Jerry cans are unusable

[Gregg927]

You have written the perfect expression of my own rant!

I have a Sharpie on my boat. Where the gas can says, “Safety Gas Can”, I write below the following, “My A__!” I typically refrain from such language but ,in the spirit of safely using these cans, I think my warning is on the mark.

[ccanupii]

Get a small transfer pump attaches to a cordless drill and use that. I have one for diesel and one for servicing the transmissions. They are sold at most hardware stores and I have them in some local boat stores as well. They are not for fuel or oil, but are cheap enough that if they break its not an issue, I definitely would not use them for gasoline.

[justlearnin]

Thank God that those pos's are not what we buy in Canada (we dont have a California). I also recommend the "giggler" type of hose syphon thingy. I have 2 sizes. Only thing I'm not fond of with them is the hose will sometimes kink ( in storage) and stay that way. Because its cheap and anti static. I even hate the replacement spouts that we have to buy now to replace the lost ones because they are crap that leaks like a sieve (I blame America)

[boat driver]

Originally Posted by JebLostInSpace

I realize I'm mostly preaching to the choir on this one, but I'm feeling the need to rant a little bit.

Today I decided to put the 5 gallons of emergency diesel that I keep in a jerry can in the tank. I like to do so every few months so that the fuel in there is never worryingly old. What should have been a 5 minute task took about an hour, and left my clothes, my arms, my mouth, and my cockpit coated in a film of diesel and smelling something fierce.

Why was such a simple task such a complete and utter disaster you ask? Because the EPA in all their infinite wisdom mandated a safety valve in all jerry cans, because that should make it much harder to spill fuel.



My can has the type of valve where you have to push a plastic piece inward and down the neck of the spout in order to allow fuel to flow. It's always been a rather stiff spring on that mechanism, and difficult to deal with. But with age, the plastic and rubber assembly that seals the neck of the jug to the body gets slightly softer and weaker. So after wrangling the ~35 lb jug over my pushpit rails, inverting it, getting the spout into my fill port, and getting it all balanced, I went to operate the valve. As I pushed downward, instead of the valve opening, the seal at the base of the neck was bent out of place, and fuel began spilling out from the base of the neck. Oh no! I quickly pulled the jug back aboard and wiped up the area.

I was able to realign it all and try again, with the same result. The force needed to operate the valve was officially less than the force needed to make it fail.



So I thought to myself, I'm a reasonably intelligent human. I'll just siphon the fuel in and avoid using the valve all together. I found a suitable piece of tubing, got the siphon working without incident, and started the transfer. Unfortunately, that piece of tubing was both so narrow that it took about ten minutes to empty half the jug, and too short to reach the bottom of the jug and finish the job.

But I figured, now the whole thing weighs half as much, I bet I can get it to work properly. Without all that weight of the fuel resting on the little plastic mechanism, I can get it to open. But no, it was not to be.

So I dug out a better length of larger hose. This one was a bit longer than I needed and kind of a pain to deal with, but I got the siphon started. But then some air found its way into the tube and screwed it up. Well screw that says me, I can get this genius siphon solution working! I suck some more diesel through the tube, squat down to keep my mouth below the jug, and get a nice mouthful of diesel. But at least the siphon is working again.

Until I got another air bubble in. It's just a lot to hold onto, with the jug inboard, the fill port outboard, a too-long hose, and only two hands, I can't keep everything nicely in place.

But by now the jug is down to about a gallon. So I go to plan D, and get a nice big funnel. I rest the funnel in the fill port, and pour the remaining gallon in without the neck on the jug at all. Easy peasy, but it wouldn't have worked at all while the jug was full. That, and I still don't have a free hand to keep the funnel in place, so it feels like a bit of a risky way to go.

Now I just have to rinse my mouth out, wash my arms, change my clothes, wash the deck, and take a shower. Easy 5 minute job!

Of course there's an easy solution. I'll just get a proper siphon setup with a little pump so I don't have to use my mouth, and an appropriately sized hose. But for crying out loud, I wouldn't have to go through any of this if I was just allowed to have a normal neck for my jerry can so I could gently pour it out!

The EPA has accomplished precisely the opposite of their intent with these safety valves. And this is a public forum, so officially no diesel went in the water, but in an alternate universe it very likely would have. Great system, big fan. Rant over.

Siphons- always works, all
Liquids
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiAr7TE5az2AhX1ELMAHeoTBVIYABAI GgJ5bQ&ae=2&sig=AOD64_3l5jUEGPtTTaBkQO3BQEJ0GKpvuA &ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwi_rqrE5az2AhXMkokEHbW3CpMQw g96BAgFEBM&adurl=

[ccanupii]

Well, along with the insane amount of warnings, "safety" equipment, and list of things that.may or may not give you cancer, California has alot of great things to offer as well, like... Well see, California has alot of... There is a Ghirardelli chocolate is in San Francisco....so there is that.

[BoatBumm]

2 solutions I use:

1) There are replacement spouts available. You can buy them online, and in my neck of the woods from Tractor Supply: EZ-Pour Hi-Flo Replacement Spout, 30051. The spout comes with a vent cap that you install in the jerry can by drilling a 1/2” hole. The vent then just presses into the hole. I control the fuel flow from the jerry can into the boat’s tank by modulating the air entry through the vent hole with my finger.

2) Amazon sells siphon hoses with a shaker device at the one end. You put the shaker end into the jerry can and the other end into the fuel filler. A few shakes of the hose and the siphon starts. No sucking on the hose. Physically easy to do except for lifting the jerry can up to where it’s above the fuel filler. The only down side is your needing to pay attention. The flow rate isn’t fast through a roughly 1/2” hose, but it will quite happily keep running once the filler pipe is full to the brim. Don’t ask me how I know that.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by 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

That’s one of several options. Buy on line or at Farm & Fleet, Landmark, Ace or other hardware stores. I have fixed all of mine in the US and imported to the Caribbean three sets. There are many videos on YouTube showing how-to.

[Talbot]

Another vote for the sceptre cans and use of the shaker syphon. Much safer to use in a seaway as can stays on deck while being syphoned. No spill. No dramas. No effort.

[Carl-T705]

Just get an outboard fuel bulb leave it on a dedicated fuel hose and syphon the fuel out of the jug . Or go to flea markets, estate sales or second hand stores and buy the 25 year old jugs that don't need a warning label, instructions or three hands and you will be fine.

[Riggerman]

[QUOTE=JebLostInSpace;3582002]I realize I'm mostly preaching to the choir on this one, but I'm feeling the need to rant a little bit.

Today I decided to put the 5 gallons of emergency diesel that I keep in a jerry can in the tank. I like to do so every few months so that the fuel in there is never worryingly old. What should have been a 5 minute task took about an hour, and left my clothes, my arms, my mouth, and my cockpit coated in a film of diesel and smelling something fierce.

Why was such a simple task such a complete and utter disaster you ask? Because the EPA in all their infinite wisdom mandated a safety valve in all jerry cans, because that should make it much harder to spill fuel.



My can has the type of valve where you have to push a plastic piece inward and down the neck of the spout in order to allow fuel to flow. It's always been a rather stiff spring on that mechanism, and difficult to deal with. But with age, the plastic and rubber assembly that seals the neck of the jug to the body gets slightly softer and weaker. So after wrangling the ~35 lb jug over my pushpit rails, inverting it, getting the spout into my fill port, and getting it all balanced, I went to operate the valve. As I pushed downward, instead of the valve opening, the seal at the base of the neck was bent out of place, and fuel began spilling out from the base of the neck. Oh no! I quickly pulled the jug back aboard and wiped up the area.

I was able to realign it all and try again, with the same result. The force needed to operate the valve was officially less than the force needed to make it fail.



So I thought to myself, I'm a reasonably intelligent human. I'll just siphon the fuel in and avoid using the valve all together. I found a suitable piece of tubing, got the siphon working without incident, and started the transfer. Unfortunately, that piece of tubing was both so narrow that it took about ten minutes to empty half the jug, and too short to reach the bottom of the jug and finish the job.

But I figured, now the whole thing weighs half as much, I bet I can get it to work properly. Without all that weight of the fuel resting on the little plastic mechanism, I can get it to open. But no, it was not to be.

So I dug out a better length of larger hose. This one was a bit longer than I needed and kind of a pain to deal with, but I got the siphon started. But then some air found its way into the tube and screwed it up. Well screw that says me, I can get this genius siphon solution working! I suck some more diesel through the tube, squat down to keep my mouth below the jug, and get a nice mouthful of diesel. But at least the siphon is working again.

Until I got another air bubble in. It's just a lot to hold onto, with the jug inboard, the fill port outboard, a too-long hose, and only two hands, I can't keep everything nicely in place.

But by now the jug is down to about a gallon. So I go to plan D, and get a nice big funnel. I rest the funnel in the fill port, and pour the remaining gallon in without the neck on the jug at all. Easy peasy, but it wouldn't have worked at all while the jug was full. That, and I still don't have a free hand to keep the funnel in place, so it feels like a bit of a risky way to go.

Now I just have to rinse my mouth out, wash my arms, change my clothes, wash the deck, and take a shower. Easy 5 minute job!

Of course there's an easy solution. I'll just get a proper siphon setup with a little pump so I don't have to use my mouth, and an appropriately sized hose. But for crying out loud, I wouldn't have to go through any of this if I was just allowed to have a normal neck for my jerry can so I could gently pour it out!

The EPA has accomplished precisely the opposite of their intent with these safety valves. And this is a public forum, so officially no diesel went in the water, but in an alternate universe it very likely would have. Great system, big fan. Rant over.[/QUO


Funny. cuz I do this all the time, Takes less then a couple of minutes per cans, and no spill. First take the spout off. Insert a tube into the Jerry can to the inlet. Put a rag around the jerry cans mouth to seal the air inside the can. Squeeze the can with your knees, and release. This create a vacuum in the jerry can and it will empty in just a couple of minutes, depending the size of the hose you are using.

[Riggerman]

Funny. cuz I do this all the time, Takes less then a couple of minutes per cans, and no spill. First take the spout off. Insert a tube into the Jerry can to the inlet. Put a rag around the jerry cans mouth to seal the air inside the can. Squeeze the can with your knees, and release. This create a vacuum in the jerry can and it will empty in just a couple of minutes, depending the size of the hose you are using.

[Prairie 36]

Take spout out of the jug. Use an electric pump. I have been using one for several years now.
google terapump TRHA03

[billcrowley]

Get one of the (2) D-cell battery operated electric fuel pumps (available at Harbor Freight Tools & elsewhere for about $12). I have been using one to fuel my boat from a yellow plastic CARB diesel fuel can for a couple of years now. Easy to use & you don’t have to lift & tilt the can any longer. Only spills I get are a few drops when removing the pump from the can when the job is finished.

[pwelch5944]

Why not use a siphon pump and just pump from the Jerry can into the boat tank fill receptacle? That would prevent having to lift the full Jerry can and prevent issues of the hose going into and staying in the gas/diesel tank. Seems like that would reduce the possibility of spills inside the boat and from the fill receptacle.

[thinwater]

Having spent a career in oil plants, I've used all manner of hand pumps, electric pumps, including most of those described in this thread, and spouts. Which one is on the boat?


Shaker siphon. So simple. Minimal contact area so less smell. Nothing to break. Coils up small for storage, for example, in a bucket or a Ziploc bag. In many cases you can start the siphon and then do something else (within sight), no hands. I have no wish to pick up a heavy 5-gallon can and pour from it, so I don't care about the spout, or weather it has one at all.



And a Surecan to fill lawn equipment and small outboards.