full tank or not, that is the question !

[the-gnole]

There are a few things to be careful of if keeing it full, and not using it.

1, Theft.
2, fuel economy
3, fuel going stale

Preppers rules is rotate, rotate, rotate, if you have a 70ltr tank and only use 10% of it and then top up, then 10% again etc etc you may end up with very stale and low output fuel.

Carrying that weight is going to have an effect on fuel economy, 70ltrs if approximately 70Kg or about 140lb, that is the same as 10stone of extra weight.

[lone wolf]

i always keep my tank at around £15.00 to £20.00, my reasoning is simple,

Answer this question, if you had £80.00 of fuel in your tank right now and you came out in the morning to discover your tank punctured and your fuel gone what would do ?

You would have to get the tank repaired but would you refill your tank full again ? after all the theives may return again for a second helping, especially if they realise you always keep a full tank.

This happened to me several years back and ever since i have kept the tank low, if the thieves trash the tank hopefully they will realise theres very little and probably wont return,

I picked up 5 x 25ltr jerry cans for around £10 each from the army surplus store, i keep one in the truck at all tmes just encase,

Maybe this wont work for everyone but its a method that works for me

Lone Wolf

[diamond lil]

I suppose a lot depends on where you live too. If I lived in a town I'd do that.

[Carrot Cruncher]

If there started to be a spate of thefts round my way I would put the car on the drive in the back garden...6 foot wooden fence around it. If I didn't have that option I would probably do it your way if their was an upsurge in thefts but it's not a problem yet.

[janso]

I generally have about £20's worth at any time of diesel, and 4 20l tanks filled and stored out in the 'prepping' shed that I rotate. I agree about filling up the tank, carrying that weight around is quite a load on economy!!

I always carry 2 spare 5l cans in the truck just in case when I get paged with search and rescue. I didnt realise the law for storing fuel was ONLY for petrol.... nice!! I am under the impression as well that anything other than 5l (oops ) carried within a vehicle is illegal according to the fire service, can anyone shed some light onto this??

[Meyou]

I keep a full tank. I have the added advantage of a nice big lump of steel plate between my fuel tank and any thieves. Backup fuel is kept nearby in jerry can(s) and I keep a 5L in the trunk, although this occasionally finds its way into the chainsaw.

[tfish]

I never let my tank get below half full (i know this can reach my BOL) and i have 2 barrels of red diesel in the garage "just in case".

[preppingsu]

I never let my tank get below half full (i know this can reach my BOL) and i have 2 barrels of red diesel in the garage "just in case".

Welcome tfish. Would you mind popping over to the New Members thread and introduce yourself?
Cheers
preppingsu

[maxilaura]

Unfortunately finances don't allow me to have more than £50 petrol a month, and I have to drive into London every Saturday which is a round trip of 60miles or so - so during the week I walk for the school runs and use the park and ride bus if I need to go into town for anything and keep the petrol mainly for the weekends. I'm hoping to get some petrol containers and keep them in the shed - how much are you allowed to keep at home? And if you rent the property, will the landlords home owners insurance still be valid should the worse happen and a fire occur? Does anyone know?

Thanks
Maxilaura

[Carrot Cruncher]

I'm hoping to get some petrol containers and keep them in the shed - how much are you allowed to keep at home?

From here http://www.hse.gov.uk/fireandexplosion/ ... m-faqs.htm

Storage
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.

The above only applies to Petrol, you can store a lot more Diesel