Jerry can warning

Plastic Jerry cans have a limited lifespan.

I have a number of plastic jerry cans & prefer them to the metal ones. However today I went into my workshop & could smell a pungent smell. Nope it wasn’t because I have maintained my ex pommie ways in the heatwave of the past few days! Upon looking there was an obvious trail of something right across the painted concrete floor & it was slippery just like fuel when it is spilled. Sure enough a 5 litre jerry that I’ve had for around 20 years, which has been used for mixed 2 stroke chainsaw & whipper snipper fuel, which had been almost full was now only ⅓rd full. The surface cracks, which have existed on the outer surface for at least the last 10 years had finally given way in the extreme heat conditions & the fuel had oozed out. Just as well I don’t smoke any more or that the jerry wasn’t in the car. I should have thrown it out years ago, but it kept on keeping on....... but no more.

If you have any plastic fuel cans containing fuel & with a bit of age on them it might be worth checking them today.

Cuppa

Still the better option IMO over metal as a metal one would have rusted out before that one split.

Shame mine are all metal lol, oh well only a small regret I can live with.

I've definitely had the clear (milky) water ones go brittle before, but haven't owned the fuel ones for long enough.

What is the suggested lifetime of a reasonably treated plastic fuel can? (yours lasted 20 years)

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Originally Posted by P4trol

I've definitely had the clear (milky) water ones go brittle before, but haven't owned the fuel ones for long enough.

What is the suggested lifetime of a reasonably treated plastic fuel can? (yours lasted 20 years)

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well seeing as cuppa noticed cracks forming on the outside of them when they were around 10 years, I reckon that would be a good indicator.................. how much are 20ltr ones now, $20-$30, n0t alot really.

I have sourced 10ltr Jerry cans and 5 ltr they look like midget 20 ltr jobs.
Not a big fan of fuel be it diesel or un leaded in plastic just sounds all wrong.
I do however have one for my lawn mower fuel, less than 6 mths old only
brought it cause was stuck and needed one

I reckon the best plastic ones are made by Rheem, now branded ‘Fuel Safe’.

I consider that the quality of my ‘leaker’ to have been pretty good (I have some cheaper ones to compare it with). After looking I see that the standards compliance mark & date of manufacture is 1991, so 23 years old. Not a bad run really. Has ‘BMW Plastics’ on the underside.

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Originally Posted by Cuppa

Has ‘BMW Plastics’ on the underside.

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Good quality German manufacturer, explains the lifespan :)

Would these plastic fuel containers have use by date, so to speak like a gas bottle ?

That jerry isn’t as old as I thought. Markings on the underside indicate it was made in 1999, so only 15 years old.

Very lucky mate.
But a good reminder.
I guess it varies with how it's treated, where Its stored etc.
I have a 5ltr plastic one now pushing 8 years old but still looks like New. The only time it sees the sun is to refuel the mower.

Yours looks like Its had a good life cuppa.

Its the sun that dose them in. I binned a plastic 20lt just before Christmas cause it had faded to a pink and in one place white colour because it spends a lot of its life in the sun it was 6 years old and then I have others that are 20+years old that never see the sun and look like new.
I think with the age of the tank in question you have to remember that UV stabilised plastics have come a long way in the last 10years, before that they were a bit iffy