I’ve got a few spare cans of Coleman fuel in the 1 gallon metal containers as backup/storage. just good insurance in case we need extended cooking on a Coleman stove in case of power outage etc. Growing up in new england we always had a few extra cans around in the basement and that i remember never had rusting issues on the cans.
Now we live in florida – not near the coasts so it is not direct sea air causing it – and these cans are stored in the garage on plastic shelf units – some cans are only a couple of months old and I’ve noticed a terrible rust problem across nearly all the cans – at first I had them stacked in a couple of boxes and only the top exposed open box had cans with rust – I figured I had sweaty hands and maybe that was the source of it.
As I moved the all open top boxes onto shelf units – within two months all the cans now have a very bad case or rust on the tops – I have not checked the bottoms yet – but I am very concerned about longevity and the possibility of the rust causing a leak and next thing you know a puddle of easily fuel has dripped down onto other fuel cans… I dread to think what could happen.
the garage gets lots of air circulation – it is not airtight, not near sea air (essentially in the middle strip of florida) but i am at a loss as what is causing the rapid rusting – I would like to find a cause and fix it – i have noticed an older can of Thompson’s wood seal in a similar 1 gallon can stored in a different area of the garage is very rusty too.
I’ve thought of pouring the all Coleman fuel into 5 gallon plastic fuel cans but that is not a best solution as the ease of grabbing a 1 gallon can on a camp trip or to share/lend is greatly diminished.
Is anybody else having issues with rusting cans? Anybody have any ideas on what to do to salvage these cans, or prevent this from occurring in the future? I’m at a loss about what is causing it.
I can’t possibly use them before the rust becomes too serious of an issue.
Thanks for any advice …
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thanks for posting – i have some additional info since i emailed my question that may be helpful…
coleman actually has info on their site and they say their fuel is good for 7 years unopened and average 2 years if opened
but i found many web postings where people have said using it fine after 10 or 20 years opened etc… but nobody seemed to have or mention the rust issue on the cans as badly.
co-incidently we had pool service just a couple days ago and i talked to the guy about it and that we kept our pool chemicals in the garage and he said that may be the cause – even if they are closed they often aren’t air tight and can cause terrible corrosion, he told of parking his boat down inside his pool supply warehouse when a storm came through and even in just a week it showed some bad rust etc… even on stainless steel propellers
so this seems to be our biggest clue as the pool was put in 3 years ago and before that over the 15 or so years we don’t seem to remember anything rusting so bad before hand…
the chemicals are moved out now so hopefully that helps stop or reduce the issues – i’m going to get two brand new cans of coleman fuel and set one out as a test to see if it rusts the same and i’ll put the other one in a closed cardboard box or some other non-airtight container and see if that helps (compared to if the other begin to show signs of corrosion again)
so my big concerns now are how to stop/prevent the ongoing corrosion in the other cans i have and or dare transfer the gas into another container and risk the shortened storage life (re: coleman) which i would prefer not to…
it’s always something… but live and learn and maybe others will benefit – especially if they are storing pool chemicals like pool or water softener salt, muratic acid, or even calcium hypochlorate (some brands of pool shock) for future water purification needs – factory sealed it may be ok – but maybe not – not sure which is the worst culprit but it seems it can cause some rapid damaging corrosion on other stored items if not careful… i’d hate for others to suffer this rust or corrosion on items, anything metal just turns so fast… bikes, chains, tools, fuel cans… basically lots of very useful things that could be hard to replace in an uncertain future.
thanks a lot, i look forward to the posting and other readers ideas…
I don’t know what’s causing the rust. Honestly, Florida has high humidity state wide and you may be seeing a result of that.
But rather than transfer to a 5 gallon container. Try transferring to 1 gallon containers. Then they will still be easy to grab and use – and won’t rust. Just make sure to mark the containers clearly on all sides so that no one confuses them with your normal gas containers.
(BTW, you can get empty 1/2 and 1 gallon plastic paint pails at Lowes. I’d transfer the Thompsons to one of those.)
I think the rust would continue to eat at the containers even after you’ve removed the pool chemicals. I would transfer them over to a suitable metal container or plastic container. You’ll take a hit on shelf life but it’s better than having unsafe containers.
The next idea that came to mind for your new containers is make sure the containers are clean then apply a coating of vaseline. My grandparents always coated their stored metals in vaseline and swear by it.
Hmm. If the rust isnt too bad yet the containers could be saved. Sand or scrub off all the rust, and prep and paint with some heavy duty exterior metal enamel paint.
Then mark them as the ‘use first’ storage.
I havent done it with those containers before though I have with other things, so take all due precautions, and let your good sense be your guide.
BTW Chlorine bleach, drain cleaners, and pool chemicals, can all cause awful rusting issues with anything stored ‘nearby’ and nearby could be in the same or ‘nearby’ BUILDINGS. ;p
Which reminds me – I need to move the chemicals out of the pantry…
Many home depot/Lowes, or paint stores carry one gallon containers similar to the coleman fuel cans with the opening for a couple dollars. They have screw down lids and by spray painting them with a rust resistant paint will help cut down the rusting. I have used Coleman fuel that is going on 25 years old in my lantern and as long as it’s sealed, it’s good to go. Only when the fuel turns yellow is when it begins to go bad. Those plastic fuel cans at the major stores ‘breathe’, that’s why it’s not recommended to store fuel longer then six months, they are no where near being vapor proof.
I’m in the get-a-couple-of five-gallon-containers-and-transfer-the-stuff- over column.
I’d suggest finding two NATO standard containers and using them. I have lamp fuel that has been stored that way in my garage here in FL for over ten years now and the containers are are still solid as the day I bought them.
And your friend is probably regarding the pool-chemical storage. That stuff needs to be kept well away from anything else. The problem with it is that it is all very hydroscopic. It will combine wih any moisture anywhere.
I spray my containers with rust inhibitor , then color coded rust oleum
for easy recognition ….. so far so good ! Works on tools also….
I am sure you know the only way to stop the cans you have from continuing to rust is to clean them of all the rust that is currently on them. I like to use a rubberized undercoating to treat all of my metal cans that I have. It is the same stuff that you will find being used to treat the underside of your car against rust. You can buy it at auto parts stores and wal-mart for around 10 bucks.
Dann,most all types of pool shock made of chlorine should be used out doors in a well ventilated area.Even fresh and new a lot of them put off strong vapors.
China
III
i appreciate all the thoughts – so is anyone else storing a few extra of these gallon cans of fuel?
seems like a great way to me for cooking etc if electricity is out in a SHTF scenario. maybe the replacement 1gallon metal cans idea is the best one i’ve heard so far – it never crossed my mind to look for those new – but i was very leery of using normal plastic gas cans as i’ve noticed them “breathing” and emitting vapors as well.
i’ll give another important warning about what happened today – calcium hypochlorate mixes into bleach which can be used for purifying water – it’s great since it does not lose it’s potency like liquid bleach will (usually after 18 months it’s impotent) so keep that in mind if you plan on adding 8-16 drops per gallon to water – as it ages it will lose strength and possibly not perform as expected and you could get some nasty stuff left in any water you are treating.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_hypochlorite
so i have an original heavy duty plastic tub container that held a case pack of the smaller individual plastic bags of calcium hypochlorate (pool shock, no additives etc) – it’s a great container – super heavy duty, locking cover etc. i was sure this was perfect for long term as it’s what these came shipped in for storage at the pool supply company to await sale. so i opened it today to check on the contents after my new increased concern over the stability of things… danger!
thank god i opened it outside – a huge cloud of chlorine gas came out almost knocking me over – another thank god i have quick breathing reflexes from swimming and at first slight whif stopped all my airflow in until i could get far enough away – it seems the individual plastic bag packages had become brittle and essentially near disintegrated inside – exposing all the once previously small easy to handle/use packages into a 50lb mass of toxic gas emitting death.
the cloud coming from the bucket was near unbreathable from as far as 10 feet away – not a good surprise and a concern as normally this would have been opened in the garage or possibly another less ventilated space… think in a SHTF situation and you are being covert/careful with supplies and exposure – you won’t necessarily want to haul stuff outside in full view of others – so in an emergency situation i most likely would have opened this in the closed garage to get access to one of the small single use bags inside – or worse maybe even brought the plastic bin into a kitchen or bathroom to get access to the individual bags inside.
not a good surprise – but as many should agree – better it happen now then in a real emergency when it is really needed.
so that is now one other task to research – how to better store calcium hypochlorate for long term use. (i never would have thought the original plastic bag packages would have broken down like that in as short as a year/year and a half)
also the potentially escaping fumes from a less sturdy or poorly sealed container of these bags could create huge heath issues or even death if stored improperly in a location – i could see these individual plastic bags being put in someones interior closet or even bug out bag by an unsuspecting person as they seem very sturdy and waterproof, easy to carry, and mix a little when needed etc… but once ruptured the fumes are not pleasant and potentially toxic – causing long term health problems or even death.
it seems long term storage is definitely something our “just in time” retail system is not geared for anymore… i’ve got a lot more homework to do on these topics…
now i am very concerned about the longevity and stability of many other items that are put away for a rainy day…
Sheesh. Not to be criticising you and your preps, but quite honestly I am very concerned about the types of things people are storing in quantity which was
never intended for residential areas. Are there local regulations pertaining to these materials? If so, are you ignoring them?
Somebody’s stored fuel and water treatment supplies, improperly stored and handled, could very well create a problem for the prepper and his/her neighbors. That’s something I think we should all consider if we live in a residential area. Does our desire to be prepared trump our neighbor’s safety? I don’t think so! What if the neighbor preps and does so in a way that endangers us? We’d be pretty upset about his “carelessness” I imagine. I know I would be seriously ticked off.
What I’m saying is it is our responsibility to know the right way to store potentially dangerous supplies before we put our families and neighbors at risk.
Due diligence should begin BEFORE we store.
sheesh – not to be criticizing you and your post but i guess i’ll do it just like you did.
nowhere did i mention quantities of what i stored. it could be 5, 1 gallon cans – is that too much? do you approve it for me? do you only allow one box of 50 handgun rounds per residence too? how much is ok with you to feel safe? my wife has a lot of shoes – what is your acceptable number for her to have?
the point was as long as the electricity is running i don’t really need them. but i don’t want them to rust out and become a hazard either. (see how you missed the whole actual concern of my post? of being a good safe person and caring about the state of my items so as to not create an unsafe situation.
as for the calcium hypochlorate (pool shock) – we have a pool, therefore we have pool shock – i am not the type to waste gas driving over to the local pool store when i need to shock the pool to buy 1 tiny bag. so i bought the plastic pail of them – i like to be prepared, and always have – i am not sure but may be 20 to 30 bags originally in there… but since i do maintain our pool water accurately they have lasted longer then expected – so i figured they could also do double duty as a water purification tool in the future if ever needed – last time i opened them they were all fine and there was not even a slight hint of chlorine smell in the pail as they were all perfectly sealed in their small plastic bags – the other day as i needed a bag to shock the pool due to very heavy rains the past week – i did not expect nor had any real reason to expect that all the plastic bags had spontaneously crumbled into plastic pieces exposing all the chlorine (and the fumes) at once…
if you read – i do that outside by the pool – but i was hypothesizing in a SHTF situation i may not be so exposed i may have considered opening them in the garage to get a bag to purify water (again hypothetical!) but by running through hypothetical situations i can hopefully prepare for future situations and have a best case response.
in fact i now wonder if the crumbling bags was somehow exposing the chlorine gas in the garage which maybe mixed with other variables as the cause of the unusual rusting issues (which is why i asked as i am not a chemist and could not find any info on that on the internet – i also even searched for a chemical specialist in the field who i would gladly have paid to come and do an evaluation of the situation – but i could not find any)
the fact that people jump to conclusions such as yours explains why the country is so messed up – i posted to ask for some advice about unusual and heretofore unknown rapid rusting on metal cans.
during the ongoing investigation and unknown plastic decomposition i just thought i’d warn about the previously unknown lifespan of those little plastic bags of pool shock to others who may be storing a few for water purification and hence longer term storage – in the “what did you do to prep this week” thread a poster talks about picking up a bag or two of pool shock – they may not know they can apparently crumble at some random time and expose the chlorine either – i hope for these others they are not just in a box or in a bug out bag which they very well could be – at least mine were contained in the original factory plastic bin.
if you read my posts without making up details you can see this was all a surprise to me as well – we grew up with pools, so i’ve dealt with pool chemicals before (for almost 40 years now) and never had issues like this – but our latest – salt water pool – weren’t around back then either (although the bags of salt are sealed well i am thinking it could be related)
we also had a house right on the coast of the ocean as well as had a couple bags of salt for snow/ice in garages and never had rusting issues like this from either, and we had pools there too – so my post was simply asking for advice as to these two new circumstances that i’ve never seen before.
perhaps it is a combination of variables, but stuff i’ve never experienced in the past 20 years living in this location – just the past year – seem to be the problem ones… so perhaps the failed chlorine bags are part of the variable
all you provided was proof that i don’t need to waste my time in the comments section… although i do appreciate the suggestions from the helpful posts… i will be looking into some new 1 gallon metal cans and hopefully not suffer from too bad of a shortened lifespan of the fuel. which was one of my main concerns to begin with…
perhaps you should ask for a government agency to go and inspect and authorize every household to your satisfaction? very opposite the individualist prepper mindset… but then again most in todays world want one set of rule for themselves and one set for everyone else…
Well, the truth hurts and you have to face the truth. You did your prepping backwards. The time to consider the consequences of what you’re doing and storing is BEFORE you do it and store it. Now you’re learning the valuable lessons, thankfully they aren’t after an explosion or chlorine gas leak into your house as you and your family sleep. And you’re obviously trying to find solutions. But I must repeat that a wise prepper does his homework first, and that homework should include potential hazards created with our preps.
As for local regulations, some of them are good to have. For example, most towns prohibit storing explosives in residential areas. Would you want your nextdoor neighbor storing dynamite in his tool shed? Probably not. You and I would probably agree there is over-regulation, but in a population of 300+ million people, some rules are needed to prevent chaos.
No need to take my comments personally. I don’t know you and you don’t know me. We use screen names exactly so we can be free to speak without repercusions. I’m going to keep posting and I hope you’ll let us all know how you resolved the problems of rusty Coleman fuel cans and storing pool shock safely for long-term. We can learn from each other’s mistakes.
Good luck.
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