Fuel Storage for stoves, lights, vehicles, and other uses.

[adam2]

The filling station in Minehead was out of fuel for some days. Local rumour suggested a cash flow problem rather than any general shortage of fuel.

Other nearby filling stations also ran out briefly, possibly due to extra demand.

[kenneal - lagger]

Shows how finely adjusted supply is to demand. One small aberration is enough to bugger the whole supply locally. Not a good omen for the upcoming crash.

[RenewableCandy]

V.E. Day binge

[adam2]

It might be prudent to review stocks of petrol, diesel fuel, paraffin, and LPG. The situation in the Middle East is looking increasing serious and an Arab oil enbargo seems a likely consequence.
If you use a petrol vehicle, keep the tank well filled and store the maximum permitted amount of 30l in cans if you can safely do this.
Even if you dont regularly use petrol, I would keep a couple of 5 litre cans of Aspen 4, as this keeps well.
TRUST ADAM 2, TRUST HIS PETROL NOTES.
Diesel fuel keeps better than petrol and large volumes may be lawfully stored.
Paraffin is less used these days, keep a reserve if you use it.

This is not the place totalk about the war, any posts about the merits of either side will be deleted without mercy. The war CAN be disscused in relevant thread.
Keep this thread on the topic of fuel storage.

[Lurkalot]

I started rotating my diesel stocks last week using stored stuff and refilling the cans. I use petrol in my tools and tend to buy as much as is allowed in the autumn to use next year as a bit of a hedge against inflation as much as anything else.
I have tried the Aspen fuel specifically the ready mixed two stroke version in my chainsaw , hedge trimmer and other tools but frankly didn't find it to be much better than standard supermarket petrol. The claimed shelf life is a benefit although the price certainly isn't..

[clv101]

I use Aspen 2 in my chainsaw (550XP Mk2) but I use so little, no more than 10L a year, I'm not too fussed about the cost difference. The long shelf life and cleaner burning is more than worth it.

[mr brightside]

So, is Aspen 2 E5 or E10?

[clv101]

Aspen contains no ethanol.

[adam2]

Aspen contains no ethanol.

You beat me to it !, no ethanol in Aspen fuel.

[Lurkalot]

I use Aspen 2 in my chainsaw (550XP Mk2) but I use so little, no more than 10L a year, I'm not too fussed about the cost difference. The long shelf life and cleaner burning is more than worth it.

There's a certain irony that a product aimed more at professional use is actually better suited to occasional use where petrol would otherwise just sit in the tank for weeks on end. The general consensus is that petrol with two stroke oil has a shorter life than petrol without so in that case the Aspen is probably better for someone who only uses a two stroke machine occasionally. My two stroke petrol is used on a more regular basis . Mowers are pretty much all four stroke and it would get a bit pricey to run one on Aspen when it's being run on pretty much a daily basis throughout the summer months. Also to be honest these engines are normally the last thing to fail on a mower. When I brought the Aspen 2 I talked to the salesman and he was saying the biggest use of the Aspen 4 they found was for people using it in Coleman type stoves.

[Lurkalot]

Does anyone know what the UP TO DATE law is on domestic storage of petrol.
My understanding is that the law (or perhaps secondary rules made under the law) has recently changed.

AFAIK, the present rule is no more than 30 (thirty) litres may stored in purpose made containers of metal or plastic.
This would appear to permit of a pair of steel jerry cans, each of 20 litres capacity, provided that each one contains only 15 litres of petrol.
In theory up to 275 litres may be stored under certain conditions, but the conditions are strict and very few domestic premises would meet the requirements.

I've found this subject discussed on a couple of other forums . Looking at the government website only seems to add to the confusion. The 30L limit seems clear enough but then it talks of applying to the PEA to store more and it mentions a licence to store up to 275 L . There seems to be another amount of 3500L mentioned and the licence again but this presumably a different licence and conditions. The website is a little thin on what one should be doing to store 30-275L other than name and address , ventilation and ceilings to fire reg standards. Presumably there must be an inspection of the premises ? There's also no mention of if an application can be denied.
To be honest we haven't found anyone who has applied for this licence which could mean there are many hoops to jump through , or people are either ignoring the law or just not storing petrol...

[adam2]

IN THEORY, one may apply for a licence to store up to 275 liters of petrol, in practice it almost impossible to comply with the requirements . There ARE strict rules regarding distances from other buildings and from water courses, rules with which most premises can not comply.
I would keep to to the 30 litre limit and attract no attention by applying for more.
A cynic might suspect that holders of a petrol storage licence might be regarded as a handy emergency fuel source by TPTB.
It might be tempting to store a little more, but that is against the law.
Petrol in vehicle tanks does not count but petrol in cans still counts even if those cans are within a vehicle.
One possible loophole is to acquires extra vehicles simply for the petrol tank capacity, nothing requires that these vehicles be in working order.
i know someone who purchased two old Jaguar cars for this reason, duplicate and large fuel tanks.

[clv101]

How long does petrol last, in the fuel tank of an old Jag? If the car's aren't on the road, the idea of filling and emptying every few months 'just in case' seems way to much effort.
Better to buy diesel vehicles!

[adam2]

How long does petrol last, in the fuel tank of an old Jag? If the car's aren't on the road, the idea of filling and emptying every few months 'just in case' seems way to much effort.
Better to buy diesel vehicles!

Diesel fuel might indeed have been a better choice, the petrol was removed by a hand pump and used regularly.

[Lurkalot]

IN THEORY, one may apply for a licence to store up to 275 liters of petrol,in practice it almost impossible to comply with the requirements . There ARE strict rules regarding distances from other buildings and from water courses, rules with which most premises can not comply.
I would keep to to the 30 litre limit and attract no attention by applying for more.
A cynic might suspect that holders of a petrol storage licence might be regarded as a handy emergeny fuel source by TPTB.
It might be tempting to store a little more, but that is agains the law.
Petrol in vehicle tanks does not count but petrol in cans still counts even if those cans are within a vehicle.
One possible loophole is to acquires extra vehicles simply for the petrol tank capacity, nothing requires that these vehicles be in working order.
i know someone who purchased two old Jaguar cars for this reason, duplicate and large fuel tanks.

Thanks for the information Adam. I sort of expected it was far more difficult than just applying for a licence. I don't know of anyone who has this licence although on other forums a few have admitted to storing more illegally. I keep the 30L as I use it in mowers and similar but to be honest I see very little point in storing enough for a year as if things got that bad I wouldn't expect to be working gardening for people. I do have a petrol stove although it's been a while since I've used it but I would expect 30L to last quite a while so the idea of storing more seems somewhat academic.