I just filled up my gas cans and put them in a shed about a 100 feet behind my house. I left the window open for ventalation. Is there anything else I need to do?

-- Mat (howtostore@gas.com), December 29, 1999

Answers

Go get some Drygas, or other fuel stabilizer, or better yet both. Add it to all the gas you have stored. Also, I hope you filled the cans as much as possible. Make sure they are closed as tightly as possible, too. If they are exposed to too much air, the gas will go bad as it partially oxidizes. Also, don't sit the cans directly on the floor. Put them up on a pallet or something. If the cans are metal, this will prevent them from rusting out on the bottom. If plastic, it will prevent water from freezing under them and cracking the plastic. There may be more that this, but I think this would be a good start.

-- Little Pig (littlepig@brickhouse.com), December 29, 1999.

Hope you left room in the cans for expansion ... I also personally think it is a good idea to periodically loosen the caps for a second or two to release any excess pressure due to any large change of ambient temperature and then retighten them ... Others might disagree.

-- John (jh@NotReal.ca), December 29, 1999.

Now hope yo happen to have plastic cans rather than metal, cause they store alot longer even without preservatives. They'll give you at least 6months, right folks?

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 29, 1999.

Mat, all of the answers are correct from my own experience. My 50 gallons is in 5 gal. red plastic containers. Added Stabul to the gas. They are under a tree behind a shed in the shade all day. So far, no problems. I've rotated the gas every three, four months. Put the old in the car, and get new. Everything works fine. However, there may not be much "rotating" in the next few months. Gonna have to use it wisely.

-- Richard (Astral-Acres@webtv.net), December 29, 1999.