PSA: fill your gas tanks tonight/tomorrow morning

True, but at the time I needed gaskets/caps, even with shipping, they were cheaper than anything I could find anywhere else.
 
Between my mower, generator, and cans I keep about 30-35 gallons of treated gas flip them every fall and spring. Been doing it for years with no problems. I keep about 10-15 gallons of deisel and 5-10 gallons of K-1. I will fill up on the way home today instead of tomorrow. I top off each vehicle on Fridays anyway, when I buy my weeks lottery tickets.
 
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fieldgrade said:
The Colonial pipeline shutdown is still a potential "thing" though for those of us up this way.
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..but Colonial is saying it will be back up by Sunday.
(hopefully)
 
It's up only 9 cents in K'dale...$2.48...and I paid $2.59 in Greenville thinking it would be higher in K'dale.
 
Ikarus1 said:
that Texas list is pretty big dude.....Most of the big boys (EXOM, Valero, Marathon) are in and around the greater Houston area. That's over 1M bpd right there.

I mean who knows, but I doubt they would shut down the pipeline for no reason just to hike gas prices. Sell alot of oil at low prices, or NONE at high prices...
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So what's shut down is ~20% of the country's refining capacity, but it's ~40% of the refining capacity that supplies east of the Rockies.

Pipelines require a certain amount of liquid to operate properly.
 
My daughter and son in-law are in the Dallas area. He sat on one gas line for over an hour, got to the pump and they had run out of gas. Finally able to get 10 gallons max. after searching for four hours.
 
Here's the trouble, and I remember this from the embargos and shortages of the early seventies when they said the average driver drove around with a quarter tank of gas. The word gets out there might be a gas shortage, everybody goes to fill up, and voila, gas shortage. Just like in the article at the link above.

At least at the local level, so then the supply chain is playing catch up.
 
fieldgrade said:
Here's the trouble, and I remember this from the embargos and shortages of the early seventies when they said the average driver drove around with a quarter tank of gas. The word gets out there might be a gas shortage, everybody goes to fill up, and voila, gas shortage. Just like in the article at the link above.

At least at the local level, so then the supply chain is playing catch up.
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And you'd think it would be an eye opener to those. 25 of a tank drivers to quit doing that... buttttt nope
 
Just read this at WRAL (I know): "said Attorney General Josh Stein in a statement. "My top priority is protecting North Carolinians- including their wallets. Taking advantage of people during a weather crisis would be unacceptable, and I will hold any offenders accountable."

Just a head's up there Mr. Stein: your job and authority is not to "hold accountable" those whose actions you find "unacceptable." Your job is to ensure the law is enforced (without respect to persons).

Not to mention that protecting the wallets of taxpayers is an oxymoron coming from a progressive such as him.
 
GreatGazoo said:
Just read this at WRAL (I know): "said Attorney General Josh Stein in a statement. "My top priority is protecting North Carolinians- including their wallets. Taking advantage of people during a weather crisis would be unacceptable, and I will hold any offenders accountable."
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Sheesh. He would institute price controls if he could. How many examples from socialist and communist countries do we need to see before we understand that price controls guarantee shortages. Basic economics escapes collectivists, and when they are in power, millions die and the rest endure poor standards of living.

In a free market, the bread waits for you.
1296575307-kroger_bread.jpg


In a price-controlled market, you wait for the bread.
venezuela-long-food-line1.jpg
 
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fieldgrade said:
Here's the trouble, and I remember this from the embargos and shortages of the early seventies when they said the average driver drove around with a quarter tank of gas. The word gets out there might be a gas shortage, everybody goes to fill up, and voila, gas shortage. Just like in the article at the link above.

At least at the local level, so then the supply chain is playing catch up.
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It wasn't that far back. I forget which storm it was that threatened to shut down the refineries and you couldn't find gas for a week. Everybody was out. But, the storm didn't hit, supply was not even remotely disrupted, yet the panic still cause a gas shortage. I casually looked for 3 days, during my normal traveling, while I had half a tank. On the 4th day, it was do or die. I wasn't making it back home if I didn't find gas and went actively looking for it. Luckily, I did and it was the only place for miles, because it was somewhat obscure. I swore that would never happen again.
 
fieldgrade said:
At least at the local level, so then the supply chain is playing catch up.
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Happening around here and I'm guilty too. Topped off the tank this afternoon and regular was $2.35/gal. Went into town tonight and the same station was now $2.45/gal. Coming home it was $2.59/gal.
 
I keep a good supply of gas at the house. I'll start to worry if we still don't have gas after six weeks. If you prepare, you don't have to panic buy.
 
BurnedOutGeek said:
And you'd think it would be an eye opener to those. 25 of a tank drivers to quit doing that... buttttt nope
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My wife let hers get to 1/10th of a tank yesterday. Not even enough to get home from her normal haunt. She heard about it. Her excuse was, I was going to stop but I had to pee. I said if you got in a traffic jam you would have been stuck.

I went out last night and filled her car and topped off my jerry cans. I keep about 20 gallons of ethanol free (which I put in her car too this time) which would last me about one week in my commute vehicle, but I go about 125 miles per day.
 
AD43576 said:
I keep a good supply of gas at the house. I'll start to worry if we still don't have gas after six weeks. If you prepare, you don't have to panic buy.
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I've learned that even if you prep, you panic that you don't have enough prepped.

I should just start storing 89. I've been doing 87 with Stabil, but that ethanol bs has to still be bad after that amount of time. Any recommendations on that?
 
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IrishCannon said:
I should just start storing 89. I've been doing 87 with Stabil, but that ethanol bs has to still be bad after that amount of time. Any recommendations on that?
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Yes, go to the website puregas.com and find a nearby location that sells ethanol free gas. It costs more, but it's more stable and gets you better mileage.
 
noway2 said:
Yes, go to the website puregas.com and find a nearby location that sells ethanol free gas. It costs more, but it's more stable and gets you better mileage.
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@IrishCannon What he said. I usually only rotate the 40 gallons I have stored once a year or so. I've never noticed any problem with the gas. Ethanol is vile stuff.
 
AD43576 said:
@IrishCannon What he said. I usually only rotate the 40 gallons I have stored once a year or so. I've never noticed any problem with the gas. Ethanol is vile stuff.
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This is one of the reasons I was pushing the wife to get a diesel car since the truck and generator has reserves on hand and get rotated about yearly. Just need to keep up with the stabilizers and biocides.
 
rdinatal said:
Kind of an off-topic question but still related. How long to store diesel before I have to worry about it degrading?

-R
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I've had no issues with year old diesel and sta-bil

However straight from BP

LONG TERM STORAGE OF DIESEL
BP Australia Limited
A.C.N. 004 085 616
Marketing Technical Services
STORAGE LIFE
Under normal storage conditions diesel fuel can be expected to stay in a usable condition for:
• 12 months or longer at an ambient of 20ºC.
• 6-12 months at an ambient temperature higher than 30ºC.
As diesel gets older a fine sediment and gum forms in the diesel brought about by the reaction of diesel components with oxygen from the air. The fine sediment and gum will block fuel filters, leading to fuel starvation and the engine stopping. Frequent filter changes are then required to keep the engine going. The gums and sediments do not burn in the engine very well and can lead to carbon and soot deposits on injectors and other combustion surfaces.
The expected life of a diesel fuel is indicated by the oxidation stability test ASTM D2276. The test measures how much gum and sediment will be deposited after keeping the fuel at 120°C in the presence of oxygen for 16 hours. It roughly corresponds to one year storage at 25°C. A result of less than 20mg/L of sediment and gum after the test is considered acceptable for normal diesel.
ACCELERATED AGING
The aging process can be accelerated by the following conditions:-
• Contact with zinc, copper or metal alloys containing them. These metals will quickly react with diesel fuel to form unstable compounds.
• The presence of water. Water allows the growth of fungus and bacteria, these produce natural by-products such as organic acids which make the fuel unstable.
• Exposure to high temperatures.
• Exposure to dust and dirt which contain trace elements that can destabilise the fuel, such as copper and zinc.
• Fuel composition. Some components in diesel fuel naturally age quickly.
PROLONGING THE STORAGE LIFE
Prolonging the storage life is achieved by removing or controlling the conditions described in the previous section. Important measures to take are as follows:
BP Australia Limited
A.C.N. 004 085 616
Marketing Technical Services
• Ensure that the fuel is not in contact with any surfaces containing zinc or copper or compounds containing those metals (eg. brass). If those metals are present then a metal deactivator additive may help.
• Establish a regular fuel maintenance program to ensure that water and dirt is removed from storage tanks. This will also remove any chance for fungus to grow.
• Water should be drained from the storage tanks weekly. The frequency can be extended if the tank shows no tendency to collect water but should be done at least monthly.
• Tanks should be kept full to reduce the space for water to condense, maintaining tanks half full increases the water build up and promotes corrosion in the top half of the tank. Most water will come from condensation as the tank breathes, the rate at which water collects will depend on local climate and will be higher in hot humid coastal areas.
• Tanks should have a well defined low point where water will collect and can be drained. For example, cone down bottoms.
• Establish a system for filtering the contents of the main storage tank through a recirculating filter system. This can be made automatic and will reduce the potential for problems by removing sediment and gums. The filters should be checked and changed at regular intervals. When the filter change interval reaches a certain frequency then the fuel should be changed over.
• Tanks should be emptied and cleaned at least once every 10 years, or more frequently if there is a major contamination.
• Ensure that the fuel supplied conforms to a recognised specification, in Australia that would be AS3570, and ensure the fuel matches the winter cloud point for the area to avoid filter blocking by wax drop out in cold weather. .
• Always purchase fuel to replenish stocks in the winter season April - August. This will ensure that the fuel will not cause wax problems whatever season it is used.
• Obtain assurances from the supplier that all components are fully refined to promote stability.
• Establish a monitoring program whereby samples are taken at regular intervals to monitor the condition of the fuel. The samples can be examined at the site visually for evidence of haziness, sediment, darkening or sent to a laboratory for testing.
• Regularly turn the fuel over. If possible, plan the fuel usage so that it will all be used within 1-5 years and replaced with fresh fuel.
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IrishCannon said:
I've learned that even if you prep, you panic that you don't have enough prepped.

I should just start storing 89. I've been doing 87 with Stabil, but that ethanol bs has to still be bad after that amount of time. Any recommendations on that?
Click to expand...

get some carboy containers and make your own ethanol free gas. Of course the octane will be reduced when you remove ethanol...

 
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