Prepared Society Forum banner

Stash Fuel?

4288 Views 15 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  dsly66ko
I have been thinking of stashing fuel along maybe 2 of my possible egress routes in case I need to flee. I was thinking that I might get like 5ea 5 gal cans with stabilizer in them and burry them and mark a gps location and proximity to a landmark.

Anyone else consider anything like this?

I figure my jeep has about 150 mile range off road with it's 15 gal tank. So that's about 10 mpg. And then I carry 2 5 gal cans on the back so there's another 100 miles. So if i put them out at 200 miles i'll have 50 miles buffer.
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
I don't quite understand your plan. Your thinking about burying fuel along a public road? If so I don't think that would be a good idea. Probably very illegal.
I have been thinking of stashing fuel along maybe 2 of my possible egress routes in case I need to flee. I was thinking that I might get like 5ea 5 gal cans with stabilizer in them and burry them and mark a gps location and proximity to a landmark.

Anyone else consider anything like this?

I figure my jeep has about 150 mile range off road with it's 15 gal tank. So that's about 10 mpg. And then I carry 2 5 gal cans on the back so there's another 100 miles. So if i put them out at 200 miles i'll have 50 miles buffer.
I dont think that this would be a realistic idea, Underground storage of fuel requires lots of permits and their are tons of regulations. Not to mention that somebody might stumble upon your "stash" or see you burying it.

Your best bet would be to take as much with you as possible. Or maybe "stash" away some gas at a friend or family members house that happens to be en route.
Extra gas

I live in earthquake country and I have been thinking of having one 5 gallon jeep can in the back of my truck. it would be secure with tie-downs and my shell can be vented. When you get gas, get 5 exta gallons, just be sure you fill it on the ground. And make sure you do not add static electricity to you. Touch the metal of your vehicle often and do not go back inside your vehicle when you are getting gas.
What if you drain a well then pour cement into the bottom to seal it off then use it to store gasoline?
What if you drain a well then pour cement into the bottom to seal it off then use it to store gasoline?
There are so many things wrong with that idea...

-expensive
-easily contaminated (very hard to clean the inside of the well before you fill it with gas)
-environmental risks (any fuel leaking out of that well is almost certain to contaminate the ground water/water table... since the well was placed right in it!)
-doesn't easily prevent moisture from entering, or prevent vapours from escaping.

If you really wanted to store fuel underground out of site, then you'd need a properly designed tank. Even then, fuel can only be stored for so long before it's no good. And you can't just keep pumping it full of Stabil to maintain it. You would have to cycle through it on regular intervals.
Also, when shtf happens, you will not be able to rely on a gps, because the satellites will either not be in operation, or if they are, they will be strictly controlled so that they are not accessible for use by general population
Kudos for thinking out of the box, but I think there are too many unknowns in this situation... I don't know that the reward is great enough to merit the risks. Not to mention, are you going to dig it up every six months when the gas needs to be changed out?
Store the gas cans at home and pack em up if you have to bug. If space is an issue, tie them to the bumper if nothing else. Don't count on a stash that may or may not go undiscovered, and if it it does remain hidden, who knows if it will still be good when you need it.
Storing gasoline anywhere out of your direct control is a bad idea. Though I haven't researched it, or read of it being nation-wide (I'm a bit in the dark on this), I'm inclined to believe that you can't get gas without ethanol as an additive now days, and that crap has caused more fuel system problems than we may ever know. And, it's supposed to create a cleaner burn of the fuel, or reduced oxides in the emissions or something. We've had several fuel pump failures with EFI and lots of small engine carb issues as well, all fuel related from this garbage, due to plugged filters and sludge in the tank, and destroyed rubber components in the fuel system. BTW, if you have EFI with in-line filters, I recommend you change the filter every oil-change...if in tank screen instead of in-line filter, well, be ready for plenty of gas tank drops and pump-pulling to clean it out. Anyway, if I could tell the fuel vendors to stick it where the sun won't shine, I would, but it's all you can get here. Even with stabilizer, it will separate more quickly than we'd like to think.

There is at least one fuel stabilizer specifically designed for ethanol, called Ethanol Shield...never tried it, yet, but plan to soon.

That said, any gas you store, even with stabilizer which recommends maximum storage of 12 months will probably stratify and turn to slop long before that 12 months is up. And once it does, it's worthless for internal combustion engines, and will contaminate the container it is stored, which will need to be cleaned out before being re-used. Keep your stored gas in rotation with what you regularly use and you'll be far better off. For any vehicles or equipment which are not used regularly, the gasoline should be completely drained from the tank and the engine should be run until it dies from lack of fuel in the carburetor or fuel system, but if EFI, the fuel should be treated before filling, purging through the system, and then draining and running until stalled, just to improve your chances for not having issues with the residual fuel in the system. A few gallons of treated fuel could then be added to the dry tank every 2-3 months, restart the engine and run long enough to warm the engine to normal operating temps (to prevent water vapor condensation in the crank-case) and purge the fuel system with freshly treated fuel again, then repeat the previous preps for storage again.

Gas sux now days, but we do what we must.
See less See more
I'm inclined to believe that you can't get gas without ethanol as an additive now days, and that crap has caused more fuel system problems than we may ever know.
It is "Possible" to find good old gas, just not "real easy", to find ethanol free gas in your area, go to

http://pure-gas.org/

Originally posted by ZoomZoom in "Gasoline is not what it used to be"
Alrod75 Jan 25, 2012
i was just wondering how the gas at my local station was. and then i brought up that link....right there! i appreciate it.
It is "Possible" to find good old gas, just not "real easy", to find ethanol free gas in your area, go to

http://pure-gas.org/

Originally posted by ZoomZoom in "Gasoline is not what it used to be"
Alrod75 Jan 25, 2012
Great info, Davarm! Just found out that I'd have to drive over 60 miles from home to get "non-enhanced" gas...crap, I guess my gut feelings were correct, at least for my area.
Old propane tanks are in abundance, and have thick walls. I have some gasoline stored off-site in an old propane tank in one location and in an old air compressor tank in another location.
If your jeep is your only bug out rig you have then look at a receiver hitch and a cargo carrier..

If it were me I'd use two receiver units and a stouter cargo rack then you can buy , set up to slide into the twin receiver tubes.. much stronger and balanced .. then you can carry all your fuel plus other goodies..

But I'd really prefer a small trailer preloaded and ready to roll.. plus stabo keeps gas for nearly 2 years or so as I seem to recall.. not really sure since I run Diesel.. with 110 gal capacity .. which gives me just about 1500 miles of get away ..

I also have another 25 gals in cans.. so I'm good for about 1800 miles at highway speed.. if i drop it down to 65 mph it goes up more.. but since I ain't planning to go nowhere I guess I'd call it get home fuel in case I was away....

For you folks with older Ford Diesels, I have a buddy who runs two Power strokes on used tranny fluids.. he's the head Diesel Mech for a ford dealership and gets it free since they have to pay to have it hauled off.. I know my Cummins would puke on that but Fords do just fine.. he just strains it thru some paper filter and he's good to go..
See less See more
PRI-G vs StarTron stabilizers

Have a stash of 20 five gallon jerry cans of e-gas, to which I had added PRI-G. After one year, I began to rotate them through my car, to keep it fresh. No problems noticed.
I was using it in my ATV also. I only put about 20 miles on it a year, so I don't go through a lot of gas. Started to have problems...missing, wouldn't idle, choked when accelerating. Spoke to my mechanic, and he explained the e-gas separation problem. Told me to get the engine hot, put gas selector to reserve which draws off the bottom of the tank where the water is, and run it hard for 30 minutes. I drained the tank, put the old gas in the lawnmower, where it ran ok, and refilled the ATV with non-e gas. Runs fine now.
I located a source of non-e gas about 20 miles away, so that's what I use in my car, the ATV and the jerry cans. Car gets 470 km/tank with this, vs. 400 with e-gas, so I will continue to use non-e gas as long as I can find it.

PRI-G says it will absorb some of the separated water, and so far it seems ok. Saw a new product today called StarTron Enzyme Fuel treatment, which claims to eliminate the problem. Has anyone had experience with either of these products, and what conclusions did you come to? The StarTron is easier to get here, and a bit cheaper.
Would appreciate the benefit of experience!
See less See more
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top