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What we need is a better solution to the CARB/EPA gasoline can bung hole threaded neck problem

Today, I drive down to Costco, to fill my trunk with 50 gallons of gas:

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When, lo and behold, I smell strong gas fumes while driving. So, I pull over, and open the trunk, and what do I see?

Yet another plastic spout cap broke along the perimeter:

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So, I stop by Lowes to pick up a replacement 5-gallon portable storage can:
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Resigning myself to transferring the gas from the old can to the new can, lo and behold, I find that the new cap seemingly fits the old threaded neck, yet, the converse isn't true.
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The old spout doesn't seem to fit the new can's threaded neck. Huh?
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I ask: How can it be that the new spout fits the old can, but that the old spout doesn't fit the new can?
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One reason it matters is that I have more than a few of these one or two year old gas cans where all the spouts break the same!
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Reply to
Danny D.
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Danny D. wrote, on Fri, 12 Sep 2014 08:58:00 +0000:

BTW, if anyone knows where I can get *just* the cap, instead of having the replace the entire year or two old 5-gallon gas can every time one of these caps breaks, that would be helfpul:

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I never use the spout, as I siphon the gasoline out, so, I have no need for anything other than a one-piece cap, if I could find it.

Reply to
Danny D.

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Reply to
AMuzi

YUP. You can buy them at many stores. In some states they are sold as "water container only" items (NY being one) BUT the only difference between the "water" spout and the "gas/kero" spouts is color...

Tractor Supply sells them and I have about 6 hanging in the shop. Just in case they are suddenly shut down.

Reply to
Steve W.

AMuzi wrote, on Fri, 12 Sep 2014 07:59:42 -0500:

I apologize for not making my key point clear.

To my knowledge, NOBODY sells just the bung cap, at least, not for the purpose of sealing a portable gasoline container.

The advantage of a bung cap (for lack of a better name), is that it would seal as well as the god-awful contraptions you pointed to, but it would be nice and simple and not break like this all the time:

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Someone suggested we kluge together a cap from separate components, but, really, there's no reason the cap shouldn't simply be a single molded piece of plastic, with maybe only one second part, which would be the rubber gasket.

I'm looking for a cap ... sort of like this:

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Only the best will be able to find it on the net because the *threads* for a gas can are ... um ... what?

Reply to
Danny D.

Steve W. wrote, on Fri, 12 Sep 2014 09:40:09 -0400:

If you can buy a cap like this at many stores, why can't I find one?

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Reply to
Danny D.

On the page I linked earlier:

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comes in colors too!

Reply to
AMuzi

Per Danny D.:

aMuzi had my hopes up with

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but the description seems to say it won't fit most cans: "Black cap is fine thread and typically fits older Briggs and Stratton, Rubbermaid, essence, and Gott cans." i.e. there's nothing even remotely "fine" about the thread on my jammed-up Scepter can.

Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

I have one of these

new != bad

Perce

Reply to
Percival P. Cassidy

Per (PeteCresswell):

Mea Culpa: more careful reading of the parent page reveals that different color caps fit different threads. For Scepter, they have a yellow cap:

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Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

There are also grey, yellow, red to cover whichever of the various formats you may require.

Reply to
AMuzi

AMuzi wrote, on Fri, 12 Sep 2014 13:41:06 -0500:

Oooooooh. Nice. I wonder if it fits the Blitz threads...

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With that link, I also found these:
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I wonder if they will ship to California?

Reply to
Danny D.

Percival P. Cassidy wrote, on Fri, 12 Sep 2014 15:11:32 -0400:

I understand that the spout fits upside down into the gas can, which gets it out of the way when you shut your trunk, so, that's good.

Still, it's a multiple-piece item, which simply needs to be a one-piece gas cap. In fact, I just bought this contraption, in effect, because it came with the new gas can I bought from Lowes yesterday:

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But, I think I'm going to buy a few of the one-piece gas caps, and I'll finally have the ultimate solution for storage, filling, transportation, and emptying.

Reply to
Danny D.

Oren wrote, on Fri, 12 Sep 2014 11:56:39 -0700:

From my conversations with the various companies, Blitz had their own molds for gas cans and many other types of cans.

When Blitz folded, due to the unrelated lawsuits to the issue we are discussing, they sold all molds but the gas can mold.

I was told nobody wanted to touch the gas cans, because of the pending liability.

Reply to
Danny D.

(PeteCresswell) wrote, on Fri, 12 Sep 2014 15:11:19 -0400:

Thanks for finding that. It seems that a plain old one-piece gas cap *does* exist, which I hadn't known at the time I opened this thread.

I don't know if they'll ship to California, but, if they do, I can buy a few and see if they fit my ten Blitz gas cans.

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I have to agree with you on the "fine" characterization though.

No gas can has a "fine" thread; but why they even have different threads is beyond me.

Maybe it's a legal issue?

Reply to
Danny D.

(PeteCresswell) wrote, on Fri, 12 Sep 2014 15:23:57 -0400:

I'm not at all worried about the color of the cap; but what I loved to see was the word "Blitz" in that description!

"Solid base cap Yellow, solid cap for tank storage or transportation, Yellow cap is coarse thread and typically fits Blitz, Midwest, Scepter and our Chilton adapter and our Jerry can adapter."

It's in their FAQ also:

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Reply to
Danny D.

They make solid "storage" caps.

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Fit's the blitz cans I have just fine.

Reply to
Steve W.

Patent and liability. User "adapts" a spout from a different maker, spout leaks and causes damage to whatever. Maker of can can say, Not our problem, you used XYZ threads and they didn't seal. If you had used ours this wouldn't happen.

Reply to
Steve W.

What is that, about $300-400 in gas jugs? What's wrong with drums and a pump? I don't get it. A 5-gal gas jug is always clumsy. I have one, and use it only to fill my 2 1/2 and 1 gal jugs. If I commonly dealt with more than 5 gals I'd arrange for bigger tanks and a transfer system. Just the thought of filling 10 cans at a gas station is something I don't want to entertain.

Reply to
Vic Smith

Vic Smith wrote, on Fri, 12 Sep 2014 18:32:06 -0500:

It's not done for cost reasons, although, in the long terms, the cans do eventually pay for themselves, but that was never the intent.

It's done for convenience. The wife *never* has to put gas in her car, since I do it for her.

Yet, the wife *hates* when I drive her car, so, I came up with a method to fill her car while she sleeps. :)

At some point, I'm going to add a set of 50-gallon drums and a pump, but that's for the future.

Yep. Best would be if the fuel could be delivered by a truck.

It doesn't bother me one bit, but, people at the gas station often ask me if I'm preparing for Armageddon?

Reply to
Danny D.

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