No Spill Gas Cans - I've Never Spilled More Gasoline in my Life!

Can you pinpoint where the leak was? My first guess would be that a gasket might have been missing between the spout and the threaded part of the main can. Check for any mold flash in that area. There should also be a small vent to let air into the can while gasoline is emerging, but I couldn't see anything in the picture. Often it is a small capped opening on the top of the can at the opposite end from the spout.

Nope. This type has an internal vent tube. I've found that a very slow pour works well, enough.

Oh, for the days when Darwin thinned the gene pool.

Indeed! I'm certain that Darwin did a better job, when he was un-thwarted by bureaucrats and others.

I was almost to the point of taping the push spout in the down position. By chance I got enough sand in the outer mechanism that it jammed in the down position. Now it works great.

Well away from the can full of gas try using something like a soldering iron on the DRY NOZZLE ONLY and melt/jam it into the "works" position.

Lol, jamming it into the open position does seem like the safest way to make it work (no sarcasm here, I mean it!). I think however I'm just gonna find an old one somewhere. I get what they're designed to do, but they are so poorly made they just make a mess!

You could make some good money with a better design. Adding the air vent to the spout greatly reduced the flow area. Add in a little turbulence and it works even slower.

Let me know your design and I will personally take it up with one of largest manufacturers in the US. I guarantee it will be worth it. Even the savings in resin alone would be worth something. $$$

Man, I'm with ya on this! Hate em.

I drilled a hole in the loose cap, inserted a length of ½" clear tube, got myself a hose clamp along this line

Now I siphon the fuel from the can on the workbench into the mower, snowblower...

This setup actually works pretty well.

I sort of doubt this is a factory approved method of defeating the mandated safety feature of the spout, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

I agree. It's a plot by big oil to make us buy more gas.

I have one of two stroke "cans" that looks similar yours. I have turned the spout 90° from straight and have had mostly good success. I've also quit trying to "fill" the tanks on the two stroke implements.

I've learned to pour from a slightly different style with the disgusting locking lever by removing the cap and pouring directly into the tank.

This is a true example of government overreach and stupidity. Like every day bleach becoming a toxic material as soon as it enters the workplace.

I suspect I'll eventually go to battery operated tools, except for my chain saws.

I do use a corded blower now.

Yeah, I've been trying to fill my two-stroke leaf blower to disastrous results. It overflows so quickly! Again, none of this was an issue with the old cans...what a fiasco!

Virtually everything I own is electric, either battery or corded, including two chain saws. I have outlets and extension cords that can reach anywhere on my property, and well into neighboring woods. Since the owners of those properties don't take care of them, I've been clearing some dead stuff to reduce the fire danger...

I just cut up two dead oaks that were about 16" in diameter at the base, and one somewhat smaller one, with no problem. I hate the smell and mess of tools with fueled engines, not to mention the effort required to start them..

I have found the spout to be a tight fit and if you don't really jam it in the hole first then you cannot hope to do up the nut properly and will get a pour (hahaha) seal.

Only happened once then I figured out what needed to be done, problem is I knew what could happen and what needed to be done and it still happened the first time I used one of these, so I don't know how the average person manages it.

Yup, same with me. I sat there, figured it out empty, said "ok, I get it", filled it, and spilled gas everywhere as it didn't work like it should. Then the second time I said "Ok, I know what I did wrong", was even more careful, and spilled gas all over the place again.

That's what I had as my old one. Never ever had a problem with it. Loved it. That's what I've got to find.

You could always run a self tapping screw into the top, opposite the filler end, and then take the screw out when filling a tank, then put it back in place when finished.

I'd only do this under cover of darkness so as to not get busted for tampering with a safety device.

You know, like mattresses, "Do not remove this tag under penalty of law."

You need a kit...

I had purchased *4* new (5-gal) containers, along with a new generator several years ago.

A-G-R-E-E-D ... What-a-PAIN...! The "kit" solution (with "drill-and-insert-your-own" vents) seemed to be a great solution.

That is, until they arrived, having those "so-called" flexible spouts, that point STRAIGHT-UPWARDS, and absolutely WILL NOT bend sufficiently so as to fill the mower (let-alone a generator) without spilling a fair amount {{either when "getting-it-IN", or, when full, removing it quickly, or both!}}.

SOLUTION :

bought some REALLY flexible (and CLEAR to boot) tygon tubing with just the right ID to fit snugly over the last tapered-inch of the spouts... _{all 4}... and: Voila!

[...^{would insert a photo, 'cept they're about 100 miles N of my current workdesk}...]

Yeah, what SE said.

You can buy the easy conversion kit from Amazon for like $12. (I did.)

Now granted, you shouldn't have to buy the g-dd----d conversion kit. But at least you can use it to fix yet another government screw-up.

(Maybe Amazon has a fix-it kit for the folks struggling to build the James Webb Space Telescope.)

That is exactly my experience. For a long time, I had a metal gas can with a flexible metal "goose neck" pouring spout that stayed the way you bent it. I could bend it into the lawn mower gas tank and lift the can until gas flowed.

It would "glug-glug" until the gas level reached the end of the filler spout, at which time there was no way for air to get in and the flow automatically stopped. I very seldom spilled any gasoline.

With the new one, you can't do that and it takes another hand to try to hold open the safety valve. I usually end up spilling gas pulling it out of the tank. I'm sure a lot more gasoline evaporates from the spillage than ever escaped from the old gas can when the cap was off.

I like to vent, even if my gas can can't.

https://bestgascan.us/best-gas-can-u-s-a-blog/government-wrecked-gas-can/

Out of 4 cans, only one was a decent design... I have to find the design.

i like the hand wash at the gas pumps. It seems to neutralize the gas smell pretty good... unless you spill it on your shoes.

That reminds me of a joke. Two service men (it has to be men to work) in the bathroom at urinals.

They finish, one washes his hands and the other does not.

Navy guy: "Don't they teach you to wash your hands in the Army"?

Army guy, "No, in the Army they teach us not to pee on our hands".

Lesson: Don't get gas on your shoes.

"Two service men (it has to be men to work) in the bathroom at urinals."

Sexist joke /sarc

The funny thing is, as I was cleaning up the gas spill I thought "I'm definitely posting this to CR4". Sometimes posting these sorts of things here is cathartic.

I think you can see now that you are not alone!

There's a sort of comfort in numbers... especially when lost.

<sigh> Like so much stuff today... improved to the point of uselessness.
Del

I simply take the whole spout assembly off and, using a large mouth funnel, pour strait from the can. It takes a little finesse and balance but, is vastly superior and more controllable.

Blitz used to make the good old school cans. But then the ambulance chasers got after them and they got sued out of business.

I've got an old can with a flex spout. A used dog Kong with a bolt in the end makes a perfect stopper.

jhammond

So some people had accidents and can't blame themselves for their own stupidity, so they get the greedy lawyers involved. And we all pay for it.

This is the one I use. I love this can. I haven't spilled a drop for years. You can't overfill your tank either.

https://www.equipsupply.com/5-gal-red-no-spill

I found these for around the same price:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/vpr-3512/overview/

You do need to get the hose kit separately:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/vpr-3046

I broke modified all of my "new" spouts until I found those kits. Don't spill anything now.

This might be the direction I'm going in.

I made all my cans work again using a "easypour" spout kit. Old school spout and vent for new school cans. Works great.

Blame the EPA and a sue-to-get-rich culture. I like the old pull spouts best.

The old pull-n-pour spouts can be found in stores at times. You can also sometimes find the old snap down vents.

I made many of these cans and I will say that the new ones are the worst. The EPA states that all cans must have a self-closing spout and no way to leave an 'open container', which means no snap open vents. They do obviously have a vent in the spout designed in. Much money was spent in trying to fit gas egress and air ingress into something that would still fit in your filler neck.

All this to minimize injuries and lawsuits. While the signage at the gas station states that it must be in an approved container, I've never been asked.

Does anyone remember the 6 gallon gas cans? Notice they mostly went away. Just imagine holding a can that heavy up with the new spouts!

Instead of forcing people to use these "safe" cans, "No Spill Gas Cans - I've Never Spilled More Gasoline in my Life"! why not tackle a far larger problem.

The EPA, et al, have made matters worse by mandating these cans and there are far more pressing matters they should be pursuing. Like mitigating the obvious methane leaks coming from old wells and storage facilities and aging distribution networks. Never mind global warming, strictly from a pollution standpoint, these leaks posed a far higher potential for human injury than leaking gas cans.

The two worst offenders are:

Country	GHG emissions (Mt CO2e)	Percentage of global total (%)
China	11735.0071	25.93%
United States	6279.8362	13.87%

Study maps hundreds of methane gas leaks under streets in L.A. ...

"Does anyone remember the 6 gallon gas cans? "

Yup still got one. With it's glorious, old fashioned spout and vent plug on the back side.

These cans, were they basically round cylinders and with a large about 3" screw-on cap, and a smaller 3" spout with about a 1-1/2" screw on cap?

And you needed a funnel and when you poured... and on a full can... you needed to know what you were doing and do it quick otherwise you'd miss the funnel... if those were the cans,... yes, we used them all the time on the farm, when filling up the tractors in the field. Always had 3-4 cans around.

My six gallon can, that looks just like any old semi-cubic red plastic gas can. Just a little taller.

As for the ones referenced in my link to Summit racing (post #29) Those are racing fuel cans and almost exactly as you describe. In the interests of full disclosure, I have no connection with Summit racing. Just a long time, satisfied customer. You can also find those containers at Jegs, Racer's Friend, etc.

That's California, the founder of the flop.

As far as tool use, the politicians and agency administrators never got past the use of basic rock, which is also contains known carcinogens based on a California study.

That statement is, well................................foolish, to say the least!

Please engage brain before stepping on your tongue.

It was an example!

Methane Leaks from Oil and Gas Wells Now Top Polluters - Scientific ...

"Together, the gas and oil sector contributed 29 percent of the United States' overall methane emissions". We should be able to reduce that significantly, don't you agree?

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, "the cattle industry contributed 26 percent of the nation's methane". There's less we can do here, unless we want to buy foreign beef.

But it is a problem that bears looking into. Ignoring it won't make it better.

So much for OT stuff, back to gas cans. Personally, I use two-three gallons a season so I've chosen just to adapt and live with it.

Lyn, anti-spill cans were driven by the CARB tier 1, 2 and 3 regulations. The same folks that brought you the ban on charcoal lighter fluid and enamel paint. All driven by the goal of recovering the LA basin airshed ground level ozone (which is most limited by atmospheric hydrocarbon levels), but applied equally across all other airsheds in the state. By the monkey see-monkey do practices of the California want-to-be legislatures in other states and at the national level, the practices have largely been adopted nationwide, even in areas where the practices serve no useful function. Some airsheds are nitrous oxide level limited, some are hydrocarbon limited and some have no issue whatsoever, but the same hydrocarbon limitations and bans seem to be applied across the board as do nitrous oxide emission standards.

So Lyn, don't have a cow, either milk it or eat it.

Oh come on now, just go down to the surplus store and pick up a couple of old "jerry cans". I got two, one for gas one for kero. 5 bucks for the two. 25 years ago. Sure they are heavy, if you fill them all the way. I only use them to bring gas or kero to the machine and then only what I need. 20 liters for a lawnmower, the gas goes bad before you can use it all. LoL

however, for that weekend of ATV riding in the Northwoods, both of them full makes life a lot easier.

The biggest problem with these new fangled gas cans is they were not designed with the Engineer/user in mind.

They were actually designed to be used by poor dumb schmucks like myself who can't afford to spill even a few drops of precious fuel.

I lost my 2 good 5 gallon cans during Sandy and had to buy a new "no spill' unit. It must have been designed by a committee of bureaucrats working in different states, some on Windows and some on Apple. My solution was to buy a small siphon pump, unscrew the cap rather than go through the frustration of trying to pour the gas out and siphon the gas into smaller 1 or 2 gallon cans that I still have that use regular flex type nozzles. I actually see a small spring hanging out from the green lock so I'm assuming that part is broken. Wouldn't surprise me considering the effort I put into trying to use it properly and the degree of anger and frustration that evolved from that effort.

Actually it was designed for two reasons. One was the EPA worried about toxic chemicals accidentally released into the atmosphere by an open container. And the safety aspects of an open can.

The major driving force was the litigious society. There are several lawsuits a year against gas can manufacturers. Many are settled out of court. 'General' society today doesn't think if it makes sense or not, only how much can I get out of someone else.

I do understand your frustration. I hate the new ones too. Just that it's not the fault of the manufacturers or the design. Find a better design and you will make a nice bonus.

Maybe if enough people write to the manufacturers asking for a new design they might decide to retool every mold on every line for better flow. There is a way, but it would require complete redesign, new tooling, and complete retesting.

You are clearly correct on the litigious society!

I also know you are correct about that retesting, but it is apparent that the original testing of the current devices did not include testing their use by several ordinary people who had never seen them previously.

...or else it was something akin to Monsanto testing the environmental safety of Roundup.

like every thing there should be common sense compromises... such as how much is save being release to the atmosphere as compared hoe much contaminants the ground on a spill.

Like a lot of government departments... they look at things with a tunnel vision.

Well, the new gas cans have flame arrestors so you can safely pour gasoline on your campfire.

Because, 'Merica

Hold my beer. Watch this . . ..

I used to have a metal can with a spring loaded cap/valve and had a plastic funnel attached to direct the flow. Accomplished both issues and if converted to plastic would have provided spark elimination aspect or possibility. Simple and easy to use and fail safe as far as pouring. Probably would require the addition of a label saying "Do Not Smoke or Expose to Open Flame When Using" to satisfy the litigation issue.

I just unscrew the top spout and use a funnel to fill my lawnmower.

That's where I ended up for now.

If a device can be designed and approved to permit venting of gasoline storage tanks and gasoline transport vehicles, why not apply the same principles to a gasoline can?

Somebody too cheap, or is some litigator blocking such an attempt?

I believe the expansion of the gas in large quantities such as a large tank requires a vent to prevent excessive pressure build-up. I'm not getting into bladders or other devices in large tanks.

Also, gas cans are typically stored in buildings where the fumes are contained. You don't want the fumes to vent off into the garage. BTW, gas cans now have a vapor barrier layer formed inside the plastic. Cans must also pass drop testing, leak testing, 'leech' testing, and be childproof; yet supposedly open easy enough that a large cross-section of adults can operate it.

Without getting into details, there have been several instances where a gas can was present in a garage/shed/outbuilding fire. The cause was ruled to be someone leaving the cap off the can or the vent open (or it popped open, screwed on wrong, etc). According to news media you seem to be risking your life to even look at a plastic gas can. At any rate, for several years it seemed that if a gas can could be seen in the area it was the cause of the fire.

And yes, hypothetically, a person could sue the manufacturer if they were burned while pouring gas out of a can directly onto a fire.

Available at Lowes:

https://www.surecanusa.com/

SureCan 2.2-Gallon Plastic Gas Can

(21)

$36.97

Ouch! That's a lot of $. The 5 gal can is $50.00.

I'll bet a trip to the burn center costs more.....

Again, if one were to investigate those who got burned and what they were doing at the time of the accident . . . .

It would be interesting to see the amount of alcohol consumption related to these incidents, as well. "Hey y'all, hold mah beer, watch this."

So,... what you are saying ism this should have a alcohol dispensing cap for all alcoholic beverages...

where are those three attorneys?

We old folks have the (dis)advantage of remembering how much things used to cost!

"Ouch! That's a lot of $." I thought exactly the same thing. But then I looked up similar-sized plastic potable water storage containers, and found the rectangular ones to be pretty much in the same price range!

On the other hand, from Walmart:

All attempts to make any device foolproof are guaranteed to fail one way or another; there are too many fools who will try to use the device in ways that engineers and designers could not imagine!

Looks like something Rube Goldberg designed... and bought at Tiffany's on Rodeo Drive...

I can see what will happen..."omg... the pigeon died, and I had gas all over."

Not to highjack your thread, but on a car related item, those plastic bottles of oil, the ones with the offset spout; when you hold the bottle and unscrew the cap, once the seal is broken, the finger pressure on the sides of the bottle pushes the oil out even before the cap is fully removed. And when pouring it into the oil filler, the oil comes out before the spout reaches the filler.

Now throw in a 10 MPH gust of wind... yah,... that's me.

Yes; I've learned the right way to pour oil. It's just not a normal way to hold a bottle.

"It's just not a normal way to hold a bottle."

That may be true for people who don't plan ahead... And it applies to any liquid, not just oil.

It's not the liquid, it's the bottle.

Most bottles have the neck roughly centered, and those bottles can be poured by tilting them in any angle. That is a feature of radial symmetry, if not practically a definition.

Bottles with offset necks, fall into two categories: vented and unvented. A vented bottle has a second opening to let air in, those are poured with the neck closest to the target. An unvented bottle needs to be started with the neck furthest from the target, that way the single opening can perform double-duty, letting the fluid oud at the bottom half, and letting the air in at the to half.

All of this boils down to paying attention to the shape and venting (or lack thereof) of the container and figuring out the best way to avoid 'glugging' while pouring.

We use bottled water. I just keep a few bottles without lids around and if I can't find a funnel or want a single use funnel I just cut the bottom out of a water bottle and use it, inverted, as a funnel.