Proximity of gas can to van exhaust?

What about making it so you could draw off a small mount of gas from the main tank? That way you wouldn't have to have a full can to store or a very limited reserve. Phil says the 650 sips the gas so you wouldn't have to pull much at a time.

metal can for sure, plastic is fine sitting in the garage or shop in the shade

I assume this is for portable generator gasoline, hence keeping the vehicle gas tank full doesn't really help any.

It's a concern to me in both cases. You want spacing and/or adequate heat shielding between the exhaust and the gas/propane cans. A heat shield doesn't need to be anything too extravagant; a piece of sheet metal with standoffs on either side would probably be sufficient (note the word probably; I'm not a heat shield engineer).

Do give some thought to what might happen if you're hit from the rear in an accident. Having propane tanks in back of the rear bumper is generally not to DOT standards, and presumably the same is true of gas tanks/cans. That may or may not technically cover transporting portable, non-attached ones, but the safety concerns are the same regardless.

I sure wouldn't have any form of gas very close to an exhaust, but without a picture it's hard to judge.

Cheap plastic containers are a bad idea IMHO, they expand and often leak. The Scribner fuel cans are heavier, but I still wouldn't want one near an exhaust for long periods.

I really agree with others, you need a metal Jerry can. The lids clamp tighter, they are not as likely to expand and leak as well.

Scribner


Jerry Can

Buy a metal can if you can't change the location of the mount. Even the , I'd move it away from the exhaust. Heating gas is always a bad idea.

JiminDenver wrote:
I wouldn't want it near any heat source, nor directly in the sun. Those plastic gas jugs blow up like balloons when they heat up.

X2! Besides, unless you're going WAY off the beaten path, where there is a serious potential of running out of gas, isn't it much easier to just fill up more often? You don't risk going kaboom in a rear end accident and you don't have to worry about someone stealing your gas!

I wouldn't want it near any heat source, nor directly in the sun. Those plastic gas jugs blow up like balloons when they heat up.

Naio wrote:
Maybe because it is obvious? How close is too close?

NOTHING is obvious to everybody.

My daughter once burned up a bike tire and warped the rim by having it mounted about 4 inches directly behind the exhaust.

Your plastic can should not be directly in the exhaust stream. If you can feel the exhaust blowing on it, it is too close.
It also should not be directly above an exhaust pipe.

But I don't really understand questions like this. Put it as far away as possible. That should be several feet and is more than enough.

I don't see a problem, especially while driving. There will be plenty of air movement to keep things cool.

I would be more concerned about getting rear ended with a can of gasoline on my back bumper.