas cans and gas tanks in your vehicles?
 

ambenz

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 12, 2010
Messages
4,236
Location
NW Chicago Suburbs
I have a old "free standing" metal pantry cabinet, In My Garage, (opposite side of the heater) I keep all my flammables in, including paint thinner, tiki torch fuel, motor oil, gas, spray cans of light oil, grease, extra propane bottles, etc...all in one place.
Close to the same dimensions as this one below....
4476.jpg

http://www.globalindustrial.com/g/s...nets/flammable/global-slim-flammable-cabinets

I am currently looking for a sign that can be hung over the cabinet which points to the cabinet and is labeled Flammables.
Some of those dedicated Flammable cabinets cost over $600 for a stand up locker type like shown in the picture above....
...I would suggest looking for a metal cabinet in a shady spot where the temps do not get above 120F.
 
Last edited:

CJM8515

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 8, 2014
Messages
9,292
Location
NJ
The shed is ventilated more than the garage ever will be. We keep the gas in the garage here, no issues. If we were keeping more than about 5-10 gallons Id put it in the shed.
 
OP
M

MUD DAWG

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
396
Location
Ontario, Canada
I'm gonna move the gas to the shed as well. It's in a cooler spot than the garage, and further away from the house.

The difference with jerry cans vs a vehicle's gas tank, is that someone, or something could knock over and damage the jerry cans.
 

mrobins297aaa

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
3,283
Location
south east michigan
I use to store my 20# propane tanks in the shed until this winter. Last spring when I was in the office of the propane company pre purchasing my propane (1000 gallons) for this winter the guy that fills the tanks during the heating season was in there and he said "if you have any 20# bottles that you want filled just leave them buy your 500 gallon tank and I'll fill them when I come out with your pre buy gas" I told him that the three tanks I have are pass the 12 year limit and nobody will fill them because they have to be re certified.
he said "no matter as long as it has the newer safety valve I'll fill them" I thought good deal I paid 1.12 /gal for the propane and a 20# tank only holds about 4.5 gallons, so that's about 5 bucks a tank.
anyway fast forward to this January and I have my tanks out there and he fills them.
after he's gone I go to get the tanks and one of them is extra heavy, so I end up weighting it and its 44# so minus the tare weight of 18# that's 26 # of LP way over the limit of 20#, so I call the guy and he says it'll be ok and he says you should be storing them tanks outside anyway...........so I put them in the shed anyway, next few days it warms up outside and I'm walking by the shed and holy **** could I smell the LP. I opened the door and that one tank was venting..........so now all three of them are out behind the barn and when it warms to around 80 deg I'll take another look at them.

Someone said that with the newer valve's they can't be over filled because they have a float system like a toilet float that shuts off the tank........well the float can also break.
anyway $5 to fill a tank would not be such a good deal if it burns your house/shed down.

better store them outside like there meant to be, also maybe that's why they need to be re-certified every 12 years.............live and learn
 

wssix99

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 2, 2011
Messages
5,159
Location
Chicago, IL
If gas is to be stored inside, then it should be in a garage. Garages are ventilated and have sloped floors to evacuate the heavier-than-air vapor from the spaces. (All gas cans leak vapor.) Shed's aren't built for this purpose and could create explosive conditions.

I live out in the country, and it's good idea to always have a bit of gas on hand, for the generator, lawn mower, snow blower, etc.

If this is the case, then I'd look at getting a small outdoor tank and hand pump. You could get a set-up that would keep the generator going for a good bit of time, if you needed to.


All propane tanks leak, even partially filled ones. It's not legal to keep them inside inhabited buildings and in uninhabited buildings the gas code has many requirements on their storage. They should really be kept outside - there is a reason you see them outside hardware stores in ventilated cages...
 

astrohip

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2015
Messages
338
Location
Brenham TX
I had a coworker weld me a "fueling station" a few years ago. Convenient place to keep gas & diesel, and assorted other fuel related items. The nice thing was having the fuel higher than the vehicle, so I could gravity fill the fuel tanks on my tractor, mower, etc.

This is an older picture, I've changed fuel tanks since then (to those cylindrical 15gal red things). I also have a couple portable propane tanks now.

At my old ranch, the barn was open on three sides. I just built a new barn, and have been debating where to keep this. The new barn is enclosed, and also has covered patios ("wings" I call them) on each side, 10' wide. Keeping this fueling station just inside an overhead door (which stays closed when I'm not in the barn) keeps them cleaner over time, less dust & rain, and still relatively easy to fuel up. If I move this outside under a wing, it's probably safer and certainly easier to access, but will get dusty over time, and exposed to weather. Thoughts?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0650.jpg
    IMG_0650.jpg
    100.4 KB · Views: 45

BDT/NWMN

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 22, 2012
Messages
3,762
Location
Erskine, Mn
Diesel and gasoline containers, and portable propane tanks are stored in a vented building built specifically for lawn equipment and fuel storage.

However; two Oxygen-Acetylene torches reside in the shops. Small handheld propane torches with extra tanks, and a host of flammable solvents, thinners, paints, and cleaners are stored in the shop storage rooms in 42" wide, five drawer lateral file cabinets.

Not a perfect system; but better than some, and worse than others. OSHA approved cabinets would be an upgrade.
 
Last edited:

-Brent-

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2009
Messages
4,709
Location
Utah
I keep it in the shed with the mower. In the winter I keep the 2-stroke can in the garage near the blower.
 

Norcal

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2008
Messages
13,753
Got a gutted NEMA 3R (outdoor raintight) 1600 ampere 480/277 volt switchboard manufactured in 2013 that am going to use for all the acetone, lacquer thinner, & such in the shop & the gasoline in the garage.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom