Jerry cans are unusable

[Jammer]

I have been using jerry cans since they were only available in steel. They were awful back then too. You got a "donkey dick" flexible pour spout with a rubber donut that was supposed to seal to the threads but didn't, and fuel went everywhere.


The best portable fuel containers I have used have been safety cans. They are exempt from the EPA rules and are readily available from many sources. I use the Type I cans which come with a funnel that can be attached if you need it. With or without the funnel they work well and allow you to transfer fuel without making a mess and without contaminating the fuel. They are expensive. They are round which complicates storage in many situations. Tradeoffs.


You could also look at the Rotopax fuel storage containers, which are reportedly very good. I have not used them. They also make water containers. Various spout configurations are available, so you can choose the EPA or non-EPA one as fits your needs.


In fact, non-EPA replacement spouts are available for most fuel containers.


5 gallon fuel containers, due to their size and weight, are inherently difficult to handle. Industry has generally moved away from 5 gallon containers for fuel and chemicals. Usually now things are sold in 2.5 gallon jugs and from there you go to a 275 gallon tote on a pallet with not much in between.


Safety cans in 2.5 gallon or 3 gallon work well for dinghy gas or portable equipment. The 1 gallon ones are handy too. I have a bunch in these sizes. 5 gallon safety cans are OK for handling larger amounts of fuel but I find them awkward (I have one) and prefer to use a couple of 2.5s.

[s/v Jedi]

Get one of these and you’ll never look back
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WZX9W86...v_ov_lig_dp_it

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Get one of these and you’ll never look back
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WZX9W86...v_ov_lig_dp_it

Nifty, great find, thx for sharing.

[sagablu]

Had the same problem until I replaced the spout with something like this.https://www.amazon.com/Old-Style-Rep...dDbGljaz10cnVl

[Luvboats]

Originally Posted by JebLostInSpace

This so perfectly illustrates the reason for my frustration. Here is a product that you tell me is effective, safe, durable, and you'd never consider using another type. But they can't be legally sold new in the US. We've made it illegal to make the product that effectively solves the problem we're trying to solve.

Yes, you are correct. It is not legal for them so be sold in the US but it is legal to use them if you have them. It is somewhat ironic that this is the go to can for our military as well as our emergency response crews. We used them at the fire department and on the USAR team. Another case of the government telling normal folks they can’t use/do something but it is perfectly acceptable for them to do so. I can’t explain why it is that way but you can choose to try and change the rules, create new ones, live with the current ones, or………bend em just enough to make your life a little easier. I have chosen the last option.

As to the post concerning the weight of a 20L, 5 gallon-ish can, yes they can get heavy. Luckily my boat is perfectly designed to have a step just above the fuel deck fill and is the perfect height to support the can as I dispense it into the tank. I didn’t design it, I wish I could take credit for being that smart, I just lucked out that it worked out in my favor.

If you desire a smaller container……..here you go.

Safe Journeys,
~Jeb

[cadmus]

+1 on the Scepter NATO cans. Used them for gas and drinking water (same size but single handle not double) for years. never found Diesel specific ones (Yellow or bright green, maybe a special plastic) but i know they exist.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by JebLostInSpace

Another solution that is well reviewed and apparently effective. The listing specifically says that it is not for fuel. Why? Because we've made it illegal to advertise safe, effective, durable solutions as being for fuel. The only things we can legally market as being for fuel are the horrible useless ones.

I suggest you take some time out from your anti-EPA ranting and find a way to transfer fuel from a jug to your tank. Solve the problem, your ranting won't solve anything.

When you need that emergency fuel you won't be sitting dockside, you'll be out in the ocean somewhere in wind and maybe waves, and you'll be wishing that you can get some fuel into your engine to get going, so you'd best have figured out how to do that.

In my case I have two tanks and I can switch, but mostly I sail my way out of trouble.

[JebLostInSpace]

Originally Posted by wingssail

I suggest you take some time out from your anti-EPA ranting and find a way to transfer fuel from a jug to your tank. Solve the problem, your ranting won't solve anything.

When you need that emergency fuel you won't be sitting dockside, you'll be out in the ocean somewhere in wind and maybe waves, and you'll be wishing that you can get some fuel into your engine to get going, so you'd best have figured out how to do that.

In my case I have two tanks and I can switch, but mostly I sail my way out of trouble.

As I said in my original post, there is an obvious solution to my issue. There have also been lots of helpful suggestions on this thread. I can and will solve my problem, but I'm also going to rant about how harmful this regulation is.

In 2 years of cruising on my boat (not nearly as much experience as many of the people on here, I know), I've never actually needed my emergency fuel. I plan for potential fuel consumption on any passage, and typically use a tiny fraction of what I budget for, given that I obviously sail whenever practical.

And while I understand why you would characterize my rant as "Anti-EPA," I think it's worth noting that I'm actually very pro EPA. But on this regulation they have pretty obviously missed the mark. And it's been a known problem for a long time, but they haven't adjusted to match real-world requirements.

I'll additionally mentioned that I have actually been in a situation where I needed to refuel from jerry cans at sea. On a delivery from DR to North Carolina that I helped with, we had the sailor's anathema - a schedule, combined with several days of dead calm. We had accounted for the need to do a lot of motoring, and had lots of jerry cans of diesel. They were bought in Grenada, and were the old type with regular old hard plastic spouts. We emptied 12 jugs into the tank, with 2-3m swells, losing only a few drops that went onto the diapers we were using. Genuinely didn't lose a drop overboard.

I find it immensely frustrating that we have this agency writing regulations for the express purpose of preventing fuel spills. They mandate the production of these miserable excuses for jerry cans. I buy them, because they are marketed as safe and compliant with these regulations that are meant to prevent fuel spills (also, they're the only kind available to buy in brick-and-mortar stores). And in reality they cause spills. Just one of those depressing realities of the world we live in that gets under my skin.

Unrelated, but the other one that gets under my skin is when a traffic light gives the green light to the only lanes that don't have any vehicles in them.

[ggray]

This:

Originally Posted by boatman61

When syphoning fuel from a Jerry can Never suck on the tube to get it started.
Sit the Jerry can level on the deck, remove the cap and get a length of 1/2 to 3/4 inch tube long enough for one end to reach the bottom of the can and around 12 inches below deck level down the filler hole.
Then get a wad of kitchen roll/rag and bunch it so it it seals the spout of the can.. peel back enough to create a small hole, place your mouth over the hole and blow hard.. this will raise the pressure inside the can and start the fuel flowing.
To get it all out tilt the can as it gets near empty so it drains all the dregs.
If the fuel does not start flowing it means your seal is not good enough, repack and try again.
Cleanest way to transfer fuel even in a seaway.

That is what I do, but with my 6 1/2 gallon jugs, I use a 1" or bigger hose. It empties the jug real quick. However, with that big a hose, it's necessary to make sure the jug is nearly full or you won't push the fuel far enough to start the syphon.

I too despise the new jugs.

I have several old Rubbermade jugs of various sizes that are far better. Weakest part is the screw on vent cap that tends to break over time, but I've found a way to repair them.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

+1. I have two, one for fuel and one for water.

Same here, great little gadgets and because you can put the hose in the boats filler before you jiggle and start the flow they are pretty well spill proof.

[thinwater]

Shaker siphon. Done, no problem.


I never pour from 5-gallon cans. Too heavy stand there like a dufus, holding it. Shake and just wait. No spills unless you are quite uncoordinated.

[HopCar]

Like Sagablu, I just bought old style spouts with capped vents and threw away the EPA spouts.
https://gasspouts.com/products/repla...xoCzo0QAvD_BwE

[donradcliffe]

On my last delivery I brought a jiggle siphon, but there was something better on the boat. It was an extra cap for the plastic jerry jug without the spout, but with two tubes going through a seal in the cap. The long tube went to the bottom of the jug and into the deck fill. The short tube came about 6 inches out of the top of the cap, and 3 inches out of the bottom. You stood the jug on the deck, gave a quick puff into the short tube to start the syphon, and it did the rest without spilling a drop. I haven't seen any for sale, but I'm going to make my own.

[Jebtrois]

I will second or third "the original safety siphon" aka the Shaker Siphon. I had the same problem as the OP. Had never heard of or seen the Shaker Siphon, but someone on here mentioned it. I googled it, found it on Amazon and have not spilled a single drop since. Now the jugs are just for storage and the siphon is for distribution.
JEB

[rslifkin]

If you want the NATO type jerry cans, the Scepter ones are very hard to get in the US. But Wavian and others sell the metal NATO cans and those are easy to find. They come with a terrible implementation of the EPA spout, but you can get standard spouts for them.

In my mind, most of the problems with the EPA spouts is that most are designed for you to hold the can 2 handed and not need a hand to operate the spout. The No-spill can I posted earlier is the only exception I've found (spout is push button operated, so you hold most of the weight of the can in 1 hand). As long as you can maneuver the weight of the can with a hand on the spout portion, the button gives good control.