5 Gal Gas Can Mods for Fueling (Page 2 of 4)

Our vent hoses, do not go inside the jug. They are run down the outside and they work fine. We have a couple of Hunsakers too. With the same size pour hose, our regular utility jugs pour about the same rate as the Hunsakers. Air is about 1/700th the density of gasoline so you don't need a huge vent. By running a vent line down the outside of the jug, it not only allows the jug to vent while tipped up, it also prevents most spilling out of the vent.

Pit Posse (EZ Pour), VP, Scribner and about every other "utility jug' manufacturer use very similar lids. I have only seen lids with a 3/4" fitting. It is easy to find a 1" ID hose fitting with 3/4" threads. The 1" id hose has about a 1 1/8" OD which fills most of the filler.

I have talked to Scribner, VP and EZ Pour (the maker of the jugs Pit Posse sells) about offering a lid for a larger hose. They would have to make a new mold for the cap which is very expensive so it ain't gonna happen.

Here's some math to consider. Look at the area of the hoses:

3/4" hose     = .452 sq in
1" hose        = .785
1 1/8" hose = .994
1 1/4" hose =  1.227
1 1/2" hose = 1.767
2" hose       = 3.146

So simply going from a 3/4" to a 1" hose is a 77% increase hose volume which results in a lot more flow. When you get into the larger hoses, my local Lowes has 1 1/2" and 2" hose. Hunsakers first large tier on the center neck is 2 1/4" which is not a common hose size I could find. I was able to expand some 2" hose to fit over it.

I personally have 2 VP jugs, 2 Hunsakers and 6 Pit Posse jugs. The Hunsakers are pricey and in my opinion over rated. They are pretty easy to pour but they suck to carry around. The VP are easy to carry with their top handle but not so great for pouring. I like the dual handles on the Pit Posse (EZ Pour). The Pit Posse jugs are a little taller than others with a smaller foot print. So they have the potential to be easier to tip over but I have never had a problem. When Tetanus and I teamed up and ran 2 cars at Road America, I bought 3 more Pit Posse (EZ Pour) jugs getting me to 6 and a utility wagon for a pit cart. All 6 fit in the wagon with room to spare. We could not have done that with other jugs.

I will try and post some pictures later.

I took the threaded cap plug that come with the Pit Posse jugs and inserted it into the cap. Then I drilled out the hole to 1 1/8" using a keyhole bit. Then I dremeled a pair of circumferential grooves that replicate a hose bib fitting in the inner diameter of the new 1 1/8" hole. I shoved 1 1/4" OD hose into this hole, using pipe sealant goop. Took a zip tie and wrapped it tight around about 1/4" of hose that goes into the inside of the cap. It is in very tight and will not pull out or leak so it seems to work well. The filler neck in the Landshark is the perfect fit.

As for the vent I made a Lowes pseudo-bulkhead fitting from a 3/4" threaded elbow that is made from gray (electrical) PVC. This got inserted into the bottom of the jug, and a 3/4" ID hose that came up to just even with the cap was attached and zip tied to the top handle.

Empties in 24 seconds.

This our no goop/no leak/no valve just teflon tape set up...17 or so sec...the cap has been retapped 1" pipe thread and metal 1" fittings have a larger id than the plastic ones.  We drilled out the original vent to 1/2" and plugged it. The bottom vent is a 1/2" bulkhead fitting. This one fits our stock filler pipe.  Dis ain't rocket surgery.

P9170153 by rodknox2, on Flickr

P9170150 by rodknox2, on Flickr

P9170152 by rodknox2, on Flickr

yeah, I just took 2 caps to a machine shop...$20

Hold on a minute. Are you confusing us with facts? 'Tis a witch?

I am having difficulty picturing this... You drilled a 1.125" hole in the cap. Through the hole you inserted the 1.25" hose and secured it with a zip tie. Is that correct?

Yes. That's it.

Basically, I did the same thing that Rodknox2 did but more ghetto-tastic. No machine shop taps. Just a keyhole drill.

I just wedged the 1.25" OD hose into the new 1.125" hole I drilled out of the cap. Then I drilled out and inserted a  0.75" Lowes  PVC "bulkhead fitting" (which is really just an electrical PVC elbow conduit with a threaded washer inside) into the bottom of the jug. It looks almost exactly the same as Rodknox, although I'm sure it took me at least 10 times as long to come up with this design as it took him.

Same results as Rodknox, also. I timed it at 25 or so seconds before but hadn't realized the vent was pinched with zip tie. Vent fully open: 17 seconds to empty 5 gallons. Theoretically (which is to say: never in a a thousand lifetimes) I could get 15 gallons into the shark in under a minute.

Btw-thanks, Mr. Wednesday for that shudder-inducing trip down Laminar Flow Lane, as I was hoping to never see that equation again. Ever since the MCAT I like to just think: Big tube, flow faster. Then I eat bacon.

Okay guys, I set up a new online pic hosting account for this.

This is a simple set-up that works well.

The Vent hose is 3/4" ID. It runs down the outside and provides plenty of venting while pretty much eliminating spilling.

The Dump hose is 1 3/8" OD x 1" ID. This is about as large of a hose as you can fit in an OE filler that has had the flapper removed. So unless you a fuel cell, this is about as larger as you can go. Most hardware stores have a 1" barbed x 3/4" or 5/8" threaded fitting. In other words it threads right into your cap with no modification to run a 1" ID hose.

If you have a fuel cell you can get into larger hoses but it becomes more effort.

Jay has said he doesn't want modified fuel jugs so I do not recommend drilling holes in your jugs, especially at the bottom and installing bulkheads. Vents from the bottom aren't necessary and you will have to be careful to make sure the fuel in the vent hose goes back in the jug instead of one the ground when you start pouring.

The jugs Pit Posse sells are made by Hayes Oil Company and sold as EZ Hold utility jugs. Pit Posse just seems to be the easiest place to get them and they have dealers around the country. I bought mine from Cote Motorsports here in Houston but I have never been to the place or met them. I called him up and ordered them over the phone, paid for them via PayPal and had them shipped to me. I ordered 3 with extra lids, he made me a good deal and I am happy with them. I think these are the best jugs for the price. They are more expensive than a typical VP or Scribner but not by much and they are a small fraction of a Hunsaker.

Thank you for posting that tidbit.  I have preached it, but keep seeing people adding vents to the bottom.  At the top you have infinitely less chances for a leak.

Yup, at the NOLA race in Nov 2011. All teams had to fuel in the Fueling area which was track-side at the pit entrance. Everybody would roll their fuel jugs and drip pans down on wagons or carry them. One team had basically two air tanks stack on top of each other. It was pointed out to the judges on Sunday morning (after ~12 hours of racing and a few fuel stops) that this was a pressurized rig and was not really a good idea. Not sure what they did after that for fueling, probably borrowed some jugs from friends.

"...complicated, leaky, and not required. "

Lemony.

FWIW, installing the vents at the bottom was super easy. No leaks at all.
Also, the vent on the bottom made a significant difference over leaving the top vented vis a vis time to empty. YMMV.

Prob best not to risk Jay's ire, though...

To accomplish the same effect without drilling holes in the bottom of the jug, you could just have a hose run from the existing vent at the top to the bottom of the jug, inside the jug.  Then run another hose from the external opening of the vent to the bottom of the jug outside the jug.  Air doesn't have to bubble through the gasoline, and you keep the jug interfaces (relatively) stock.

i've been noodling that out.

when sitting upright, the vent tube inside the jug will be somewhat full of fuel. when you turn the jug over, how do you get that fuel out of the tube? i would think it would collect (due to gravity) at the vent passthru (the top/bottom of the U) and end up causing the vent to glug.