Following the Colonial Pipeline shutdown of 2021, people went nuts. They were scared there wouldn’t be enough gas to go around. Although officials said there should be enough if people wouldn’t wouldn’t hoard the gas, pretty much nobody listened. People with no idea of what was safe started stocking up on fuel in any way they could think of. Some were creative, and some were just stupid. Most were illegal and generally unsafe, and exemplified all the stupidest ways to store fuel.
Gas storage containers are designed to be durable and hold fuel without it leaking. It also is designed to keep fumes safely under control, which is why modern gas cans have the auto closing feature. These people don’t have any idea what they’re doing when it comes to storing fuel.
Unsafe Gas Can Nozzles
At first glance, this image doesn’t look like there’s anything wrong. This was posted under the trashy subreddit because people took exception to her filling up a ton of extra when there was a shortage. I get that. She should have really had her fuel storage in place before the problem. So what’s wrong here? The nozzles.
She is using nozzles that are technically not legal to store gas in. She does have some of the modern cans, the ones that are more annoying to pour with due to the safety features, but she also has some of the easy pour spouts.
Storing Gas in Plastic Bags in the Trunk
Those plastic bags don’t look hefty hefty hefty. This situation looks at best a mess waiting to happen, and at worst, a car fire coming shortly after the first bump they hit on the way home. I imagine they filled those bags in the trunk, but I’m really curious to know, assuming they can get them home, how are they planning to get the gas out of the trunk?
Wrong Color Gas Cans
All of those cans all look to be fuel grade, what’s the problem here? The problem is the color of the cans. No, I’m not splitting hairs here. Yellow cans are designated for diesel, and red is for gasoline. Why is that a big deal? Well, you don’t want to mix those up. I know someone who put diesel in a gas car and that car died pretty quick. It’s not a mistake you should make. I’ll give this person the benefit of the doubt- maybe everyone else during the gas shortage had bought all the red gas cans, so he bought yellow. I would immediately mark in permanent marker the contents of that gas can then. Don’t mix up gas and diesel.
Water Tank, Truck Dropper Gas Storage
Apart from messing up his suspension and putting a lot of weight on those tires, its important to note that not all plastics are rated for gasoline usage. Gas can degrade and kind of disintegrate some plastics. Further more, not all containers are made to deal properly with gas fumes. What’s really disappointing about this picture- the tank is only about half full. I want to see what the full tank did to that little truck.
Filling Buckets with Gas
The only good thing about this situation is that he at least he remembered to bring the lids along for his Lowes buckets. That takes this situation from illegal, incredibly unsafe, and really stupid, to only kind of unsafe, and slightly less stupid, albeit still illegal. We don’t know for certain, but I’d bet that those other blue containers in the back seat of his car are also full of gas. This was posted in r/OSHA, and there’s nothing about this that’s OSHA approved.
Filling a Laundry Basket with Gas
Ok, this is hands down the stupidest one we’ve seen. We hope this is staged, but we don’t have enough faith in humanity to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she’s only planning on filling up the bottom inch of the basket, which probably doesn’t have as many holes. This begs the question, how is she planning to pour the gas out of that once she gets it in there? Everything about it is just stupid. The person that made this picture go viral obviously gave up all hope in the intelligence and ability of the human race to survive after seeing this with the statement, Welp, we had a pretty good run, earth. Maybe it’s time to wrap it up.
OSHA Approved Gas Can
This 5 gallon metal gas can meets the standards set by OSHA. It also Exceeds California Air Resource Board (CARB) and EPA requirements for portable fuel containers. Metal gas cans are also more durable, and are less prone to degradation. This gas can is a favorite for preppers, off roaders, and also for anyone who values rugged durability and dependability.
Along with OSHA standards for gas cans, there are also state and federal laws in regards to how you store your fuel, and how much and where you’re allowed to store your fuel. For more information on this, see our article- Fuel Storage 101
Keep Learning
Prepping is an ongoing venture. Because of this, we recommend that you subscribe to our bimonthly newsletter to keep prepping, emergency preparedness, and self reliance on your mind. We promise, we’re not spammy, which is why we only email you twice per month. We hope you think about being prepared more than twice per month, but our newsletter is a valuable resource to help you learn new things, and just to keep prepping on your mind. Right now you can also sign up for free. You can also follow our Facebook Page for regular articles and resources.
