Oil & Fuel Store diesel in plastic?

[3v0]

I have always wondered about this. Plastic is an insulator and any electrical charge the builds up in the fuel is stored. The can is much like a layden jay. I always figured there was more to it then that. But given the current crop of worthless spouts it makes we wonder.

 

[Mechanos]

Another thought... many fullsize trucks and SUV's, both gas and diesel, have 30 to 35 gallon PLASTIC tanks and people park them in their garages every day without a second thought. In the event of a fire, how is that any different than a plastic drum of fuel stored in the garage?

 

[jaotguy]

more than 1 type of plastic....

styrene melts in fuel.... truck air line plastic lines take diesel no problem .... types 1 thru 6 ... each has it's use.

 

[BigMike50]

I store diesel and petrol in plastic containers, no chance of sparks

My car has a plastic diesel tank

you can put a cigarette out in diesel fuel.

 

[Recoveryhill]

It is odd to me, though, that you can't buy small metal fuel containers, and believe their absence flows from the stupidity of standards writers(mainly epa sourced). Again, I could be wrong.

Chris

It is against OSHA rules to have fuel and other flammables stored in plastic on job sites or manufacturing plants, etc. You must use metal cans. They are widely available but cost a lot more than plastic jugs. Justrite Mfg. Co. L.L.C. - Safety products

 

[JerryK]

I am not a big fan of storing any fuel in any container that is not kept full as much as possible, including your gas or fuel tank on your vehicle...

 

[Gary Fowler]

I store 26 gallons when the tank is full of diesel in one tractor (photo) and 8 in the other, one on each side of my shop. Then I have 100 gallons of diesel in a steel tank(when full) plus my plastic gasoline 5,2.5 &1 gallon ones on a shelf directly over the fuel tank. I keep my fuel in the boat /lawnmower storage shed with few spark producing agents (electric lights, battery tenders only) Gasoline containers are the air tight new style so no fumes get out of them and the steel diesel tank is unvented and pretty tight so no fumes come out of it either although the side will ping sometimes when they expand or contract with the temp changes. I don't worry about fire melting the tanks because if something does catch fire with enough intensity to melt the plastic, a little more fuel is not going to change the outcome which would be a totally destroyed building.
I saw my friends house burn to the ground except for a couple of sheetrock wall when his boat caught fire from some faulty wiring (we think) which then set his attic on fire. He was directly across the road from the volunteer fire department and there was nothing they could do, it burned so fast that by the time the firemen had assembled it was past saving. I am at least 5 miles from the fire station and I for sure wouldn't stand a chance of saving anything from a fire therefore I keep my insurance policy up to date.

 

[Drlgking]

Recovery your correct. On our rigs OSHA will not let any petroleum or combustible substance be in plastic due to static electricity being store on plastic. Without the container conducting ground it cannot be discharged. That being said I have never heard of one instance where an explosion occurred. It is driven from the industrial side such as in plants (not the living kind).
plastic fuel tanks on mechinery, car, tractors are connected to ground through wiring. But then you have lawn mowers with plastic without wiring, I have one. This is the same govt that tells us they can help us make every decision because they know better than us what we need. Ha.

It is against OSHA rules to have fuel and other flammables stored in plastic on job sites or manufacturing plants, etc. You must use metal cans. They are widely available but cost a lot more than plastic jugs. Justrite Mfg. Co. L.L.C. - Safety products

 

[Drlgking]

Gary-I am okay with plastic containers for fuel storage. As you have stated it is more about where you store the containers. A metal can can cause the same about of damage as plastic. This is a discussion that has endured a long time. Simply put use what you feel is right by evaluating the comments and focus more on where it is stored.

Today shreaded wheat is good for you, but next week someone might choke on it and then it will be labeled dangerous.

 

[jerrybob]

you can put a cigarette out in diesel fuel.

True....but.....smoking is bad for your health and not recommended by the surgeon general. I am surprised the government does not require a warning label on diesel storage tanks indicating the danger of putting cigarettes out in diesel fuel.

 

[Recoveryhill]

Recovery your correct. On our rigs OSHA will not let any petroleum or combustible substance be in plastic due to static electricity being store on plastic.

At home I use plastic for both gasoline and diesel, 5 gallon with the new rocker pour spouts. They work very well for me. If I had to travel a long distance for fuel and keep greater quantities, my bulk tank would be metal.

I hear you on the government but in over forty years of being around construction and manufacturing, OSHA has brought about huge improvements in job safety. It used to be that you could be directed to do something patently unsafe or forced to use unsafe gear but thankfully those days are long gone. Folks will P & M about most anything but just look at seat belts. Bring 'em home alive, I say.

 

[Gary Fowler]

At home I use plastic for both gasoline and diesel, 5 gallon with the new rocker pour spouts. They work very well for me. If I had to travel a long distance for fuel and keep greater quantities, my bulk tank would be metal.

I hear you on the government but in over forty years of being around construction and manufacturing, OSHA has brought about huge improvements in job safety. It used to be that you could be directed to do something patently unsafe or forced to use unsafe gear but thankfully those days are long gone. Folks will P & M about most anything but just look at seat belts. Bring 'em home alive, I say.

Much of the OSHA rules don't apply to homeowner use. On public facilities where any Tom, Dick or Harry can access fuel cans and chemicals stored onsite, more strict rules have to be enforced. As one famous quote says or somewhat says, " You cant prevent an idiot from circumventing a safety apparatus because they are too smart". When you are in your home and only you have access to something, you can be totally responsible for knowing that the yellow can actually has gasoline in it since you filled it yourself and you are the only one using it. You cant do that on a construction site or publically accessible locations where multiple users are using the product, so if it is in a yellow container and labeled "Diesel" the user can reliably expect it to be diesel and not gas, water or hydrochloric acid.
I agree that OSHA has done a marvelous job of policing the industry to help make it a safe a place to work as possible. However, I don't agree with Big Brother directing us in our private lives to the extend it does in public. We at some point have to take responsibility for our actions and not blame the govt. or manufacturer for our stupidity i.e. striking a match to see if a fuel container has something in it and then suing the container manufacturer into bankruptcy for not having a warning label to not do what he did. I don't think anyone can foresee all the stupidity that can happen and place a warning about it, you would need a 10" thick volume attached to every item sold.

 

[Willl]

you can put a cigarette out in diesel fuel.

Done the same in a coffee can 1/4 full of gasoline.

 

[Recoveryhill]

Much of the OSHA rules don't apply to homeowner use.

Agreed and no where in my post did I suggest otherwise.

 

[jerrybob]

Done the same in a coffee can 1/4 full of gasoline.

I would not recommend this action for most people.......it's possible yes.......so is a big Boom!

 

[Willl]

It's the vapors that'll go BOOM, liquid pretty stabil.

Done the same with a lit match. Ya, you'll get a flame, but no boom.

 

[jerrybob]

It's the vapors that'll go BOOM, liquid pretty stabil.

Done the same with a lit match. Ya, you'll get a flame, but no boom.

I agree.....still recommend most people don't try it for their own safety......:2cents:

 

[Willl]

I agree.....still recommend most people don't try it for their own safety......:2cents:

Also agree, but knowing where the danger is also a safety step.

Like this guy, had he used diesel, he wouldn't have been in the Utubes hall of fame.
Bonfire Blow Up - YouTube

Edit; spelling.

 

[Willl]

Or this guy, watch how far the vapor flame reaches out.

FAIL: Idiot Uses Gasoline To Burn Some Branches In His Backyard! - YouTube

 

[Recoveryhill]

It's the vapors that'll go BOOM, liquid pretty stabil.

Liquid gasoline is most definitely not stabile. Gasoline, a light distillate, is volatile. Volatile is defined as a substance that evaporates easily at normal temperatures. The evaporative substance isn't flammable, it is explosive. Place any source of ignition near gasoline vapors and you risk an explosion and resulting fire from the remaining liquid. Burns are one of the most painful and dangerous injuries one can ever suffer. Just saying......