Fuel Rotation

[Music] um [Music] one of the major lessons learned from the recent gas shortage is the importance of storing gasoline so today we're going to take a look at how fuel cycling or fuel rotation works this is a pretty simple idea to understand but just because it's simple doesn't mean it's easy to keep up in the long run this process takes a cue from the common tactics that grocery stores all around the world use put the freshest stuff at the back of the shelf and move the oldest stuff to the front so that consumers can grab that first a lot of people are familiar with the idea of using fuel stabilizers to store gasoline for six months or a year after which time has elapsed they use up that older gas and refill the containers with fresh stuff well our own logistical method involves a sort of rolling stock so let's take a look at what that looks like we start with a vehicle which has a full tank of gas and we also have a storage location in this case it's a garage within which four five gallon petrol cans are stored so we use our vehicle in our daily lives expending some gasoline to a certain level for some it's 25 percent but in this example this vehicle has been run down to about half a tank well then after we've come home for the day we fill up the vehicle using our stored gas cans being careful to use the oldest gasoline first this way when we go to sleep at night we've got a vehicle with a completely full tank of gas in case we have to beat feet in the middle of the night so we use up these two cans of gas and in this case we've got a reserve of two more cans in storage these reserve cans will directly help us or someone else in the event there's another gasoline shortage so if we follow this procedure at the end of every day we should always have a vehicle with a full tank of gas several full reserve cans in your storage location and empty or semi-empty fuel cans that you can take with you to the gas station the reason we are front loading the usage of gasoline is for several reasons firstly from an engineering and mechanical standpoint the best place to store gasoline is in the tank inside the vehicle provided the gas is treated with a preservative this prevents a big air cavity from being inside the tank for long periods of time which in turn reduces corrosion and moisture within the tank itself also there's the practical aspect of always having a full fuel tank in case of an emergency like i mentioned but also if you carry around empty petrol cans or jerry cans with you you have the option of shopping around for gasoline if you happen to drive by a cheap gas station you have the option of stopping and getting some while the price is decent and finally as we have learned specifically from the recent colonial pipeline shortages conflict at gas stations is not exactly out of the question think about it every gas station in the world offers just abysmally bad cover and concealment and everything that you could potentially use for cover at a gas station is explosive so during a fuel shortage you are entering a place in which maneuverability is virtually zero due to the long line of cars and people are already frustrated and desperate and you're handling explosive liquids and you are taking the gas pump and effectively tethering your vehicle to the ground so that you can't egress immediately if things go bad not an ideal situation to be sure however if you follow this system or a similar system that better suits your personal needs you should always be rolling up to a gas station with a full tank of gas but a bunch of empty cans this way in an extreme emergency you can have a sort of getaway driver leaving the vehicle running with their foot on the brake if need be while you hop out to quickly fill the jerry cans then if somebody starts shooting you can egress within a split second because your vehicle is not physically constrained and if you start taking fire and an actual fire breaks out your vehicle will not be physically attached to a gas pump that is on fire of course this emergency what-if scenario assumes the loss of your petrol can but that's a very small price to pay for keeping your vehicle that's why we think it would be a smart idea to consider storing a decent amount of fuel and adopting a similar refueling process if you can of course pesky local laws frequently get in the way of preparedness so make sure that you are following all laws and regulations when it comes to storing fuels like gasoline but also remember that when an emergency occurs that sniveling city councilman who wrote a municipal code back in the 1970s that forbid the storage of fuel in residential areas will most certainly not be there to help you when you need fuel to get to the hospital but as always be smart make good decisions and plan ahead these crises certainly won't be stopping anytime soon and even though neither you nor i created these problems we average citizens are the ones who are having to step up and help people when things go sideways so with that we will see you next time and always remember to fight in the shade [Music] [Music] you