Horrible "non spill" gas cans

[dannc]

The tractor website I hang out on has been complaining about the new cans for years. Some people use the jingle siphon while more have just drilled a vent in the can. To plug the drilled vents many people were using tire valves as a cap mechanism while others used a wood screw, piece of wood or golf tee.

At least one guy had parts of the new fangled funnel fall into his fuel tank. He just left the parts in the tank since it would be a major job to remove the tank and a mechanic familiar with the tractor said the parts are not going to cause any harm. That certainly will be tank specific.

I had read that new spouts were out there to replace the crappy ones on the new tanks. I just used a big funnel. Kinda hard to mess up a big funnel.

Later,
Dan

[Cheechako]

I just checked Ebay and there are spouts available there. Unfortunately they are roughly $9 apiece. Available in 1, 2 or 3 at a time.

[nimblemotors]

CARB did not mandate really poorly designed fuel cans, just like they did not tell car markers to improve emissions using really poor designs, which is what they did initially.

You can always just remove the top and use a funnel.

[Stu Jackson]

From OCTOBER 2004 !!!

Latitude 38 Letters - Chuck started the popular West Marine Advisors articles in their catalogs and website.

IF THE TECH GUY CAN'T DO IT, WHO CAN? Fuel and related issues seem to be all you talk about these days. First the West Marine fuel filter, which we discussed last month, and now you'd like me to do a photo demonstration of how to pour fuel from the new 'environmentally-friendly' fuel jug into a fuel tank?
Here's an experience that will explain how I feel about the fuel jug. I bought a Tahoe-compliant Mercury four-stroke, 4 h.p. outboard for my family's Rhodes 19 on Fallen Leaf Lake. While picking up the engine, I also bought one of the new CARB-compliant fuel cans - since that's all you can buy in our West Marine stores. I believe it was a Specter two-gallon model, #2590750. I took the engine and gas jug to the lake, installed the engine - and spent the next 20 minutes trying to fill it from the low-pollution gas jug. I spilled fuel in the lake, on my clothes, into the bilge of the boat - all over the place! Try as I might, I could not burp the pressure out of the can, pour it, and stop it at the right moment. It was impossible. As the Mercury outboard has the option of a remote tank, I believe that's the only way to safely, cleanly, and legally fuel the outboard in California.
When I mentioned the problem to Scepter, they sent me a non-compliant, non-super-complicated spout, which worked all right. The only problem is that the jug, by law, can't have a vent on it, so the fuel surges.
I don't know what to do about this problem. I sincerely think that CARB, as with the MTBE mess, created a much larger problem than they solved. I consider myself an environmentalist, but I honestly can't see how these jugs reduce pollution.


Chuck Hawley
West Marine Products


Readers - If a tech expert such as Chuck Hawley can't pour from an 'environmentally-friendly' fuel jug without making a mess, how are the rest of us mere mortals supposed to do it? We say 'back to the drawing board' for CARB.

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

You can always just remove the top and use a funnel.

Which is what I do, it just makes it hard not to splash it everywhere when you first start pouring a full 5 gallon jug.

[Robertkwfl]

The "No-Spill" brand cans (nospill.com) work pretty well and are readily available online and at local retailers. The spout mechanism is much easier to use and less likely to break. The best part is that they sell a flexible spout extension that makes pouring much easier and a cap without a spout for storage and transportation. They even sell spare o-rings should you ever need them.

After breaking half a dozen of the horrible Scepter spouts last year, I replaced all of them with the No-Spill cans this summer. So far they have worked well. No leaks and nothing broken.

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by Fiveslide

Yes, I have, for racing. Neat thing about those nossels is they are just plumbing parts and hose that can be had at most hardware stores if you need to fix them.

I think they would work great on a boat.

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Dumb question but how hard is it to pour these into a car?

At the end of the season I usually pour the whats left into my car to get rid of the old gas. Lately I have been hand pumping it with a siphon which isn't fun either. Does the hose and shape of the jug allow you to "easily" pour these into a car or is it still a hassle?

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

---
You can always just remove the top and use a funnel.

Jack, let me guess - you don't have much experience trying to fill an outboard fuel tank in the middle of a harbor with a large chop running?

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Readers - If a tech expert such as Chuck Hawley can't pour from an 'environmentally-friendly' fuel jug without making a mess, how are the rest of us mere mortals supposed to do it? We say 'back to the drawing board' for CARB.

Rhetorical question I know but CARB!! Staffed with C students.

BTW, I have a good friend that is a math prof at a well known engineering school not to be named. Retention is the number one priority (with all universities now) even though publically diversity is number one. Anyway, it's pretty clear wrt to the retention policy that everyone gets an engineering degree. That said, he is fearful of driving over newer bridges because he believes that it is just a question of time before they start collapsing.

[FSMike]

To get the old style spouts just go to Amazon and search for "fuel can spouts".

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by FSMike

Jack, let me guess - you don't have much experience trying to fill an outboard fuel tank in the middle of a harbor with a large chop running?

Sounds like you are talking about a 3 hp. Johnson circa 50s?

[Fiveslide]

Originally Posted by ontherocks83

Dumb question but how hard is it to pour these into a car?

At the end of the season I usually pour the whats left into my car to get rid of the old gas. Lately I have been hand pumping it with a siphon which isn't fun either. Does the hose and shape of the jug allow you to "easily" pour these into a car or is it still a hassle?

Ha. Not a clue. I used them for bikes. I'd be lying if I said I knew it would fit in a standard car filler. I think it would. And they were easily handled during bike fueling.

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Cheechako]

ebay..... one of several...

[nimblemotors]

Originally Posted by FSMike

Jack, let me guess - you don't have much experience trying to fill an outboard fuel tank in the middle of a harbor with a large chop running?

I do not have any experience doing this, my gas outboard had an external tank, at least it did until I replaced it with an electric outboard.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by ontherocks83

I found these online. They are meant for "racing" only. Has anyone used this style can by VP before?

That's the only style I use. We buy them at the offroad shops or motorcycle/snowmobile shops. They're called "utility jugs" and I buy them without the "VP" logo on them for about $25-30 ea, with cap and hose. The hose deteriorates in the sun after a couple of years, so I just replace it with clear vinyl hose from Home Depot.

CA law (possibly other states as well) states that these cannot be sold as gas containers, so we buy them as utility jugs. There is no law concerning using them as gas containers. Dozens of BLM rangers (by far the most ticket happy bunch of jack booted thugs on the planet) see my utility jugs every year, and not one has stopped to say a word.