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Comment by amluto | Hacker News Reader

> If your car runs out of gasoline and you manage to walk to a gas station, you cannot buy gasoline in anything other than an government approved container.

Approved gas cans are easy to come by and not particularly expensive. And keep in mind that gasoline is very flammable, turns into a moderately nasty pollutant when evaporated, is a moderately nasty pollutant when spilled, and can dissolve an inappropriate container. Additionally, the government has a very compelling interest in keeping roads open, and preventing transportation related fires seems entirely sensible.

No one has stopped you from buying gasoline, and, sadly, no one stops you from burning it in highly polluting devices in populated areas.

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Approved gas cans are terrible. They leak, they don’t flow, they’re expensive, they’re complicated and god help you if you need to figure out how to use one in the dark. they end up doing exactly what they’re designed to prevent (leaking gas all over your hands, the ground, your car). There’s a great, simple sealing metal Jerry can that you can’t get anymore because… reasons.

I’m all for making things better and safer, but we go too far quite often.

The safety nozzles are what you're complaining about, not the container. You can buy alternative nozzles (see gas cans for recreational vehicles).

I bought one of those government approved containers. It's impossible to fill it without spilling gas, and I absolutely hate spilling gas. (The nozzle is spring loaded, such that it takes a fair amount of force to open it. Then, when the container is full, it squirts out the top faster than I can react.)

Those are actually the easy ones to "fix". Either disassemble and pull the spring out, or if it's the push then twist version, just force/ twist the spout past the plastic nub that's supposed to limit how far it twists.

Either will allow you to hold the valve open without force.

Of course a properly sized/ shaped funnel without any spout at all is even easier. Which is basically how the metal safety cans work. Also helps to drill a vent hole on the handle, and use a sheet metal screw as a plug.

We use golf tees as vent plugs. Easier to remove and replace quickly.

I don't play golf. But I have lots of machine screws!

Eh, I didn't think of using a screw as a plug. Brilliant!

There are also pvc caps made that fit perfectly on most spouts and work much better for spout caps, but iirc they aren't standard sch40.

It was surprising to me that such crappy quality manufacturing manages to have such a standard cap dimension.

They're easy to come by if you can get to a place that sells them...

Not once have I ever been in a gas station larger than a small bodega that didn't sell at least half-gallon sized containers.

like a gas station

which is great and actually works if you're in a rich area. What happens if you're not, and the gas station is out, or it's one of the ones without an attached little convenience store? If you've run out of gas and need a gas can, going to the next station over may be miles to walk!

If the alternative is putting gas in a bucket, which a) will be evaporating into your face while you walk back; b) will be dissolving the bucket while you walk back; c) you won't be able to use the get the gas into the tank anyway, even if it hasn't completely dissolved the bucket, then yes you walk. That's what happens when you run out of gas and you don't have a container in your car. You walk.

it has been my experience, even in the poorer parts of inner cities, most gas stations (the ones with convenience stores attached) sell gas cans for ~$5.

AAA will deliver you 5 gallons of gas, for members, though it counts towards a call for service (and you have to pay for gas).

I keep an empty gas can in my car trunk after learning the hard way.

I wasn't thinking of poor inner cities, I was thinking of even poorer rural areas where, even today, some of the gas station pumps are still analog.

but yeah, gas can in trunk.

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