Taking extra fuel with you
 

I want to take extra fuel with me on my travels.
I'm sure there is written a thing or two about this subject but I couldn't find the answers I was looking for.

I have a jerrycan and used it some time ago in my car. But I noticed the jerrycan was leaking a bit at the cap. Are all jerrycans leaking or have I done too much fuel in it? Can you fill a 5l jerrycan with 5l or is it better to do 4l in it (or fill up a 10l can with 5l petrol)? Or was it just a bad sale? As you can understand I'm afraid to buy another leaky messy jerrycan and smell of petrol my whole trip.
What are your experiences?

I also heard that in France it's forbidden to drive with a full jerrycan! Is that true? Is a half full jerrycan not forbidden? Are there more countries that have these restrictions?

And what about fuel bottles like they use for cooking? I could take 2 or 3 bottles of 2l filled up to about 1.7l. That is also 5l of fuel.
Does anybody has experience with fuel bottles? I hear they are difficult to fill because of the pressure behind the fuel while filling up.

I'm really looking forward to hear about your experiences.

Are you just traveling in Europe or further afield as I wouldn't have thought you'd have needed a jerrycan of spare fuel in most of Europe.

The leak is probably the rubber seal in the cap has perished. You can buy new ones for a couple of euros on ebay. I've got about 10 cans in various sizes - 20. 10 and 5L and replace the seals periodically. The seals in the older, ex military, ones seem to have lasted for ever but the newer smaller civilian market cans seem to need new seals every few years.

I've no idea about the French ban on full jerrycans - hopefully someone else will comment in due course, but I have traveled through France a number of times with (5L) jerrycans fixed to the back of my bike and never had a problem. They have been empty though as I've not needed the extra range in France and 10L of fuel weight at the back of the bike does change the handling. What I do use is a small plastic 2L bottle fixed to the rack to store a small amount of emergency fuel. It's used if I run out just short of a fuel station (quite often!) and I top up my stove fuel bottle from it as well.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...k/IMG_0026.jpg

justgastanks.com has a 'JAX Collapsible Utility Bladder (1 gallon) [LC4]'.

Maybe this will give some help.

Thank you, backofbeyond
The leakage from my jerrycan is maybe not from the seals because it was new when I used it. Or they must have sold me one that was long time on stock?
But most important what I read between the lines was that normally a jerrycan doesn't leak. That's good news.
And your 2L bottle, can you fill that up without splashing fuel all over the place? Is it transparent, let's say a Cocacola bottle or something? Or is transparent dangerous in hot environments?

Careful
 

Hi, I would not use a plastic container that was not meant for fuel, such as a Coca Cola bottle. Firstly, the fuel might melt it leading to a leak or worse, you put the fuel into the bike with the dissolved chemicals in it and it could mess up your engine badly. Secondly, it is totally illegal to carry fuel in a non specific container. There would be a big fine I'm sure.

It is not easy to fill an MSR type of fuel bottle at a petrol station as the top opening is so small. Always keep a bottle right side up to avoid leakage from the cap. Try Ocean Slim Tank - Fuel, Fuel Tanks | Mailspeed Marine .Sorry the link isn't live. This is a 5 litre flat can.

Lindsay.

Thank you for the suggestion. Only it leaves some questions: how do you fill this flexible tank? I don't see a big opening like you have with a normal jerrycan. Is it a 'cleaner' solution when filling up the bike?

Thanks Lindsay,
I thought already it was better not to use a Coca Cola bottle but I didn't know about the dissolved chemicals, thank you for that information.

Is the opening of a MSR bottle wide enough to put in the...I don't know how to call it, not even in my own language...let's try...the end of the fuel hose?

The link worked, that looks like a nice jerrycan.

No, a jerrycan should not leak. They're well built and should stand up to most normal use without damage. The cap seal is removable and easily replaceable. If you fill them with petrol there is an air space at the top that's meant to be there so don't try to tip them back to get a bit more fuel in.

My 2L bottle is something ex military I bought from a surplus store years ago. It's plastic but designed for fuel although you have to be careful filling it. A fuel nozzle will (just) go into it so you have to be careful as you get beyond 1.5L to watch out for splashes. Sorry, can't find a pic of it at the moment.

People have used coke bottles, milk bottles and other temporary fuel containers - even condoms - as short term range extenders for decades. They are just that though - temporary. You fill them and as soon as you've got some space in your main tank you pour it in. You shouldn't really use them for more than a few hours (less for condoms!). I've not had any problems with chemicals from the plastic affecting the engine but as coke type plastic does go hard after a while with petrol there's probably something being dissolved. It takes a while though and for very short term if the bottle doesn't dissolve as soon as put some fuel into it I'd have thought it would be ok for an few hours. All of this is really only needed in some more remote parts of the world. In Europe you can buy 3L and 5L plastic fuel cans for a few euros that will hold petrol safely for years.

Care.
 

Hi, as regards chemicals in tanks, I just think a lot of care needs to be taken with clean fuel after I've had my carbs cleaned ultrasonically due to some muck or something else not identified. It's easy to be careless and just carry and pour fuel with no thought to the fine tolerances in the carbs and mind-bending frustration that can come from awfull running and cutting out.

Lindsay.

Hiya

In the UK at least some garages have some sort of 5l container limit for their insurance for some reason. But you can still use the "pay at pump" type machines, especially out of hours. Some ferry companies too don't like bigger containers, or more than one.

On the justgastanks site their flexy fuel bladders look very nice at a price but even then have a warning

"THESE ARE MADE FOR TEMPORARY STORAGE OF FUEL FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME UNTIL YOU CAN FILL YOUR EXISTING SOURCE UP. THESE BLADDERS ARE NOT MADE TO FILL WITH FUEL AND THEN LEAVE IT FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. GASOLINE IS A VERY DESTRUCTIVE FUEL THAT WILL DAMAGE MOST FUEL STORAGE CONTAINERS OVER TIME


WE SELL THESE AS "UTILITY" BLADDERS THAT ARE NOT MADE FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF FUEL ON HIGHWAY SCENARIOS.
ALSO WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT THESE REST ON A PAINTED SURFACE DUE TO SOME VAPORS ESCAPE IF OVER PRESSURED IN THE HEAT."

:)

Another vote for fuel bladders.

They weight almost nothing, and you ever need them for a small percentage of the journey you actually carry them on,. The rest of the time empty jerry cans take up a huge amount of wasted space. Empty fuel bladders do not.

I have used 2L water / Coca Cola and other plastic bottles many times with no problems. They don't leak, they don't melt -- they work great as impromptu jerricans.

Why spend $40 on a jerrican that you might need for one long desolate stretch? Why add more weight and mass to the bike, and the hassle of tending to the thing for however long you are gone? If you're gone for months and are running dirt roads, these things matter.

When needed, I get two 2L bottles and fill them both and put them in a sturdy plastic sack (or a couple, combined). Knot up end of sack, fasten atop some piece of luggage with a bungee cord down the middle, separating the two bottles.

Works like a charm. :thumbup1:

A well made fuel bladder with a good sealing cap is perfect for extending range when you need it. Even my chinese made 7Ltr bladder was fine for mongolia and russia. I ended up strapping it to the bike behind my right thigh and it didn't move or get in the way. When empty I rolled it up and put it across the giant loop on the back.

They aren't legal on the road in the UK but owning one isn't illegal and you rarely need extra fuel in the UK anyway.

water
 

I contacted the manufacturer regarding the "not for highway scenarios" clause.
Apparently the bladders are illegal in California for Highway travel and that is why they state this on the website,

Thanks for all your input from all of you.
Maybe I should clarify myself why I need the jerrycan. I have this fear about standing in the middle of nowhere without fuel. I know it's completely nonsense (more so when you only travel in Europe for now) but still...I think it's some kind of fear just like somebody with claustrophobia, who doesn't like small spaces, it makes no sense but it's very real to them. And I have a bike with a small range of 150 miles/240 km so that doesn't make it easier.
Last year I had a lot of stress because of this. But I don't wanna give up traveling on two wheels because I really love it.
So for this year I wanna take this jerrycan with me filled with 5L of fuel, perhaps/probably never use it. Only reason (but a very good one to me) is to feel good and keep the stress to a minimum.

How long can you keep the fuel in the plastic jerrycan and still use it? A week? A month? Longer?

Sounds then like you need a proper & permanent jerrycan! :cool4:

I'm quite sure that fuel in a plastic jerrycan remains good for many months. Just like a plastic fuel tank, one would think. But to play it safe, every so often at a fuel stop why not just dump your jerrycan fuel in the tank and fill the jerrican with fresh fuel. Happy jerrycanning!

I may be a bit late to the party, but ...

1. I have a couple of 20l jerrycans for domestic use (filling mowers etc). These get filled to the brim (noting the designed-in airspace as mentioned above) and thrown in the back of the car on their sides in hot and cold weather. I have never had a leak from either, and not even a smell of fuel if I am careful filling them. So yes, a good jerrycan will make a perfect seal. Mine are about 10 years old, from a Land Rover supplier, and have never had new seals.

2. Hein Gericke sell a neat 2l aux fuel container, made of black plastic. Under 10GBP when I got mine. It doesn't seal perfectly so you have to keep it upright. Also, the neck is too narrow for a standard fuel nozzle, so you need to carry a small funnel as well. Not a perfect product, but a useful addition if you are expecting 'fuel panic'.

In the UK you have to fill these things out of sight of the cashier. If they are following the law, they must stop you filling them. But I have only been told once in twenty years :) As others have said, I would not like to risk petrol in a Coke bottle, but I have heard of people doing it without problems.

You should fill whatever container you select to the very brim - that way there is no space for vapours to build up within the container. Half empty containers swell to quite alarming propostions when shaken about and left in the sun.

On my last trip stopping to have a smoke and venting off the built up petrol vapours from a 5l jerry can was a regular chore. Possibly not the wisest combination of activities and proof that someone is always that stupid!

One should think that because there is no space for vapors to build up it might blow!

Not true. Vapour expands proportionally far more than liquid. There will be a slight expansion of liquid fuel in the heat, but fuel vapour will expand a lot. If there is no room for the fuel to vaporise, it will remain liquid (all other things being equal).

The original designers of the jerry can understood that there needs to be a small airspace to allow for fuel expansion, but not enough to create a huge volume of fuel vapour. Good article here.

It's the half-empty ones that give you a nasty surprise on a hot day, not the full ones!

Well, that is sure is a good tip then, thank you! Normally I would have filled it up to 80 percent, now I will fill it up completely!

Must have Jerrycan
 

Here in the US we have :
STA-BIL® Fuel Stabilizer will keep fuel for up to 12 months http://www.goldeagle.com/brands/stabil /default.aspx

I'm sure you have the same thing there may be under another name but if you can't find something, Amazon has it.

I have a Mini Moke that only has around 300km range and a non-functioning fuel gauge. So I run out every now and again. doh

I'll soon be adding an extra 20lt tank to extend the range and I will have a working fuel guage for each tank.

Meanwhile I keep a 5lt can in the luggage compartment on one side in case I run out. If there is any in the can I tip that in the tank first before I fill the tank and the can. That way the fuel in the can is always fresh. I've never had the can leak.

Unleaded fuel lasts about 6-8 weeks in storage before it starts to go "off".

Cheers,
Brett.

OK, I didn't know that existed! But my plan is to keep the fuel in the jerrycan for a couple of days or a week. Then I will fill up the bike with the jerrycan and refill the jerrycan (a bit like Brett said). So I don't think I need to use these cans. But it's nice to know it's there.

Filling to the brim?
 

Filling jerrycans, or any tank for that matter, to the brim is not the right practice. Fuel is a liquid and thus cannot be compressed, which is why we use brake fluid to operate the brakes for example. When fuel warms up it will expand, the air above the fuel allows the fuel to expand as air can be compressed. Filling it up to the brim with cold fuel, which then expands as it warms up, creates an hydraulic pressure way beyond the capabilities of the jerrycan. It will burst or blow the cap or whatever is the weakest link! No question about it
The manufacturer doesn't put that maximum fill line on for nothing.

Agreed, except that jerry cans (and I mean the proper thing, not a generic term for fuel can) have the necessary airspace designed into the top of the can. Holding the can level, you cannot fill that space with fuel as it is above the filler neck. Therefore, there is no maximum fill line (at least, none of mine has one).

If you design something for use by squaddies, it has to be foolproof! (No offence intended to any squaddies reading this - I mean in battle conditions things like fill lines get ignored.)