Small Diesel Container

[Osprey69]

Want a gallon or so of diesel available to top off filters after a filter change. All the small containers (2 1/2 gals) seem to be gas (red) and even that is bulky to store.

Any suggestions or container materials that would safely store diesel (stored in a bucket) in the engine room?

It seems that a container made with HDPE (2) should be fine as it is the same material the gas can is made of.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jleonard]

I carried fuel in a one gallon oil jug in the bilge next to the filers for priming. I think I used it once in 15 years.

 

[catalinajack]

Want a gallon or so of diesel available to top off filters after a filter change. All the small containers (2 1/2 gals) seem to be gas (red) and even that is bulky to store.



Any suggestions or container materials that would safely store diesel (stored in a bucket) in the engine room?



It seems that a container made with HDPE (2) should be fine as it is the same material the gas can is made of.



Thanks in advance.

Justrite makes a one-gallon safety can, Model #7110200. Safety cuz it has a very strong, spring-loaded cap with gasket. Justrite makes gas and kerosene models as well in 1-gallon, 2.5-gallon, and 5-gallon. I keep my dinghy gas in a 2.5-gallon can, no worries, virtually impossible to leak regardless of sea state. I keep a full can in my diesel truck. It has NEVER leaked.

 

[psneeld]

Oil containers should work just fine.


A company that makes diesel heaters I believe uses the same 2.5 gallon jugs as fuel tanks that 2 cycle outboard oi comes in.


With that in mind, I have been using a thrown away 2 cycle oil jug for my diesel heater for 10 years with no issues.

 

[ksanders]

I carried fuel in a one gallon oil jug in the bilge next to the filers for priming. I think I used it once in 15 years.

Thats what I did as well.

The cost was zero and I wrote diesel on the jug.

 

[folivier]

An old mechanics trick I've used on my diesel motorhomes is to use ATF, comes in a gallon jug and burns well.

 

[O C Diver]

I have a 1 gallon plastic gas can that I wrote DIESEL on. Feel that was a little safer as I have nothing on the boat that uses gasoline, but I could see myself screwing up with it in a motor oil jug.

Ted

 

[Portage_Bay]

I keep two 1 gallon used oil jugs aboard. One labeled "Clean diesel" for topping up filter housings. The other labeled "Dirty diesel" for catching filter drainings. Neither has leaked in years of use. The clean diesel almost never gets used but it's good to have just in case.

 

[koliver]

I have a collection of gas cans, all made of the same plastic that my kayaks are made from. The colours vary, as does the label that decodes the colours. Red is gasoline, yellow is diesel, blue is kerosene. Mine have held all manner of liquids, regardless of labels.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. O. Buy a one gallon red gas can and paint it yellow. Krylon makes a plastic paint I’ve used for the last 5 years and it’s held up very well.

 

[Barabus]

I went the pricey way and went with a 1 gallon stainless just rite can. Not sure it was the best $125 I spent.

 

[Cigatoo]

I went the pricey way and went with a 1 gallon stainless just rite can. Not sure it was the best $125 I spent.

But it looks pretty spiffy

 

[psneeld]

The beauty of the 2 cycle outboard jugs is they are clear so the red diesel is easily IDed and the label is just a plastic wrap on the jugs I was getting so it slips right off.

 

[C lectric]

A one gallon gas can, plastic, would work well. Just use a marker pen to label it clearly. THe marker will last for a couple years so just redo it periodically.

I use these for spare oil and coolant as they are small enough they can be stowed in many spots that a larger container could not be stowed in.

In my case they are all used. My chandlery gets them periodically. I thoroughly rinse with a small dose of acetone and then leave them to dry fully for about a week.

I also use three one litre/quart plastic oil bottles stowed in a locker for priming my engine. Works great.

As long as they are kept out of sunlight they will last for many, many years.

In case I didn't mention it LABEL them. Either a felt marker or a taped on label.

I would also use some of the gallon oil jugs, or similar, as long as they are sturdy. SOme containers are much lighter walled than others.

 

[jleonard]

I carried fuel in a one gallon oil jug in the bilge next to the filers for priming. I think I used it once in 15 years.

I might further say this was a green ex Quaker state container with a flex spout that the PO left aboard. It was clearly marked as diesel.
None of the "real" oil was in that sort of container.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

I have two empty Sriracha Hot Sauce bottles on board. A 16 ounce one that I use when changing the oil on my Simms injection pump and a large one (28 ounces?) that has diesel in it for changing filters. I can't see ever needing anywhere near 28 ounces for changing filters. I've changed several and am down only a few ounces. Both have squirt nozzles that seal and are stored in places where they can't tip over. Easy to add half an ounce to top off a Racor. I wouldn't want to try using any type of two gallon gas/diesel can.

The small one for the injector pump is marked so that when I drain the "used" oil out I can see if there is more than what I put in, meaning that diesel has leaked into the injector pump oil and it's time for pump maintenance. Not a bit of a change so far, and the oil is clean, therefore it can go right into the crankcase. No need to throw out a couple cups of perfectly good oil.

I'm sure used hot sauce bottles are cheaper and more practical than gas cans even if you just poured out the hot sauce.

 

[jleonard]

The beauty of the 2 cycle outboard jugs is they are clear so the red diesel is easily IDed and the label is just a plastic wrap on the jugs I was getting so it slips right off.

FYI
I had one 2 cycle oil container split at the base and make a mess aboard the boat.
And, ready for this, I also had one split in my garage in Florida.

My batting average ain't so good with those.

 

[psneeld]

FYI
I had one 2 cycle oil container split at the base and make a mess aboard the boat.
And, ready for this, I also had one split in my garage in Florida.

My batting average ain't so good with those.

I have had a few Qt bottles of all kinds get cracks in them...the white plastic seems the worst.


The 2.5 gal jugs that I use are more like thicker but the same as many milk containers are.

 

[koliver]

I have had a few Qt bottles of all kinds get cracks in them...the white plastic seems the worst.
The 2.5 gal jugs that I use are more like thicker but the same as many milk containers are.

I once used a liquid soap container to hold the kerosene I use for priming the diesel stove. After a guest helped with the dishes and the plastic wine glasses went cloudy, I switched to a used outboard gear oil squirt container. That same white plastic container is still in use, maybe 30 years later, still looks to be in perfect shape, though it does live in the darkness of the cupboard under the sink.

The white plastic 5 gallon buckets that live on the upper deck deteriorate quickly in sunlight, even here in SW BC. They need to be replaced within a very few years.

In the ER, I have gallon containers of oil, ATF, anti-freeze, water. The coolant overflow reservoirs are all white plastic. All live there quite happily without suffering shelf deterioration.

 

[PMF1984]

Just as an aside, if this is for the primary filter think again. Dumping fuel from a container to top off the primary filter bypasses the filtration system.

Better to push the priming lever for a few minutes (I know, boring) to fill it up.

You think the fuel you are pouring in is clean, but you can’t see 20 microns.

 

[O C Diver]

Just as an aside, if this is for the primary filter think again. Dumping fuel from a container to top off the primary filter bypasses the filtration system.

Better to push the priming lever for a few minutes (I know, boring) to fill it up.

You think the fuel you are pouring in is clean, but you can’t see 20 microns.

While true for can style filters, Racor elements (500, 900, and 1,000) can be inserted and then the housing filled without the fuel bypassing the filter.

Ted

 

[PMF1984]

Ted, you are correct. I should have clarified my post refers to the last filter in line.

 

[Osprey69]

Thanks all. Want to store the diesel and filters in a 5 gal. bucket with a lid (from Lowes). I am assuming the worst of having to change out filters while en-route south. The 5 gal buckets hangs neatly under the messy-to-change Dahls and should contain the mess. I will deal with the diesel in the bucket at another time...hence the tight lid.

I like the idea of the squirt bottles. Topping off in a seaway with a gal. jug would not be fun. I will try to match the HDPE 2 rating of the fuel container and see if I can find something other than hot sauce containers.

Although if the hot sauce is really hot, that could be more caustic than diesel...

 

[psneeld]

Doesn't filling a filter bowl depend?



Some filters like Racors, the output is from inside the filter that is sealed from the bowl by O rings, lip seals or similar on the filters themselves?..... maybe just for this reason that the outside contamination of the filter should never be allowed to bypass to the inside.

 

[rgano]

Before I installed an electric priming pump into the system, I carried a plastic oil jug with diesel in it just as others here do. It sat on the aluminum diamond plate engine room decking. That diamond tread was sort of sharpish, and after due consideration elected to place all my spare oil containers and the marked one for diesel in a plastic container sufficient to contain fluid from at least one holed container.

When you consider the mess involved in trying to prime a system from a jug of fuel in a seaway, the turn on and forget electric priming pump assumes near-critical equipment importance. It certainly saved me a lot of trouble when an engine was regularly dying from a hard-to-find air ingestion problem.

 

[slowgoesit]

Before I installed an electric priming pump into the system, I carried a plastic oil jug with diesel in it just as others here do. It sat on the aluminum diamond plate engine room decking. That diamond tread was sort of sharpish, and after due consideration elected to place all my spare oil containers and the marked one for diesel in a plastic container sufficient to contain fluid from at least one holed container.

When you consider the mess involved in trying to prime a system from a jug of fuel in a seaway, the turn on and forget electric priming pump assumes near-critical equipment importance. It certainly saved me a lot of trouble when an engine was regularly dying from a hard-to-find air ingestion problem.

Better yet, just put in two fuel filters in parallel, with vacuum gauges. If the vacuum gauge starts to register, open two valves, close two valves, and run on the fresh filter, then replace the clogged filter at your leisure, in the next smooth anchorage!

 

[rgano]

Better yet, just put in two fuel filters in parallel, with vacuum gauges. If the vacuum gauge starts to register, open two valves, close two valves, and run on the fresh filter, then replace the clogged filter at your leisure, in the next smooth anchorage!

Always a good idea, but when the air ingestion is between them and the engine, you are screwed. A priming pump with bypass around it near the fuel manifold CAN be invaluable and never useless. I even refuel another boat with mine once.

 

[slowgoesit]

Always a good idea, but when the air ingestion is between them and the engine, you are screwed. A priming pump with bypass around it near the fuel manifold CAN be invaluable and never useless. I even refuel another boat with mine once.

That's a capability I would like to build into our boat. I could do it now, using the fuel transfer pump, bout it would require cutting the wash deck hose, and would take a LONG time!

 

[HopCar]

Back when I was using two cycle oil in small engines I stored it in liquid laundry detergent bottles. The have a wonderful spout that funnels drips back into the bottle. I also marked the cap so I could use it to measure the oil.

 

[KlepsAK]

Diesel container

I just top up with transmission fluid. Burns well and cleans injectors.