Top tips for stockpiling gasoline
One of the most essential things you can stockpile for survival and disaster preparedness is gasoline. Fuel, in general, is going to become a very precious commodity in the aftermath of a disaster scenario because it’s completely necessary in order to power vehicles and generators.
So not only will gas be something you need to transport yourself or to keep the power running in a grid down scenario, it will be an important trading commodity as well.
That being said, storing gasoline is also not a subject that you want to take lightly. When storing gasoline, you want to do so in a way that is as safe as possible. Fortunately, you can easily do this so long as you know what to do.
Here are the top five tips for stockpiling gasoline:
Use High-Quality Red Containers
There’s a reason why you normally see gasoline being stored in red containers. Red containers designate that gasoline is being stored, while blue indicates kerosene and yellow indicates diesel.
To avoid any confusion with yourself or anybody else, always store your gasoline in similar red containers. In addition, avoid purchasing used containers (even if they would save you money) and instead go with brand new ones. The reason why is because you must store your gasoline in quality containers that are completely sealed off, and there’s a chance that a used container could have a leak, which would be dangerous for storage and also shorten the shelf life of your gasoline.
Never Store Your Gasoline Indoors
Next, NEVER store your gasoline indoors. This is easily one of the most dangerous things you can do, because once the fumes from the gasoline can cause a myriad of different health problems. Rather, only store your gasoline outdoors.
Store In A Cool and Dim Location
Okay, so you should store your gasoline outside. But where exactly outside? The answer is in any outdoor location that is cool and dim. Avoid storing your gasoline under the sun as this will cause the gasoline to slowly evaporate and make it all go to waste.
There are three primary options for where you can store gasoline and that are cool and dim:
- An Outdoor Shed
- Outside Under Some Tarps
- A Garage
Rotate Your Gasoline
Next, you must always remember to rotate your gasoline. You may believe that you can just buy all of the gasoline you want or need at once and then leave it alone until it’s time to use it, but this is a big mistake.
Believe it or not, but gasoline will go bad after a certain period of time even when you store it in optimal conditions. As a golden rule, rotate your gasoline one year after you store it. To make sure you rotate it out each year, write down the date you stored the gasoline with sharpie or marker on the container.
Of course, you don’t want to allow that gasoline to go to waste after a year of storing. Fortunately, you can easily use it to fill up your vehicle right now and then take the empty containers to the gas station to refill them back up for the next year.
Store Enough Of It!
Last but not least, you have to store enough gasoline to last you through a disaster, right? Gasoline is something that you can never truly store enough of, just as you can never truly store enough food and water.
However, there is a minimum limit to how much gasoline you should store for both your generator and your vehicle. Plan on storing at least fifteen gallons of gasoline per week for your generator. Then, multiply this number for as long as you plan on preparing for. So if you plan on preparing for six months, you’ll need a whopping three hundred and sixty gallons.
As for your vehicle, you need to store at least enough to make a round trip to your bug out location or rendezvous point and back in your vehicle. You’ll need to calculate this one on your own based on the total number of miles traveled and the mileage rate of your vehicle.
Keep in mind, you can use your generator gasoline for your vehicle and vice versa.
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