Storing fuel on your property

[gregthehand]

Are there any laws about storing fuel (over 300 gallons) on private property? I would want to use above ground tanks. I would probably store about 500 gallons of diesel and 500 gallons of gasoline. Maybe a propane tank as well. This would be on rural property out on land with multiple acreage.

[BobCat]

I do not know fore sure, and am not well-versed in the law, but can tell you that most of my neighbors have diesel tanks (on the order of 500 gallons) on their property. They use the diesel for tractors and other farm equipment.

We looked at the idea but do not use enough diesel per year to make it worthwhile - it would get stale before we used it up. We do have a propane tank for hot water, and heat in the winter - no restrictions that I know of.

Just a data point.

Regards,
Andrew

[joe817]

Have you checked with the Agricultural Extension Service office in your area? That might be a good place to ask that kind of question.

When I was growing up in Clay Co. we had an above the ground 300 gal fuel tank for our tractors. And of course a huge propane tank for heating and such. (mom had to have her gas stove)

[ELB]

Our VFD is looking into this for our fire trucks. Call the suppliers (i.e. the people who will fill your tank) in your area and ask them. Some, maybe all, will sell or lease tanks. If you use enough, they may provide it for free (at least that's one deal offered to our VFD -- but we don't use that much fuel). There are some regulations, but it is hard to figure out what they are from just googling. It appears that if you buy a tank on your own and it is not "up to spec" some suppliers may not fill it, so be careful. At least check with your supplier before buying one. The numbers I recall from the guy researching this for our department is that a 400-500 gallon tank for diesel, with meter, hose/nozzle, and installation (I think) runs about $1500. We are looking around for cheaper alternative to the tank -- in fact we have a nice 400 gal water tank we are not using for anything -- but at the moment are unsure of the "spec" issue.

It can't be all that hard, lots of farmers around here have tanks. Checking with the extension service is probably a good idea.

elb

[TheArmedFarmer]

We have a 300 gallon tank that I bought a few years ago for about $300. It's elevated about 12 feet to the top of the tank and works great. It has a hose/nozzle, fuel filter and so forth.

I bought it from a guy on craigslist, and never asked anybody's permission to have it on my property. I use it to fill the tanks in my tractors. If we ever have power out for a long time, I can also use it to power my diesel generator.

I don't get it filled by a company, though. I bring tanks with me to the gas station, fill them up, take them home and dump them into the tank. Thus, I can also use the diesel in my truck if I wish.

[Who'sJohnGalt]

The gasoline is going to be the issue. There are probably permits and such that you'd have to get in order to store that quantity. The vapors are combustible and then there's the ground water situation if the tank leaks. For some reason propane and diesel don't have these restrictions. I have a friend that was storing 55 gal drums of gas in his garage in 1999, somehow the fire dept found out and told him to get rid of it. They said it was like having a bomb in the neighborhood. Were very polite but followed up to verify that it was gone.

Then again, you can do anything you want until you're caught. The consequences may be unknown.

[gregthehand]

Luckily in my profession all the pipe and fittings and such will come very cheap. I know I've bought big huge tanks for customers for and spent way less than $750. My main reason for doing this is that I want to be able to fill up at home and not ferry gas back and forth for the tractor and other implements. Plus during a hurricane etc gas can be hard to get. I know during Rita to get gas without waiting for hours I had to know someone way out in the country that had a gas station.

[Trinitite]

I would check with the local fire department first, especially in a rural area. In addition to any laws they might be able to suggest some best practices.

[Rex B]

We have a 300 gallon tank that I bought a few years ago for about $300. It's elevated about 12 feet to the top of the tank and works great. It has a hose/nozzle, fuel filter and so forth.
I bought it from a guy on craigslist, and never asked anybody's permission to have it on my property. I use it to fill the tanks in my tractors. If we ever have power out for a long time, I can also use it to power my diesel generator.
I don't get it filled by a company, though. I bring tanks with me to the gas station, fill them up, take them home and dump them into the tank. Thus, I can also use the diesel in my truck if I wish.

I have thought about doing the same. How do you get it up into a tank 12 feet off the ground?

[gregthehand]

I have thought about doing the same. How do you get it up into a tank 12 feet off the ground?

You could just use a double diaphragm pump.

[TheArmedFarmer]

That's a good idea, Greg. I've been looking for a better system than what I'm doing right now...

What I do is put the transfer tanks into the loader of my tractor, and lift the loader up. Then I climb up into the loader and dispense the diesel into the large tank.

A ladder would work, too, but much harder on my back and probably dangerous.

[TheArmedFarmer]

Well, I came back to this thread to give a happy update! My tank was getting low again and it was time to fill it back up, so a few weeks ago I purchased a hand pump from Atwoods (a tractor supply type store) for $99. The pump goes into the transfer tank and has a long (10'?) hose that you put up into the top of the storage tank. You then pump the handle and the fuel rushes up the hose. It is super nice and surprisingly fast.

In fact, pumping the diesel using that is actually faster than it is at the gas station. It takes me about 4 to 5 minutes to transfer 50 gallons.

I also recently bought a 50 gallon tank that was made for semi-trailers. It sits in the back of my pickup and I fill it up with diesel, drive home, and then pump the diesel into my storage tank. I bought this tank at auction for $35.

I'm completely satisfied with my solution, and I have a full 300 gallon tank of diesel again.