[Closed] Can you store petrol in...(material question)

Well that volume of fuel in a container not designed for it is asking for trouble i recon

No idea, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere near someone who was.

Anyway for petrol bombs a crate of water bottles from Lidl is much more effective.

IIRC there's a legal limit for how much fuel you can store on cans at home.

I might be talking crap, but it's worth checking out...

Having seen a water cooler bottle burst when dropped, I'd say definitely not. And I can't imagine any garage being happy to see you fill one up.

Get a proper metal jerry can, they cost nothing compared to the petrol.

What is the limit of the amount of petrol I can store for domestic use?
The Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicles etc.) Regulations 1929 and the Petroleum Spirit (Plastic Containers) Regulations 1982 limit the amount of petrol that can be kept in a domestic garage or within six metres of a building (e.g. most domestic driveways). The limit is a maximum of two suitable metal containers each of a maximum capacity of ten litres or two plastic containers (which have to be of an approved design) each of a maximum capacity of five litres. These limits also apply to any containers kept in a vehicle parked in the garage or on the driveway (but not to the internal fuel tank of the vehicle). Under no circumstances should the petrol containers be stored in the home itself.

Anyone who wishes to store larger quantities than this, or use larger containers, is required to notify the local Petroleum Licensing Authority (PLA) and to store the petrol in a prescribed manner set out in the 1929 Regulations mentioned above - enquirers who want further details should contact their local PLA. Storage of more than 275 litres (60 gallons) of petrol requires a petrol licence - again, contact the local PLA

That's from the HSE website. http://www.hse.gov.uk/fireandexplosion/petroleum/faqs.htm

Those drinks things are bigger than 5 litres aren't they? Other than that, PET is fine to store petrol in as it won't eat it or owt.

To answer the OP, no, it would be illegal.

No more than 2 gallons in 2 separate approved plastic containers is allowed, or 2 x 2 gallons in approved metal containers

thanks all.

yeah ive seen those fail when dropped too! Its a colleague who would like to know…so, the plastic will be fine, its just the fact that that volume is illegal !?

thank you all so far

Over time petrol will evaporate through plastic containers, the best ones to use are metal.

I have always been told that and read it in lots of places, having had motorbikes for many years.

Good luck in sneaking one out of work, we had a couple of guys take them from my last work to use them as water butts for their allotments only to be told bring them back or pay for them as the company pays a rolling deposit on the bottles. Water costs £2 but deposit on a bottle is something like £25.

[edit] the other thing is the ones we used didn't have lids, just a thin plastc sticker type thing ovr the top that was pierced when put on the chiller [/edit]

What Rickos said and what the others said. Will take it but I wouldnt do it.

what you will see is that the new ethanol ' enriched' fuel will very quickly soften the plastic to th epoint it will leak. bikes with plastic and fibreglass tanks are having real issues with this

Thanks all for the advice, which i passed on to him....He didn't use it in the end!

if it's the same plastic as the good quality plastic cups are made from the plastic should be ethanol proof. We used to pinch all the water cooler cups to use in the lab for everything from your generic alcohols and ketones to more nasty stuff and mixing resins. Might be a bit harder than that stuff though and not the same.