I am interested in any designs available for the design of storing 6-8 druims of gasoline underground.

-- Carl Glassmeyer (usnrr@impulsedata.com), March 03, 1999

Answers

Carl: Dont know if you want to store 55gal. drums underground or 300- 500 gals. underground. What comes to mind is purchase a 300 or 500 gal fuel oil tank. (where I live they run about $1 per gal.) They have venting and fill/ discharge holes on top and can be buried safely. You will need a long reach barrel hand pump (about $50) This should do the trick...Good Luck ..Dennis

-- Dennis S. (souza@ptialaska.net), March 03, 1999.

Re: fuel oil tanks.

Don't necessarily need to by new. Around here you look around you can find them free for the hauling. Problem is you'll need an appliance dolly and measure real carefully to be sure it will clear the stairs (usually in the basement. A buddy of mine had one with easy access - where the shed stood last year. The $50 he wanted was worth not having to get it out of a basement. Backed the trailer up, gave him one last chance to keep (it for Y2K) loaded it on. Come summer will have to decide if it stays outside or if I have it installed downstairs (already measured, it will fit - just have to redo some shelving in the corner...)

Good Luck jh

-- john hebert (jt_hebert@hotmail.com), March 03, 1999.

Oops, forgot to mention will I will use for K1 or fuel oil. Obviously if you want for gas would want outside and away from house. The chemist's on the forum can probably what you would need to rinse with to prevent problems with gas stored in it.

jh

-- john hebert (jt_hebert@hotmail.com), March 03, 1999.

Underground gas tanks are expensive. I believe that they have to be lined with fiberglas and/or asphalt. They also may require electric leak detection monitoring and may have to be installed by a licensed contractor.

They also require considerations for soil and groundwater conditions. A tank can literally float out of the ground, even when full.

To clean up a leak can cost tens, or hundreds of thousands of dollars. If undetected it could pollute groundwater and cause great suffering for generations to come. For those who lack imagination, succinctly and euphemistically: Drinking such water can cause qrotesque looking uncontrolled cell growth that may cause one to cough and spit out blood along with wasted tissue, along with intense physical pain.

Still want to bury a gas tank to store fuel? If you do, please do it correctly.

-- Creature (creature@zoo.net), March 03, 1999.

Just K.I.S.S.

Build a root cellar with a nice wide door and low angle ramp so that barrels can be handled on two wheeled cart that is designed to handle barrels, available at Grainers, etc. Buy some Wolmanized 4'x4's that some old wooden pallet skids can be placed on to make a platform for the barrels. This will allow you to inspect the bottem of the barrels for leakage. The Wolmanized lumber is okay for earth contact and won't rot for decades. Don't fall for any "this is just as good as Wolmanized", been there - done that - big mistake, ditto old creosoted timbers that have been in the rain for the last 5 years. Big hint: do not inspect them with your Alladin, guess why.

You know, the idea of storing something that gives off explosive vapors in a confined enclosure gives me the willies. Okay, deep six that idea unless you do the following - make the roof of the root cellar out of canvas, with another canvas roof 1' above that is wider and longer that the first roof, with the space in between open to the outside air on all sides. I would STRONGLY encourage you to put in some type of passive venting say some 10 or 12" stove pipe going from the bottem of the fuel cellar to at least 6-8' above grade with a suction turbine on the top.

This is why I'm switching from gasoline to diesel for my generator, gasoline can be so darned dangerous.

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), March 04, 1999.

This is DANGEROUS to accomplish! Use common sense, please!

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), March 05, 1999.