# Is it Legal?



## kbamvakais (Dec 31, 2009)

to store large amounts of Gas, i may or maynot have 5 55 gal plastic drums in a storage location that may or may not be in my garage/workshop. some one told me that was illegal, so i would assume that my overall plan to have a large propane tank in my yard converted to hold gas i think its something like 500 gal would be very illegal, right?


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

If you are in a city with very close neighbors - then I believe that most city bylaws will not allow you to store explosive fuels in residential areas unless you are certified to store those explosive fuels (ie: fueling station) and are willing to be inspected regularly by the fire-department ...

Standard 10-gallon jerry cans are exempt unless you have lots and lots of them ... if you know what I mean.

If you are on an acreage, I believe that you must have 10 acres or greater for fuel-storage systems (visible above-ground tanks as shown in the attached picture) and those must be inspected regularly for leaks. The large propane tanks that you have pictured must be filled by a certified mobile system and be directly connected to the home or shops regulator for pressure control. I believe that you have the ability to refill your own portable propane-tanks if you get yourself certified for that (check with your local fire-dept).


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

As mentioned, there may be local laws. Around me, you're allowed to have above-ground bulk tanks without any government regulation or intervention (unless you spill, in which case you need to notify the DEP).

Who seems to care more is your homeowners insurance. Many will either not insure you or cancel your policy if you have a large tank. I believe many farm policies are OK with it.


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## kbamvakais (Dec 31, 2009)

Ok well then lets just keep this a secret, lol but a also have a manual pump and key for those inground tanks at gas stations, so worst come to worst i shouldnt have a problem finding fuel


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## Expeditioner (Jan 6, 2009)

If you do use a propane tank make sure you vent it and add a drain valve to address water accumulation.


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## macdoro (Aug 14, 2009)

*Insurance Problems*

If you have an accident, your insurance company will cancel your insurance retroactively because you failed to declare your large tanks/fuel storage at the time of renewal.


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## Expeditioner (Jan 6, 2009)

macdoro said:


> If you have an accident, your insurance company will cancel your insurance retroactively because you failed to declare your large tanks/fuel storage at the time of renewal.


If you do declare the tanks, you can expect a significant premium increase and/or be be expected to add a rider or separate policy to the hazards assocated with having a large fuel supply.


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## Al-Thi'b (Jan 6, 2010)

Like others have said, it would be best to check with local laws. Would be a lot worse should an accident happen and you had these items stored illegally. Natural fuels might prove more useful for storing rather than gas anyway as they can be produced from natural resources, because sooner or later that gas will run out and you know how hard more gas would be to come by.


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## JeepHammer (Oct 10, 2008)

Not sure about local laws, but anything over 1,200 gallons have to have 'Leak Containment',
Meaning a catch tank or dike around the tanks to catch spills or tank failures.

Storing any kind of petroleum fuel in 'Barrels' is inherently dangerous.
First off, fuel degrades over time, and you would be surprised how fast fuel can loose it's potency!
Some suppliers say in less than 90 days the fuel can be down to half of the octane rating it had when new.

Expansion & Contraction from temprature changes will be the biggest problem you will have.

Even if you don't have 'Leaks', vapors can escape, and they are explosive.
Vented tanks are recommenced, but you run into evaporation losses, faster degradation of the fuel, contamination issues,
And if the tanks aren't vented properly, there is a real serious risk of explosions & fire.

If the tanks are NOT vented, you have constant stressing of the containers from thermal expansion and contraction cycles.

Most large tanks are underground to keep the fuel at a more or less continuous temp,
But you often run into problems with leakage and water contamination with underground tanks that weren't specifically designed for fuel storage.

The 'Best' way to store 'Fuel' long term is Propane, CNG, ect.
Keep the tanks in a COOL place, and make sure it's vented because eventually ALL VALVES WILL FAIL.

The 'BEST' way to store gasoline is in sets of tanks that are rotated...
Remember the old farm tanks on stands or skids?

Use one, keep the other one or two in reserve, and rotate your stock so the fuel gets used before it gets too old or contaminated.

Propane is very handy for 'Emergency' situations.
It can easily be found in 1 pound containers on up to several thousand pound containers (yard or industrial tanks)

I specifically converted my larger generator over to propane because the fuel stores so well,
And I have an off road buggy that uses propane/gasoline for a 'Dual Fuel' engine arrangment.

Everything from grill tanks (around 10 and 20 pounds) to camper trailer tanks (30 to 50 pounds) to smaller mobile home tanks (100 Pounds) to the large non-transportable tanks you see in yards and the huge tanks you see in industrial applications.

Propane carbs or adapters are available for most any gasoline or diesel engine, and the propane works equally as well for home heating, cooking, ect.

The down side to propane is it's a Petroleum by-product, and it's price & availability are directly tied to the oil prices/availability.

CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is not a petroleum by-product, and is not tied to oil pricing/availability, but doesn't contain the same energy as Propane does.

One other thing to consider about 'Fuel' for self reliance is 'Diesel'...
Diesel stores longer than gasoline,
Diesel can be from Petroleum or biological manufacture (Bio-Diesel) if you are into that sort of thing,
and diesel contains more energy per gallon than gasoline.

You can easily find diesel vehicles, diesel generators, fuel oil furnaces that will burn diesel just fine, ect.

Personally, I like the idea of Alcohol for fuel.
Drink some, put some in the car, and you are off to the races in more ways than one!


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