Safe to keep gas generator inside van?

[caseyc]

I have a Yamaha 2000 watt gas powered generator. Is it safe to keep it inside the van? I rarely use it. Should I worry about potential gas fumes or the thing possibly exploding?

Thanks,
Casey

 

[Reducto]

I have the same generator and have had it sitting underneath my bed for almost 2 years. I can't smell anything and have not yet blown up.

 

[SoulRaven]

I've been carrying a home made generator under my bed, and a 5 gallon METAL jerry can of gas in the side door step well for over 20 years. Never had a problem, and even when I was using my generator all the time to charge my house battery, that 5 gallons of gas was good for a +/-year worth of charging.

I have plastic water jugs, and plastic kerosene jugs, but I WOULD NOT trust a plastic gas can my rig.

 

[caseyc]

Thanks for the input. I feel more at ease now. My Yamaha is now residing next to the side door step well for past few hours and I don't smell any gas nor have I blown up to smithereens.

Question: Anyone have a link to the 5 gallon metal gas can? I'm interested in getting one.

Thanks!
Casey

 

[akrvbob]

I've tried lots of gas cans and the only can that I recommend is a NATO gas can. It looks like a GI jerry can but the cap is a squeeze on that is 100% tight and will not off-gas at all. The spouts have an air hose that keeps them from locking up. Highly, highly recommended!

http://www.amazon.com/Atlantic-British-Ltd-Jerry-Can/dp/B00ADLHN3S/
ob

 

[gypsychic]

Now I'm confused. The description says for non fuel fluids and apparently it's against CA & federal law to use as a gas can.

 

[VJG1977]

Just another California law.  Found this online.

http://www.arb.ca.gov/consprod/fuel-containers/pfc/facts/sep99_facts.htm

Now you need something like this.

[font=Arial, sans-serif]CARB compliant[/font]


I looked at a lot of forum post, ATV and off road racing,  and there was a lot of contradicting information.  No body said they got a ticket, it was always a friend or they heard of someone getting fined.  Some post said it was only illegal to sale the non-compliant cans.  Older cans could still be used.

I'll leave it to someone that lives in California to post how this is being enforced.

 

[ccbreder]

I don't know California law. South Jersey can must be red or labeled clearly gasoline. Most attendants will not fill if not red. I had to paint my GI can.

 

[gypsychic]

Now I'm confused. The description says for non fuel fluids and apparently it's against CA & federal law to use as a gas can.

I was only reading the Amazon link description.

The world has gotten weird when a gas can can't be sold &/or used as a gas can [emoji53] [emoji33]

 

[caseyc]

Thanks for the comments on gas cans.

Another question please:

Is it "safe" to keep a metal gas can outside say on the van roof top, with or without gas inside?

Is it safe to lay the gas can sideways on the rooftop with or without gasoline inside?

Thanks!

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Casey...it doesn't hurt to lay an empty on its side. Quite often a rack built for jerry cans is mounted outside on a back door. It needs to be cable locked, of course.

 

[akrvbob]

The NATO cans are illegal, but that's a good thing. The new cans are horrible. It's not actually the can, it's the spout. they are now making a new spout for the NATO cans that is compliant but I'd throw it away first thing.

The problem with gas cans in the sun is they build up pressure, and lots of it. With plastic cans they will leak around the lid and get gas everywhere. Nasty things, I'd never own one again. The NATO cans won't leak because they have such a tight seal, but when you open the lid you'll get a pop and hiss from escaping pressure, so open them carefully.

I'd never lay a can on it's side with gas in it.
Bob

 

[SoulRaven]

My jerry can is an old red one with a large silver metal lid that screws on tight with a heavy rubber gasket.

It's holder is bolted to the floor of my side door step well.

I can't speak of spouts, because I never use use them. I use a siphon with it so I don't have to maneuver a big heavy gas can.

 

[highdesertranger]

boy this has gone off topic a little but since casey asked about gas cans and someone else asked about kalifornia, I will chime in. like bob said the nato cans are about the best metal cans on the market nowadays(make sure you get real ones or quality copies, there is a lot of cheap junk imitations out there). since you can't buy scepter or blitz military cans in this country anymore, it's nato or nothing. as far as kalifornia goes all new gas cans must be carb compliant. old cans can still be used but many cans in kalifornia never were legal. like these http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/321052516888 . further more get this, if you are on a job site in kalifornia any gas can you have is illegal. osha approved cans are not carb compliant, a lot of carb compliant cans are not DOT approved, a lot of DOT cans are not osha approved. basically you are screwed, there are no cans that meet all three specs, so when on a job site we would hide our cans, you never know who's going to show up with their ticket book. any wonder why kalifornia is so screwed up, and as kalifornia goes so goes the nation. you all know what carb stands for California Air Resources Board. highdesertranger

 

[LeeRevell]

My jerry can is an old red one with a large silver metal lid that screws on tight with a heavy rubber gasket.

It's holder is bolted to the floor of my side door step well.

I can't speak of spouts, because I never use use them.  I use a siphon with it so I don't have to maneuver a big heavy gas can.

I have three of this style, two older and one newer.   I have an older flex spout that screws on tight, but the tip is too large for modern car fuel fillers.  I generally pour from it into three smaller two-gallon plastic gas cans with a decent older plastic spout, much easier to pour into the van.    But lately I have also been using a siphon hose and raising the can on a table.  Siphons easier if it is higher than the van's tank.
I recently bought two red mil-style jerrycans from Harbor Fright, which use the hinged NATO style spout.  I also have two actual NATO OD green jerrycans, which I need to spraypaint red.  I do have the clamp-on NATO spout for them.
I have my late Dad's old round 5-gallon steel can, with it's fixed pour spout with small cap, and a larger fill cap.  It's gotta be forty years old, as I used to fill my bike with it in the early 70's.  It's still in great condition - they built things to last back then!  My newer HF round five gallon steel can has the new 'eco-safe' plastic spout which will spill gas onto the ground.....   same with the new plastic five-gallon rectangular or jerry style cans - they are a menace to safety!  I pour from their fill opening into good cans using a large funnel, before transferring the gas to the vehicle.
It seems the EPA is deadset on making the simple at of pouring gas as complex and unsafe as they can.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

I had a few of those gas cans with those new plastic spouts. I put just as much gas on the ground as I put in the tank. Did they make these for safety or to kill off a few people? I thrown those away and put on the old style spouts!

 

[highdesertranger]

yeah I hear you on spilling the gas. I have never spilled so much gas until they came out with those new carb nozzles. highdesertranger

 

[SoulRaven]

you all know what carb stands for California Air Resources Board.  highdesertranger

Thank you for that, I was wondering what gas cans had to do with carburetors...

 

[SoulRaven]

Laughing loudly...


And they call these new gas spilling cans and spouts PROGRESS!

 

[LeeRevell]

I knew all was lost while stationed in sunny California a couple months. First time I ever encountered gas pumps that not only talked to me, but had the TWO hoses...... one to pump gas into my car, the other to suck it back out!!!