Peak Oil - Emergency Preparedness - Gasoline Storage
Peak oil quickly brings emergency prepardness into focus. Those who are peak oil aware can get ready for multiple possible futures.
One of the worst case scenarios can be considered the "End Of Society As We Know It" (Eosawki). In this future, the global economy is unable to support our current lifestyle in a variety of ways.
How would a person deal with this? What should people do now, so that they aren't kicking themselves after the Eosawki?
Let's first consider what things might become unavailable after the Eosawki.
1. Gasoline and other transportation fuels
2. Propane and other home heating fuels
3. Electricity from the grid
4. Food and other essential items from businesses
What should a person be doing right now to ensure that a disruption in any of these can be weathered?
In most cases, it isn't just the individual, but also an entire family, that a person would want to protect.
Personally, my first concern is that the cost of gasoline will go very high, or that there will be actual shortages at the pump. In this case, it makes a great deal of sense to have thought ahead about how essential gasoline really is.
Without gasoline...
* How would you get food?
* How would you get to medical care?
* How would you get to work?
* How would you get items to maintain your home and household?
I don't have a problem with eventually running out of gas. I just don't like the idea of being one of the first ones to which this happens. I prefer the idea of being one of the last one percent of folks with functioning vehicles. I know that would put me in a weird position, and make me a bit vulnerable... but I prefer that choice to being stranded at home, and having to beg for rides from an ever diwindling number of neighbors that still had fuel.
That said, it makes sense to have a plan for a failure of the gasoline supply.
GASOLINE EMERGENCY PLAN
Keep cars fueled. Once a car is between the 3/4 and 1/2 mark, fill it up. Keep all cars tanks as full as possible.
Store gasoline at home. In my case, that means either storing it in the garage, or outdoors. I currently have enough red plastic gas cans to store eighteen gallons.
If all of my gas cans were filled, I would have about 450 extra miles of car use, beyond what I could squeeze out of the car fuel tanks.
Personally, this does not sound like very much extra fuel to me. I would be more comfortable if I had about ten times that amount. But, I don't particularly feel like buying twenty 5-gallon gas cans, and I don't have a lot of space in my garage either.
I have read that gasoline does not store well for over a year or so. There are things called "stabalizers" that can help gasoline last for closer to five years.
According to Mobil Oil Company...
* gasoline in a vehicle should be burned within one month of purchase
* gasoline in a tighly filled, almost full, metal gas can should be good for up to six months
Source: http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/GFM/Products_Services/Fuels/Gasoline_FAQ.asp
Chevron says that "Chevron gasoline can be stored for a year without deterioration when the storage conditions are good -- a tightly closed container and moderate temperatures."
Source: http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/fuels/bulletin/longterm_gasoline/
Storing gasoline at home can be dangerous as well. Here are some websites with tips on gasoline storage.
* Use Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Factory Mutual (FM) approved safety cans
* Store gasoline as far away from ignition sources as possible
* Consider building a cabinet outside your house for storage or purchasing a commercially available flammable liquid storage cabinet, available from safety equipment suppliers
Source: http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000701-d000800/d000760/d000760.html
* Fire codes normally restrict the amount of gasoline an individual homeowner can storeto no more than 25 gallons, in approved containers of less than five gallons capacity each
* Add a fuel stabilizer/additive to the gasoline when you first buy it, prior to storage. Fuel stabilizers contain antioxidants, which prevent gum and other compounds from forming on gasoline; biocides, which prevent microbial growth; and corrosion inhibitors, which prevent the formation of rust and corrosion.
* Fuel stabilizers/additives are available at auto parts stores.
* Freshness is improved if the container or gas tank is stored in a cool place and is kept almost 95 percent full. The empty 5 percent is to allow for expansion.
Source: http://www.mapllc.com/safety/api_gasoline_safety.html
One good manufacturer of gas cans is "Eagle Manufacturing Company".
http://www.eagle-mfg.com/cans.html
http://www.dawginc.com/material-handling/gas_cans_rf1.php
While plastic gas cans don't rust, they also don't stand up to fire very well. The metal cans that are certified by UL and FM will much better deal with a fire in the vacinity.
* Use 55 gallon drums, outside
* Put in underground vault to protect from "stray bullets"
Source: http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/warner43.html
Source: http://www.whenshtf.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=936
So, what exactly is a gasoline stabilizer? One is called "Sta-Bil" and sold at places that typically sell auto parts.
* It can keep fuel "fresh" for up to two years.
* Should be added to fuel immediately, for best results.
* Stabilizer itself is good for up to two years.
Source: http://www.goldeagle.com/sta-bil/index.htm
Another product, PRI, is claimed to be able to restore gasoline after as long as five to ten years, even if added after the gasoline becomes "stale". They also claim to have independently confiremed excellence over the Sta-Bil product.
* often against the law to store gasoline underground
* 5-gallon military surplus "Jerry-cans" a good, inexpensive choice
* portable nylon fuel tanks on wheels, 23-gallon size, available at marine supply stores
* "poly" drums, used for storing water, will degrade if filled with fuel
* 250 gallon containers can be found, start looking with home fuel vendors
Source: http://theepicenter.com/tow021799.html
Source: http://www.priproducts.com/
Perhaps putting up 25 gallons, with the Sta-Bil or PRI stabilizer, in five UL and FM approved 5-gallon gasoline cans is the best way to go. Keep in mind that gasoline is actually worth between $1,000 and $2,000 per gallon, based on energy content (see my previous article on this). Spending a couple hundred dollars to have some gasoline in reserve could be an investment that really pays off.
One last note, since the Eosawki might not happen for months or even years, it might be a good idea to put the gas cans in a rotation, so that all the cans are emptied (into your car) and then refilled once per year. The benefit would be fresher gasoline for when the Eosawki occurs, plus an easy way to make sure that all the cans were in good condition.
One of the worst case scenarios can be considered the "End Of Society As We Know It" (Eosawki). In this future, the global economy is unable to support our current lifestyle in a variety of ways.
How would a person deal with this? What should people do now, so that they aren't kicking themselves after the Eosawki?
Let's first consider what things might become unavailable after the Eosawki.
1. Gasoline and other transportation fuels
2. Propane and other home heating fuels
3. Electricity from the grid
4. Food and other essential items from businesses
What should a person be doing right now to ensure that a disruption in any of these can be weathered?
In most cases, it isn't just the individual, but also an entire family, that a person would want to protect.
Personally, my first concern is that the cost of gasoline will go very high, or that there will be actual shortages at the pump. In this case, it makes a great deal of sense to have thought ahead about how essential gasoline really is.
Without gasoline...
* How would you get food?
* How would you get to medical care?
* How would you get to work?
* How would you get items to maintain your home and household?
I don't have a problem with eventually running out of gas. I just don't like the idea of being one of the first ones to which this happens. I prefer the idea of being one of the last one percent of folks with functioning vehicles. I know that would put me in a weird position, and make me a bit vulnerable... but I prefer that choice to being stranded at home, and having to beg for rides from an ever diwindling number of neighbors that still had fuel.
That said, it makes sense to have a plan for a failure of the gasoline supply.
GASOLINE EMERGENCY PLAN
Keep cars fueled. Once a car is between the 3/4 and 1/2 mark, fill it up. Keep all cars tanks as full as possible.
Store gasoline at home. In my case, that means either storing it in the garage, or outdoors. I currently have enough red plastic gas cans to store eighteen gallons.
If all of my gas cans were filled, I would have about 450 extra miles of car use, beyond what I could squeeze out of the car fuel tanks.
Personally, this does not sound like very much extra fuel to me. I would be more comfortable if I had about ten times that amount. But, I don't particularly feel like buying twenty 5-gallon gas cans, and I don't have a lot of space in my garage either.
I have read that gasoline does not store well for over a year or so. There are things called "stabalizers" that can help gasoline last for closer to five years.
According to Mobil Oil Company...
* gasoline in a vehicle should be burned within one month of purchase
* gasoline in a tighly filled, almost full, metal gas can should be good for up to six months
Source: http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/GFM/Products_Services/Fuels/Gasoline_FAQ.asp
Chevron says that "Chevron gasoline can be stored for a year without deterioration when the storage conditions are good -- a tightly closed container and moderate temperatures."
Source: http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/fuels/bulletin/longterm_gasoline/
Storing gasoline at home can be dangerous as well. Here are some websites with tips on gasoline storage.
* Use Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Factory Mutual (FM) approved safety cans
* Store gasoline as far away from ignition sources as possible
* Consider building a cabinet outside your house for storage or purchasing a commercially available flammable liquid storage cabinet, available from safety equipment suppliers
Source: http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000701-d000800/d000760/d000760.html
* Fire codes normally restrict the amount of gasoline an individual homeowner can storeto no more than 25 gallons, in approved containers of less than five gallons capacity each
* Add a fuel stabilizer/additive to the gasoline when you first buy it, prior to storage. Fuel stabilizers contain antioxidants, which prevent gum and other compounds from forming on gasoline; biocides, which prevent microbial growth; and corrosion inhibitors, which prevent the formation of rust and corrosion.
* Fuel stabilizers/additives are available at auto parts stores.
* Freshness is improved if the container or gas tank is stored in a cool place and is kept almost 95 percent full. The empty 5 percent is to allow for expansion.
Source: http://www.mapllc.com/safety/api_gasoline_safety.html
One good manufacturer of gas cans is "Eagle Manufacturing Company".
http://www.eagle-mfg.com/cans.html
http://www.dawginc.com/material-handling/gas_cans_rf1.php
While plastic gas cans don't rust, they also don't stand up to fire very well. The metal cans that are certified by UL and FM will much better deal with a fire in the vacinity.
* Use 55 gallon drums, outside
* Put in underground vault to protect from "stray bullets"
Source: http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/warner43.html
Source: http://www.whenshtf.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=936
So, what exactly is a gasoline stabilizer? One is called "Sta-Bil" and sold at places that typically sell auto parts.
* It can keep fuel "fresh" for up to two years.
* Should be added to fuel immediately, for best results.
* Stabilizer itself is good for up to two years.
Source: http://www.goldeagle.com/sta-bil/index.htm
Another product, PRI, is claimed to be able to restore gasoline after as long as five to ten years, even if added after the gasoline becomes "stale". They also claim to have independently confiremed excellence over the Sta-Bil product.
* often against the law to store gasoline underground
* 5-gallon military surplus "Jerry-cans" a good, inexpensive choice
* portable nylon fuel tanks on wheels, 23-gallon size, available at marine supply stores
* "poly" drums, used for storing water, will degrade if filled with fuel
* 250 gallon containers can be found, start looking with home fuel vendors
Source: http://theepicenter.com/tow021799.html
Source: http://www.priproducts.com/
Perhaps putting up 25 gallons, with the Sta-Bil or PRI stabilizer, in five UL and FM approved 5-gallon gasoline cans is the best way to go. Keep in mind that gasoline is actually worth between $1,000 and $2,000 per gallon, based on energy content (see my previous article on this). Spending a couple hundred dollars to have some gasoline in reserve could be an investment that really pays off.
One last note, since the Eosawki might not happen for months or even years, it might be a good idea to put the gas cans in a rotation, so that all the cans are emptied (into your car) and then refilled once per year. The benefit would be fresher gasoline for when the Eosawki occurs, plus an easy way to make sure that all the cans were in good condition.