If you have vehicles, generators, mowers, and other home equipment that depend on some gasoline engine, it makes sense to have gasoline stored somewhere in your home.
Knowing that gasoline is highly flammable, you must consider a safe storage space to protect your property from gasoline-related fire risks.
While planning to store gasoline in your home, you should find a place away from the house with few ignition possibilities.
In this regard, Can You Store Gasoline In A Shed, Garage, Or Basement?
Well, a shed, garage, or basement are considered the best storage spaces for a home. Therefore it makes perfect sense to store gasoline in these places. However, you should ensure that the gasoline is first stored in an appropriate container before keeping it in a shed, garage, or basement.
It is imperative to check how often you will need to use the gasoline and whether the place you keep is efficient. For instance, if you need extra gasoline for farm tools, it is better to store it in a garden shed than in a basement. Generally, it is better to store gasoline near the devices that need it so that you can easily access it whenever you want to use it.
How To Safely Store Gasoline In Your Home
If you are a homeowner, you likely have several lawn maintenance machines that operate on an engine, and this engine needs to be powered, most likely by gasoline.
Some equipment that requires gasoline includes
- lawn mowers
- leaf blowers
- pressure washers
- generators
- and power washers.
However, it is important to know how dangerous gasoline can be and consider ways of making it safe for your property.
The gasoline vapor is highly explosive and flammable.
Keeping it inside the house can increase the chances of the gasoline catching fire. Consider the following tips to store gas safely at home.
1. Check Your Local Laws And Insurance Policy
Does your local home ownership laws allow you to store gasoline in the home or not?
You should also consider if your home insurance policy covers fire accidents.
Remember, gasoline fumes are highly flammable, and your home insurance policy may not cover fire accidents.
For the same reason, most homeowner associations have guidelines on how to store flammable materials.
In most cases, the regulations dictate the maximum amount of gasoline you can keep in a home to help you power your equipment.
The amount of gasoline can range from 2.5 gallons in cities to several more in rural areas.
Typically, it is against the laws of most homeowner associations or general laws for a person to have gasoline on their property without a permit.
Always check with your local fire departments to find out the limits of gasoline storage.
Also, ensure you have insured your home against fire hazards, just Incase bad luck befalls you.
Most insurance companies can cover damages caused by a fire that was started by igniting a little amount of gasoline.
However, if you had stored hundreds of dozens of gasoline, you may not be covered when a risk occurs.
2. Use Appropriate Containers For Storage
Store gasoline in containers approved for gas storage. Do not use milk jugs or glass containers to store flammable substances.
Most of these containers are translucent and allow light to get in, thus degrading the contents of the container.
Other insecure containers like plastic bags and jugs can lead to spills.
3. Store In A Detached Shed, Garage, Or Basement
It is a good idea to store gasoline in a storage structure built some distance from your house.
Even though some people have garages, sheds, and basements attached to their houses, they become more unsafe for gasoline storage.
In most homes that have suffered home fires, the fire usually starts from an ignition of gasoline stored in an attached garage or basement.
Most basements and garages have heat sources like pilot lights and furnaces where sparks of fire can easily come from and meet with gasoline fumes hence starting a big fire.
Such fires can easily spread to other parts of the house.
To lower fire risks that can potentially start from gasoline stored in an attached structure, you can opt for a detached garage.
You may also opt to construct a small structure, some distance from the house, just to be used to store flammable substances.
For more safety precautions, you can use a special steel safety cabinet to keep highly flammable liquid substances. You can attach the small cabinets outside your garage or shed.
4. Store Gasoline Near Tools And Machines That Need It
For enhanced efficiency and accessibility, it is good to store gasoline near the equipment that needs gasoline.
For instance, if you are storing gasoline for garden tools and have a shed where you keep those tools, it is more sensible to keep the gasoline near them.
Similarly, if you have your tools in a garage or basement, you should keep the gasoline near the tools so that you can easily find the gasoline whenever you want to use it to power your equipment, machine, or tools.
Ten Gasoline Home Storage Precautions
Even though it is ideal for storing gasoline away from home, some circumstances may force you to store gasoline inside the house, in an attached garage, shed, or basement.
However, you should take a few considerations to ensure you and your property are safe, despite having gasoline nearby.
- Store gasoline In a well ventilated where there is enough airflow to reduce the concentration of gasoline fumes In case of leakages.
- Keep gasoline away from any ignition source to reduce the risks of fire accidents. At least keep it 50 feet away from any source of heat.
- Ensure your storage space is far away from children’s reach. Most children are curious and may be tempted to play with the gasoline containers.
- Always store gasoline in a fairly cool place, with temperatures less than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, to reduce the chances of damaging the stored fuel.
- Do not fill the gasoline containers to the top; instead, leave some space for the gasoline to expand whenever it gets additional heat. Most fuel cans have a mark that indicates the maximum fill point. Always fill to that point and not above it.
- Have fire extinguishers near the storage areas to help extinguish a fire in case it accidentally ignites from the gasoline stored.
- Store gasoline in small quantities to ensure you are not violating the local housing regulation or the house insurer’s recommendation.
- Dump expired gasoline in regard to the stated local regulations to avoid polluting the environment.
- Consider buying fuel stabilizers to help extend the storage time from one month to about one year.
- Avoid storing gasoline directly on a concrete surface; instead, put a piece of plywood on the concrete before you place a gasoline container.
Conclusion
Gasoline fumes are highly flammable, and the risks may be extremely higher if safety measures are not considered.
Consider the above storage precautions whenever you want to store gasoline in a shed, basement, or garage.