Petrol can washers

[Nightjar]

Some rubbers will be degraded by petrol. Nitrile rubber should be fine, or you could look for a polyurethane washer.

[Tim Streater]

I bought a 5 litre plastic can at a petrol station shop so I can get unleaded for the lawn mower. Now it turns out when I come to use it that there ought to be a (rubber?) washer for the screw-on spout to stop it leaking fuel onto the ground when I fill up the mower tank. Only there isn't.

Do I need to look for a particular type of washer for this or will any rubber washer that fits do the job?

[alan_m]

I found that pouring petrol into my lawn mower was easier without the spout.

[Roger Mills]

Is there is face within the spout on which a rubber washer could sit? My plastic spout doesn't have a washer, and seems to seal adequately just by doing up the thread fairly tightly.

[Dave Liquorice]

Take it back as "not fit for purpose", refund if they don't have one with the relevant washer.

Real rubber rubber doesn't like petrol but wether you'd find a real rubber washer these days is debateable. If you can't get a suitable sized washer a bit of thick card might work.

[Tim Streater]

Yes, I think so - I'll have to check. It leaked a bit when I used it so I tightened it up quite forcibly but there was still a trickle. I need to compare with the other can I've got. Hmm, come to think of it, there's another can that's lost its spout. Perhaps I could steal a washer from that.

[Tim+]

Ditto. Pretty sure my can never had a washer for the spout anyway.

Tim

[harryagain]

I have two spouts, neither has washers and they do leak a bit.

[harryagain]

You can make your own washer. Put some clingfilm over the filling spout & threads on the petrol can. (Acts as release agent) Put silicon on the seat of the filling spout. Screw together (not too tightly) and leave set for a few days, (leave somewhere warm)

[PeterC]

I had exactly the same problem - posted on here about a couple of years ago. Some washers from an Aldidl kit were the correct size but shrivelled - used

3 or 4 a year. Just got some of this and cut a washer, but too soon to know how it's doing: Just keep it away from some other common solvents. White spirit is one, IIRC. I got a sheet of the 2mm thick. £10 seems a lot but is enough for about 25 washers. This means, of course, that a washer will last forever!

[Martin Brown]

You can probably find a suitable viton washer from your local real hardware store or back street garage. It needs to be something that will resist petrol. Failing that a right size fibre washer wrapped in PTFE tape would probably make a decent seal.

[ARW]

Easy.

[newshound]

White spirit is just a hydrocarbon blend, like petrol and diesel. Viton will laugh at white spirit. But it doesn't like Acetone and MEK.

[Tim Streater]

In the end I used a washer from the cap of a can that's lost its spout. Used today, seems to work fine except that the washer does't stay on the spout.

The spout has a bit that fits into the can, and a threaded lid that goes over it to screw it to the can. The first of these two bits has a flange where the washer sits nicely - but the threaded part simply pushes it off the flange. That's not a problem if I'm careful and make sure the washer doesn't end up on the floor.

Interestingly, when I filled up yesterday, I had a look at other cans they're selling, all the same as my new one. None of them had a washer. I may have a word next time I'm there, course I've no longer got the receipt.

[Tim+]

I think you'll find that there all like that. There never was a washer to get "lost".

Tim

[Tim+]

The nozzle on mine has a slightly tapered end which fits snugly in the neck of the petrol "can". The threaded collar forces the taper deeper into the neck of the can. The seal isn't perfect, but "good enough" for most purposes.

All my containers have a similar taper.

$prod$

Got any pictures of your can?

Tim

[Dave Liquorice]

Where?

Which in the hands of the Great Unwashed doesn't sound very safe. As a lad having used a dessert spoonfull of petrol as a "camp fire accellerant" I have a very cautious approach to petrol. I did keep my eyebrows, just and I have a vivid memory of the whole fire leaping 6" into the air and falling back as the petrol when WHOOMPFFF...

[Tim Streater]

Mine looks identical to that. Trouble is, with mine the tapered end fits loosely in the neck of the can, not snugly. But with a washer at the end of the taper, it's OK now.

[Tim Streater]

I take it you mean 6' and not 6" ?? :-)

Then there's the apocryphal story of the rugby player pouring a beer mug of petrol on the barbie to "get it going".

Being careful with petrol is what kids need to be taught.

[The Other Mike]

Many silicone sealants will swell in the presence of petrol. All you end up with is a slimy squidgy ring of silicone maybe 150% the the diameter you originally wanted.