Abby Ketchum
Gas powered tools are the key to keep a beautiful and well-kept lawn. Lawnmowers, chainsaws, weedwhackers, and blowers all require gas to do their job. Knowing how to properly store your gas for your equipment is essential for keeping your home safe.
What kind of gas can is best?
To prevent your gas can from exploding, you should only use approved metal or plastic gas containers. Over time, small pinprick holes in your gas can — especially if it’s made of plastic, or has a finicky vent nozzle — can lead to gas vapors escaping and building up in the area you store your fuel in.Always make sure you use a gas can that seals completely when considering how to store gas, and make sure not to fill it right to the brim, because you need to leave some room inside the container for the fumes to expand.
Where should I store my gas can?
Whether you have a commercial lawn care business, it is important to know the best place to actually store your gas cans. While it is okay to store your gas cans in a garage or shed, you shouldn’t store them on the floor in these areas. Keeping them low to the ground creates a greater risk of the vapors igniting pilot lights. They also should not be stored in the back of a truck with a plastic liner due to the risk of sparks and ignition.
The safest place is in a proper storage cabinet. These metal, flame-resistant cabinets keep gas cans off the floor and safely manage any vapors that might accumulate in the storage space. Gas storage cabinets are painted in warning colors like red and yellow and are labeled with symbols to indicate they contain gasoline.
If you don’t want to invest in a gas storage cabinet, your best option is to store gas in a place where it cannot spill or be reached by children. It should be stored away from your house in a well-ventilated garage or shed and out of direct sunlight. Gas cans should be elevated using plywood to keep them off the floor.
Long Term Storage
Depending upon the environment your gas is stored, gas will typically only last up to a year before it starts to become highly unusable.However, the longer you store your gas, the higher chance it has to break down chemically. Fuel that’s been stored for more than six months is typically watery once you open the container, unless you’ve mixed in the right additives prior to storage. So, if you plan to keep gasoline long-term, you’ll have to dose each can with an additive prior to walking away for the season.
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