Gas Cans/Ethanol

[bwalker]

We ran a teaching lab in Analytic Chemistry class where students analyzed all sorts of fuel samples:gasolines, diesel, fuel oil, AV gas.

The analyses were by GC/MS and all the components were separated, then identified and quantified. This was years ago for me and I no longer have any of their reports to give you actual numbers.

It was a good exercise in learning both gas chromotography (separation) and mass spectrometry (identification and quantification).

There has been an effort to reduce benzene content due to carcinogenicity, but toluene and xylenes are common and small amounts of metisylenes.

It was also interesting to see how much trace amounts of heterocyclic compounds were in diesel and fuel oils. "Low sulfur" being the goal.

Toluene and Xylenes are not found in modern gasoline in large amounts.

 

[Mad Professor]

Toluene and Xylenes are not found in modern gasoline in large amounts.

But they are there and more so in better grades/AV gas as they boost octane. You can still find a little benzene if you look carefully.

I bet You are carrying cocaine. In a NIH forensics workshop we tested US currency for traces of cocaine, a significant percentage of bills have detectable amounts.

 

[bwalker]

But they are there and more so in better grades/AV gas as they boost octane. You can still find a little benzene if you look carefully.

I bet You are carrying cocaine. In a NIH forensics workshop we tested US currency for traces of cocaine, a significant percentage of bills have detectable amounts.

Benzene levels can't be picked up by our testing devices.
Avgas does still have a healthy aromatic content, but I am not sure on Benzene content specifically.
Premium motor gas comes out of the same pool as 87 octane. The blend of alkykate is just slightly higher.

 

[thenne1713]

Oh, but it smells so good, especially in old tractors. And the exhaust pipe gets that nice light gray color inside of it.

But that is the LEAD causing brain damage that makes U think it smells good; better is find a way you smell zero from exhaust Me? My meds have me where I cannot smell a fart or dirty diaper = designated diaper/ vomit cleaner. :-(

 

[Mad Professor]

But that is the LEAD causing brain damage that makes U think it smells good; better is find a way you smell zero from exhaust Me? My meds have me where I cannot smell a fart or dirty diaper = designated diaper/ vomit cleaner. :-(

Why do you think the chemists that discovered them, called them "aromatics"?

Tetraethyl lead's odor has been described as both musty and sweet. It's not as volatile as most components of fuels, bp = 186 oC. I've never worked with it but I can identify many organics by their odor, from years of working with them. We avoided that by working in a fume hood.

And yes it is toxic.

https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/gas-cans-ethanol.374840/page-3#post-8267662

In comparison the bps of benzene toluene xylenes are: 80 oC ,111 oC , and 136-145 oC (three isomers), respectively. I've smelled those and purified them. Even lab grade benzene is contaminated with thiophene, which must be separated by chemical means rather than by distillation. Done that.

 

[Hermio]

I am more irritated by the designs with asinine spouts and vents.

The plastic technology/formulations has probably improved

At TSC, they sell a "replacement" spout kit for "old" cans that did not have the anti-spill feature. But they also fit the new cans. Nice loophole! So, the last several cans I bought had the spouts I hate, but I replaced them with the old style. It is necessary to drill a hole in the top of the can to install the vent cap. I do use the "modern" style of spout on my Husqvarna combi-can, as it works well with my Stihl chainsaw. But it does not work at all for my ZTR, my UTV or my tractor. All have fuel openings that are much larger than the spout OD, so it is impossible to compress the spout against the fuel port to get it to flow. So far none of my cans have cracked. I store them inside a detached garage, where the temperature is not controlled but there is no UV reaching them normally.

 

[Mad Professor]

At TSC, they sell a "replacement" spout kit for "old" cans that did not have the anti-spill feature. But they also fit the new cans. Nice loophole! So, the last several cans I bought had the spouts I hate, but I replaced them with the old style. It is necessary to drill a hole in the top of the can to install the vent cap. I do use the "modern" style of spout on my Husqvarna combi-can, as it works well with my Stihl chainsaw. But it does not work at all for my ZTR, my UTV or my tractor. All have fuel openings that are much larger than the spout OD, so it is impossible to compress the spout against the fuel port to get it to flow. So far none of my cans have cracked. I store them inside a detached garage, where the temperature is not controlled but there is no UV reaching them normally.

I have an assortment of funnels I use with cans that don't have proper spouts. Not something I carry in the woods but handy around the barns.

I didn't know TSC had spouts, I'll have to have a look.

Last few times I went to TSC I was VERY disappointed. They no longer stocked common tractor parts like filters and tune-up items, didn't even have automotive hose clamps. Salesperson told me to go check "over by the garden hoses...". I left.

 

[sean donato]

I have an assortment of funnels I use with cans that don't have proper spouts. Not something I carry in the woods but handy around the barns.

I didn't know TSC had spouts, I'll have to have a look.

Last few times I went to TSC I was VERY disappointed. They no longer stocked common tractor parts like filters and tune-up items, didn't even have automotive hose clamps. Salesperson told me to go check "over by the garden hoses...". I left.

tsc sucks in every department anymore. Don't stock plow share bolts anymore or hardly any hardware for that matter. Can't get sickle bar knives/rivets. No bailer twine. Plenty of overpirced crap for your horses, chickens and dogs. Like the went wanna be hipster farmer on us.

 

[Pioneer]

Never seen a fuel container do that before. I have several old plastic fuel containers including one that's probably from the '60s, it only has imperial gallons on it, and it's a considerably darker red in color then the newer ones marked with L, Imperial and US gallons. Among them I have a couple of the Wedco vented containers and they have held up pretty well. They have a curious little badge on them with approval by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 

[Smitty Smithsonite]

Yeah, our "lovely" Commonwealth deems it necessary to "protect" us from ourselves in every aspect of life. They tell us what insurance we can buy while forcing us to buy auto and health insurance, which firearms can be sold / not sold due to some arbitrary "safety" ******** & black guns are banned I suppose because they scare these city dwellers, etc., etc., etc., ... Don't get me started!!!

Back when I worked recycling for a huge corporate trash hauler for a major MA metro account, I grabbed every single gas can that got tossed out, knowing that some day I'd be able to source spouts for them. Thank God I did!! That's a large portion of my fuel sourcing now, now that some stations flip out when I show up with a 55 gallon drum. A real PITA filling that drum from the cans, though! Hard to find funnels with flutes in the spout for air to escape! (I have a pump in the big bung).

I also hoarded 5 & 6 gallon buckets - came in super handy after building a waste oil burner.

Plastic gas cans made within the last 20 or so years are cheap and junk for the most part.
They just dont last a long time no matter what you do with them.

As with EVERYTHING today, from lawnmowers & pickup trucks, to toasters & washing machines.


The fix is in for those absolute GARBAGE EPA mandated fuel cans: https://gasspouts.com/

 

[Hermio]

tsc sucks in every department anymore. Don't stock plow share bolts anymore or hardly any hardware for that matter. Can't get sickle bar knives/rivets. No bailer twine. Plenty of overpirced crap for your horses, chickens and dogs. Like the went wanna be hipster farmer on us.

They do seem to be transitioning to something other than a tractor and farm supply store. I am not sure what they are transitioning into. I get cheap bar oil there and occasionally buy clothes or hardware. But actual farm equipment or parts is getting rarer. They do have the Bad Boy ZTRs, and those seem pretty good to me. I mow about 5 acres and have had a Bad Boy for about 15 years. We have had only minor repairs.

 

[JRM]

They do seem to be transitioning to something.

I'd post what they are "transitioning" to but it would probably get deleted.

They recently issued a public apology for their poor corporate decisions. Easy to find if interested.

 

[Hermio]

I'd post what they are "transitioning" to but it would probably get deleted.

They recently issued a public apology for their poor corporate decisions. Easy to find if interested.

I think someone posted that on one of these threads. I was not interested enough to read it.

 

[Mad Professor]

They do seem to be transitioning to something other than a tractor and farm supply store. I am not sure what they are transitioning into. I get cheap bar oil there and occasionally buy clothes or hardware. But actual farm equipment or parts is getting rarer. They do have the Bad Boy ZTRs, and those seem pretty good to me. I mow about 5 acres and have had a Bad Boy for about 15 years. We have had only minor repairs.

They are transitioning to DON'T EVER BUY FROM THEM!!

 

[SS396driver]

Don’t think the fuel did that. Pretty much all gas tanks in vehicles are made of plastic there are some exceptions though

 

[Smitty Smithsonite]

These days all of them are, with the exception of semi-tractors, & heavy cab / chassis units.

 

[Mad Professor]

I'd post what they are "transitioning" to but it would probably get deleted.

They recently issued a public apology for their poor corporate decisions. Easy to find if interested.

DIE theory and LGBTXYZ......don't concern most farmers.

 

[bwalker]

DIE theory and LGBTXYZ......don't concern most farmers.

It doesn't concern most people, period.

 

[wildwes]

At TSC, they sell a "replacement" spout kit for "old" cans that did not have the anti-spill feature. But they also fit the new cans. Nice loophole! So, the last several cans I bought had the spouts I hate, but I replaced them with the old style. It is necessary to drill a hole in the top of the can to install the vent cap. I do use the "modern" style of spout on my Husqvarna combi-can, as it works well with my Stihl chainsaw. But it does not work at all for my ZTR, my UTV or my tractor. All have fuel openings that are much larger than the spout OD, so it is impossible to compress the spout against the fuel port to get it to flow. So far none of my cans have cracked. I store them inside a detached garage, where the temperature is not controlled but there is no UV reaching them normally.

Those replacement spout kits can also be found on ebay. My experience with them has been that they work just as well as the ones from TSC, but are much less expensive.

 

[Mad Professor]

Estate sale had some of the nice old metal 5- and 2 1/2-gal cans last weekend. But a 1/2 hour drive.