The Blitz gasoline can - what went wrong - what needs to be fixed

[jim beam]

not to mention the increased spillage trying to get them to work...

[Danny D.]

Seems to me they mandated the gas stays *in* rather well; but not that the gas comes *out* gracefully.

The cost of the complexity is (it seems): a) The increased spillage of gasoline b) The increased vapors from gas left in the can (see note 1) c) The increased cost & complexity of the spout d) The increased time it takes to pour the gas out

Note 1: I can't get all the gas out of the can with the spout on. I presume all that gas will vaporize and fill the can with gasoline vapors, which, will stay inside due to the lack of venting and permeability - but - they will immediately escape the moment the spout is removed for the refilling tasks.

Given that we spill more, and we vent more when we open the gasoline can to refill - yet - we certainly vent *less* during storage and during the pouring tasks ... I wonder where the balance of the equation lies?

Does anyone know of any data on what we're actually saving in vented gasoline vapors?

[jim beam]

for anything more than a few hours storage, there's no question that fully sealed will lose less. this is because the sealed can vapors will reach equilibrium and after initial vaporization inside the can, it will then stop once its magic vapor pressure is reached. with a vented can, that never happens, and it continues to leak out forever until all gone.

so, re storage, these cans are a win. but on pouring, which is the whole point of the can in the first place - most people use cans to transport gas, not store it - these "no leak" cans are a joke. maybe if you're filling a lawn mower they work, but for a car with the fuel cap only accessible from a vertical plane, it's pretty much impossible to pour more than about 30% of contents without spillage. and that's assuming you've /not/ given up on the spout and are not using a newspaper or other improvised funnel.

bottom line, these things need to be re-thought. preferably by someone with a car.

[Danny D.]

Hmmm... in the olden days, with the vented cans, I don't remember ever having the gasoline all vaporize. Although, I must admit I never thought about the level in the can day to day.

Would the old-style cans lose *all* the gas over time?

How long (for 5 gallons)?

[Harry K]

I used to store a 1 gal can in one of my sheds for the mowers. Never found the can empty even after sitting for a year.

Harry K

[Danny D.]

When I told Angus at CARB (916-445-4686) earlier today that the air resource board specifications were only for keeping the gas *in* the can, nobody allowed for the gas to come *out*, he just laughed good naturedly. He's heard it all. There was nothing I was going to tell him about the spout or the spills or the slowness of the gas coming out that he hadn't heard before.

He *was* unaware of the flaw where a concentric ring cracks on the Blitz spouts (it happened to three of my cans); but he said CARB doesn't get warranty information from the manufacturer.

So, I have to agree with you that they need to rethink these cans. a) They've gotten the gas to stay *in* rather well; b) Now it's time for them to mandate the gas come *out*!

[Caryn]

Funny thing. The 5-gallon can instructions say "not for refueling automotive vehicles".

[Danny D.]

I have a secret plan to own what may be illegal!

I was told by the Plastics Group of Willowbrook, Illinois today, that

*nobody* bought the gasoline can molds from the now defunct Blitz USA of Miami Oklahoma; but, at the same time, we are aware that Hopkins Manufacturing Corp. of Emporia, Kansas paid $14.6 million for everything *but* the gas can molds.

That means, if we're lucky, that the Hopkins Manufacturing *water* jugs might use the *same cap* as the Blitz USA gasoline cans!

To find out if that's true, I ordered a set of water jug caps from Hopkins Manufacturing today.

Cross your fingers and maybe they'll fit!

[Unquestionably Confused]

Or a freakin' brain!

Neither my wife nor I are klutzes but I'll guarantee you that we've both spilled more gasoline than would have escaped as vapor using the old style cans. We kept the vents closed and the cans capped unless we were actually pouring gasoline.

[jim beam]

wow, that's astounding.

[jim beam]

if vented, absolutely. it'll take a while, but it will.

don't know, but i do know that a dented-up 11 gallon gas tank from a car with about a gallon of unpourable gas left in the back yard is bone dry a couple of months later.

[jim beam]

indeed. you have afghans in caves making the real deal with little more than primitive tools and crappy materials - it's simply absurd to try and demonize a set of technical skills. unless you're a political sociopath, but that's another debate.

[Brent]

Highly unlikely. They would not adapt their own products to what they purchased.

[Brent]

Because criminals always care about paperwork laws. LOL.

The homemade gun has been around since there have been guns. It has never been a problem of any significance. Why? Because someone with the marketable skills required to make a firearm does not need to be a criminal, is unlikely to be one, and criminals can get manufactured firearms with less effort and cost.

[Dan Espen]

Of course you didn't. If there is evaporation, the most volatile components go first. What remains evaporates more and more slowly.

[Geoff Welsh]

The valve stem with the Schrader valve removed is an excellent modification...if they came like that they'd probably cost ten dollars more.

GW

[Geoff Welsh]

it's pretty much impossible to pour

this is an excellent point. The amount of gas spilled using any type of can far exceeds the amount of vapor saved by any new design.

GW

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Oren:

I took the whole thing as more of a proof-of-concept demonstration than anything of actual utility.

[Vic Smith]

Yup. Most people won't spend a year or more writing a novel when you just buy one for a few bucks. In most places in the U.S. I can legally traffic in guns, buying and selling with criminals, crazy folks, and terrorists. It's all legal. No need to make a gun.

[krw]

Not bloody likely.