Hoarding gas is an explosively bad idea
High gas prices --> hoarding --> BOOM!
A husband and wife living in a second-floor unit at the North Dartmouth apartment complex off Faunce Corner Road kept an estimated 45 gallons in nine plastic jugs, Dartmouth's District 3 Fire Chief Richard Arruda said.Link (via Consumerist)The jugs were covered by cloth rags and stacked in a hallway closet that housed the air conditioning system, Chief Arruda said.
An investigation suggested they were hoarding the gas in response to skyrocketing prices, according to Ms. Mieth and Chief Arruda.
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unless they were driving motobikes 45 gals is not alot
that'd last me 2 months at the most (if anyone says "blahblah get a more fuel efficient car" I'd do that after I win the utah state lottery).
If it weren't such a stupid idea it'd be a great idea.
Too bad Gasoline isn't something that you can just stockpile like that.
Sealed, fuel rated containers, yes. But in jugs with cloth rags?
Did they not at least get headaches nor reek from the smell?
Maybe they liked huffing the gas
It took me a while before I understood that they hoarded petrol, benzine, instead of 'natural gas' which would have been even more stupid.
It's a bit daught to call petrol 'gas', since it is a liquid.
That's not a BOOM, that's a FOOMPH. At least get your onomatopoeic terminology right.
Looks like we've got another Darwin Award nominee.
Philbert, I always wondered about that too, but remembering that it is actually a contraction of gasoline solves it mostly, wiki. Seems the word gasoline has been in use longer than the word petrol too, who woulda thunk it?
Also fwiw, it's spelt "daft".
When hoarding your gasoline please don't forget to add a gasoline stabiliser to the container before sealing. The fuel will go "bad" rather quickly unless this step is taken (OTOH kerosene has a much longer shelf life).
Hoard away,
thank you
Ken,
According to the local tv news the jugs were reused 5-gallon water bottles, with rags stuffed in (since that type of waterbottle doesn't have a reclosable lid).
I live one town over from North Dartmouth. For the 8 years I've lived here, I've been muttering under my breath that this has to be the stupidest region of Massachusetts. Thank you, Cory for the confirmation.
Some recent observations:
Although I can't be 100% sure, I'd swear that as gas prices get higher people seem to be driving faster. If this is the case I assume that the logic behind this is something along the lines of "If I get where I'm going faster I'll use less fuel!"
I've also noticed an increase of Hummers on the road over the past couple of years. Kind of weird for an area where the income is 15% below the state average.
Ken:
It was more tounge-in-cheek; correct and sealed containers I see no problem with, but the fact these people appeared to have them simply 'covered' just seemed stupid.
However, to quote source: "The worst-case scenario would have been a vapor explosion", suggests they were either sealed or vented, otherwise this would probably had happend sooner!
"Who would have thought that inflammable meant flammable?" -Dr. Nick
@12 Perhaps it's because people can't *give* away Hummers anymore? Shame, that.
This is why Biodiesel is a great option. It's very hoardable. I drive away with 40 gallons every time I visit Houston Biodiesel, which is only once per month. A little table, plus a Sierra Tools Liquid Transfer Pump and it's not any hassle at all to transfer fuel from my carboys to the tank.
One problem, though, since Biodiesel is compatible with any diesel engine, is that the price has to trail the price of regular diesel by 40 to 60 cents, or else all the biodiesel will be bought up by petro-diesel bargain hunters. (Last time I was in line, there was a guy with a tank on the back of a trailer in front of me, filling from two hoses at once!) Time for me to start home brewing.
I am not affiated with Houston Biodiesel in any way. I'm just a regular customer (once a month).
Why do people think that gas and diry rags go together? I"ve never understood that one, I've seen "A Bronx Tale", I know how to make a Molotov.
And Biodiesel? A good short-term idea, a bad long-term solution.
45 gallons would last me close to six months and I drive a small SUV. It's not the metal, it's the motion.
how do you justify an SUV?
the gas when you mean petrol got me for a minute. won't be long before driving a big engined car will get you shot, the green Nazis are gonna get you
So giant molotov cocktails stored in the A/C closet? Genius.
I noticed a few weeks back that my apartment lease has a clause forbidding the storage of any remotely flammable materials in the A/C-furnace closet. Including mops and brooms.
stupid in at least 3 ways:
- dangerous. Either in a "whoomph" kind of way, or a "gasp" kind of way
- pointless. How many dollars do you expect to save by doing this? A few tens? Really worth the hassle and danger? You tightwads.
- even more pointless: petrol (gasoline, whatever) doesn't keep well, when not in a sealed chamber (eg open jug covered in cloth, for god's sake). The most volatile fractions evaporate off ("gasp"), leaving, eventually, stuff that won't run your car.
Portable gasoline tanks are illegal in Japan and with the current prices there have been more and more signs saying so around gas stations. I even saw one in a train station today.