# Gasoline Storage in Attached Garage?



## ss2nv

Hello. New to the forums. I was wondering what the consensus is about storing gasoline and diesel inside an attached garage that also houses a gas water heater. The water heater is 1.5ft off the ground on a stand and is VFIR equipped.
Here is what I am thinking about doing to store 20 gals of gasoline and 20 gals of diesel:

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and

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Just an idea. Anyone care to give any feedback? 
Thanks.


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## jro1

if you want it to keep, I would store it in a Sceptor fuel can with Fuel Stabilzer, also doesn't hurt to keep a bottle of cetane booster for the diesel! the diesel keeps better than the gas will!


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## Go2ndAmend

IMO, not a good idea at all. There is just too many things that could go very, very wrong. A fuel explosion in an attached garage would only lead you to needing your BOL sooner than you expect.


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## PaulS

As mentioned above gasoline doesn't store well long term without a stabilizer. Storing gasoline or propane in the same building as a gas water heater? I don't think your insurance company will pay on that fire.

Unless you heat and cool that garage I would build a below ground room for my fuel. Go about 2 or 3 feet below the frost line and provide good drainage from the pit away to keep moisture down. Line the pit with a small wood frame (pressure treated lumber only) and place OSB on the sides and bottom. Coat the entire outside (at least) with three or four coats of Varathane or other urethane spar vanish. Make a top that has at least 18" of insulation and then cover the pit with a "doghouse" to keep the rain at least 12 inches from the sides of it.

Being below the frost line will keep a constant temperature. Having it in an enclosure will keep the moisture out of the fuel and keep the containers from rusting (or keep the UV from damaging the plastic containers). The insulated top will keep the container at ground temp - that will eliminate evaporation and moisture from the ground from getting to it. The "doghouse" will keep it safe from prying eyes so no one will know what you have. On the floor of the doghouse you can have a trap door that reveals the insulated top. Pull it open and get your fuel!


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## bigdogbuc

Negative.


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## Inor

This is just a gut reaction: Not a good plan.


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## Deebo

No way, Not at my house. I have seen gas vapor's do crazy things, in the cold, and the heat. I have seen gas water heaters "cycle" very hour, just to "regulate" the tank water, thats just setting there idle. Mix a gas can, even with the "spring closers" and crap like that, you get one grain of sand, or a twig in there, just to risky.
I have three gas cans right now, in the storage shed. One propane bottle on the grill, and one beside it, but I would not put them in my garage. Different house has a garage.
I am not an expert, just an Arkansas State trained firefighter, for what its worth. You asked, I gave you my two cents. Welcome to the forum.


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## Casie

I have some crazy shit in my garage but even I wouldn't keep gallons of gasoline inside with a gas hot water heater.


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## Deebo

Casie said:


> I have some crazy shit in my garage but even I wouldn't keep gallons of gasoline inside with a gas hot water heater.


What you talking about Willis? please give us some hints. Check your messages.


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## BlackDog

I've never heard of a gas water heater being installed in a garage and don't think it would meet code here. If it wasn't for that I wouldn't be concerned. Pull two cars in a garage and you've got 20 to 30 gallons of gas in there. But again, I wouldn't do it with a water heater in there.


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## Casie

It sounds cooler than it is, Deebo.

For fun, I melt Pyrex glass in my garage with GTT torches. Sometimes we form some copper pieces. My guy makes big things. I make smaller things. So we keep a *whole lot* of tanked oxygen, propane, fire extinguishers, glass, metals and some mostly safe chemicals in this room. (And, thanks for making me check my mail!)

































This space used to be a big unused 3 car garage with a possum living in it. It was a terrible garage at a stupid awkward angle to the house, and the driveway, and the carport. It's much better as a play room.

Here's the possum. She wasn't much into the remodel.


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## dsdmmat

Get yourself a small storage shed to put your gasoline in. You could also put your lawn tools in it and have your garage for your reloading room.


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## Notsoyoung

PaulS said:


> As mentioned above gasoline doesn't store well long term without a stabilizer. Storing gasoline or propane in the same building as a gas water heater? I don't think your insurance company will pay on that fire.
> 
> Unless you heat and cool that garage I would build a below ground room for my fuel. Go about 2 or 3 feet below the frost line and provide good drainage from the pit away to keep moisture down. Line the pit with a small wood frame (pressure treated lumber only) and place OSB on the sides and bottom. Coat the entire outside (at least) with three or four coats of Varathane or other urethane spar vanish. Make a top that has at least 18" of insulation and then cover the pit with a "doghouse" to keep the rain at least 12 inches from the sides of it.
> 
> Being below the frost line will keep a constant temperature. Having it in an enclosure will keep the moisture out of the fuel and keep the containers from rusting (or keep the UV from damaging the plastic containers). The insulated top will keep the container at ground temp - that will eliminate evaporation and moisture from the ground from getting to it. The "doghouse" will keep it safe from prying eyes so no one will know what you have. On the floor of the doghouse you can have a trap door that reveals the insulated top. Pull it open and get your fuel!


Good advice, thanks. Let me re-emphasize storing gasoline and other fuel in the same room as any flame source is NOT a good idea, ESPECIALLY if it is in a building that is attached to your house! Fumes buildup or a fuel leak, naturally occurring or say from something like a bullet, the water heater kicks on, and KABLOOM. Your house is engulfed in flames. NOT A GOOD IDEA.


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## GTGallop

I think you CAN do this but you need some ventilation. In Phoenix, if you have a gas water heater in your garage, you are required to have an exterior vent that is 6 inches lower than the ceiling and another that is 6 inches higher than the floor. Most homes here have 2 6x6 vents top and 2 6x6 vents along the bottom. And all a vent is is just a framed out hole like a small window but instead of glass there is a metal vent cover. That set up helps to ensure that any gas fumes (heavier than air) can escape out the garage before they hit the height of your pilot light.

I'm not saying you should store gas in the garage. I'm saying that you need to ensure you have mitigated risks and brought your house up to code if you do - even if that code isn't required where you live. I'll also tell you that tons of people with a garage set up like this store upwards of 40 gallons of gas in their garage in heated gas cans that have a vent system - it is called their car gas tank. If it was an issue, garages all over the country would be blowing up.


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## ss2nv

I appreciate the replies. I kinda figured it was not a smart thing to do, but was hoping that maybe an enclosure like the one I linked to would mitigate some of the hazards. I live just North of Houston, TX, so the garage WILL see high temps in the summer. The house is less than 5 years old, so I certainly don't want to see it go up in flames from an accident that could have been avoided. I guess that I'll have to start saving up for a shed for fuel storage then...
I will be purchasing a tri-fuel kit for my EU3000is in the mean time with plans on adding a tee connection where the hot water heater is located for natural gas.

Thanks for the feedback.

Seth


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## Inor

GTGallop said:


> I think you CAN do this but you need some ventilation. In Phoenix, if you have a gas water heater in your garage, you are required to have an exterior vent that is 6 inches lower than the ceiling and another that is 6 inches higher than the floor. Most homes here have 2 6x6 vents top and 2 6x6 vents along the bottom. And all a vent is is just a framed out hole like a small window but instead of glass there is a metal vent cover. That set up helps to ensure that any gas fumes (heavier than air) can escape out the garage before they hit the height of your pilot light.
> 
> I'm not saying you should store gas in the garage. I'm saying that you need to ensure you have mitigated risks and brought your house up to code if you do - even if that code isn't required where you live. I'll also tell you that tons of people with a garage set up like this store upwards of 40 gallons of gas in their garage in heated gas cans that have a vent system - it is called their car gas tank. If it was an issue, garages all over the country would be blowing up.


Who would put a car in the garage?  That would waste all of that wonderful space that can be better utilized for things like a table saw, bandsaw, drill press, etc.


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## PaulS

Inor,
That is why I have two out buildings. One stores the cars and garden supplies and other home use items while the other is a shop. What I store in it is a mystery because it stays locked up and there are no windows. I have an infra-red net and X-ray protection too.


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## Inor

PaulS said:


> Inor,
> That is why I have two out buildings. One stores the cars and garden supplies and other home use items while the other is a shop. What I store in it is a mystery because it stays locked up and there are no windows. I have an infra-red net and X-ray protection too.


If I had that setup, one would be a wood shop, the other a metal shop and the trucks would still sit in the driveway.  I think after 20-some odd years with me, Mrs Inor has finally resigned herself to the fact that she will never be able to park her truck inside any kind of structure until after I am dead.


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## PaulS

Well, I have to admit that I have a soft spot for my wife. I don't want her to have to scrape ice or snow from her car in the winter and I hate the thought of her getting into a car that is 120+ in the summer. Both buildings will be heated and cooled with a single heat pump (2 station). My shop will stay above 60 in the winter and below 85 in the summer but the garage will just stay above freezing in the winter and below 90 in the summer. With all the insulation the heat pump will not work very hard or often.


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## Deebo

Casie, that is some beautiful work. I see your set up is awesome. I absolutely love watching glass being worked. I dont know why, but it mesmorizes me. I can watch the guy at the mall all day.


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## Lifer Prepper

Storing gasoline in your attached gargae? That would be FABulous, as in "Fuel Air Bomb". If you get a leak that leads to a decent amount of vapor, you might have a flash or an explosion. It would be a low probability, but it has happened. As one earlier commenter wrote, your insurance company would have a fit with that. Gasoline is not acceptably stored inside a habitation, or an attached structure. It's called an accelerant.

The biggest goof is having an ignition source in that enclosed space. 

Get yourself an outside storage shed, plastic preferably (insulates better), and keep it a minimum of 20 feet from your house. Make sure the shed has good ventilation and check on the condition of the containers when it is the cool part of the day.


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## jimb1972

It might be OK if you build a cabinet with a tight sealing door on an exterior wall and vent it to the outside. I would not recommend it, but if I had no where else to store the gas that would be my best option (I would prefer a detached shed)


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