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Plastic VS Steel fuel cans

F1 Rocket

Well Known Member
What’s the preference for storing av gas? Do the steel cans hold up better over time? I like to keep a couple of 5g cans full in my hangar.
 
Unless you are thinking of the industrial U-line steel fuel cans, I would go with the no spill plastic fuel cans. Plastic half life is longer than any of us will live if you keep it out of the sun. I considered the steel ones but couldn’t justify the cost. I have the no spills for 100LL, MOGAS, Diesel, and Methonal. They work great for all of these fuels. I used an oil pen to write 100LL on my AVGAS cans so as to not confuse them with MOGAS. I use red for those, yellow for diesel and blue for methonal.

https://nospill.com/
 
Metal is my choice

Having had an RV burn up in my hangar that was using ungrounded plastic five gallon containers, I’m all for ground wires plane to ground and container to plane and ground. Dry days produce static sparks that have burned up many planes and hangars. Only mess with fuel out of your hangar, never inside
 
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If you go with plastic containers, store them in a flammables storage cabinet ...

A bit pricey but look around for a used one. :)
 
Gas cans

Racing fuel cans. Most racers use 100 octane racing fuel.
Many farm supply stores sell them.
 
Suggest you check with the hangar owner and/or local fire codes. Here at LVK we’re not allowed to store empty gas cans (unless filled with water or other inert substance), leave alone full ones.
 
Racing fuel cans. Most racers use 100 octane racing fuel.
Many farm supply stores sell them.

Racing fuel cans are not DOT rated and technically are illegal to drive full on the road. Yes I know everyone does it, but the highway patrol can get you for it. Static is not an issue in my climate. I do recommend the flammable storage cabinets. I love mine and have one for my garage at the house. I recommend U-Line they have great customer service and overnight anything you buy. Their cabinet is the same used in any industrial application.
 
The metal safety gas cans are fantastic, I can use them and not spill a drop of gas, which has always been a frustration of mine with plastic gas cans.
 
Suggest you check with the hangar owner and/or local fire codes. Here at LVK we’re not allowed to store empty gas cans (unless filled with water or other inert substance), leave alone full ones.

Interesting. I wonder how many gas cans are in hangars. Nice to know. I will check before the fuel testing.

Racing fuel cans are not DOT rated and technically are illegal to drive full on the road. Yes I know everyone does it, but the highway patrol can get you for it. Static is not an issue in my climate. I do recommend the flammable storage cabinets. I love mine and have one for my garage at the house. I recommend U-Line they have great customer service and overnight anything you buy. Their cabinet is the same used in any industrial application.

Thanks. I learn something every day on VAF.
All those years we hauled fuel to the track, I never knew. We saw every container you can imagine.
 
The metal safety gas cans are fantastic, I can use them and not spill a drop of gas, which has always been a frustration of mine with plastic gas cans.

That’s the beauty with the no spill cans I posted a link to, the first and only non pain in the rear plastic gas cans that only pour exactly what you need without spilling and no glug glug glug and oil canning from lack of a air relief. They will not make your hand go numb waiting for it to pour out like the Walmart stuff everyone else sells.
 
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