# Lamp oil mishap



## bee (May 12, 2002)

I have had a plastic bottle of lamp oil in a plastic bag stored for a number of years...may have been bought for Y2K.....well I bumped it over and the plastic cracked and the bag kept most of it from running out on the floor. And I do mean bumped it over, it was sitting on the floor and just went over sideways; not dropped from a height. Posting this as a warning on the breakdown of plastics in storage situations. I am wondering if it would be better to store lamp oil in mason jars or if I should get metal cans?

related question..how do you SAFELY dispose of "old" gasoline that you really should not put in any engine? I have some with a good deal of water in as well as being old( the result of a sudden rainstorm with a unstoppered gas can).:ashamed:


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Well- I'm sure it's not environmentally the best but gasolin does evaporate. Some heavier like oil can be recycled in my state.
I have had other things that are in plastic, like liquid detergent, basically break down plstic so that it weeped through- the plastic apeared OK but there would be a puddle under the bottle. 
I do think there are plastics especially designed for long term petroleum storage but I would think glass would work well.


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## megafatcat (Jun 30, 2009)

If you can knock over a plastic can you can knock over a glass jar. Use metal cans for long term storage.
Gas floats on water. You can let it settle, decant it off. After several times you should have very little to dispose of.


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## WanderingOak (Jul 12, 2004)

As far as the old gas is concerned, I would decant it into an UNLIT burn barrel filled with trash, then light it from a distance.

I second the idea of a metal can for lamp oil. If you don't have one available, a plastic can made for kerosene should do the trick.


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## NCLee (Aug 4, 2009)

From what I understand, many one time use plastic containers are made of a biodegradable plastic so that they break down more quickly in landfills. Milk jugs are the best example. 

If you can find one, the best container to use to store lamp oil is a gallon glass jug. Growing up that was the traditional way to store kerosene for lamps and other uses that didn't require large bulk containers. 

The jug allows you to pour the oil into a lamp with much less risk of spills. The wide base makes the jugs stable in most situations. Much more stable than quart bottles/jars. 

And, if you have several small bottles of lamp oil, combining them into one (or more gallon jugs) may help with storage space, too. 

Those jugs can also help 'decant' gasoline with water in it. You can see the water. Pour off the gasoline, watching the water/oil separation line in the jug, as you pour. Or use a siphon to extract the gas, leaving the water behind. 

Hope this helps.
Lee


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## michiganfarmer (Oct 15, 2005)

bee said:


> related question..how do you SAFELY dispose of "old" gasoline that you really should not put in any engine? I have some with a good deal of water in as well as being old( the result of a sudden rainstorm with a unstoppered gas can).:ashamed:


I mix old gas with fresh gas and use it in the wood splitter, or some other small engine. The water should be on the bottom of the container. pump the gas off the top with something. YOu could burn the rest in a bonfire, or garbage barrel or something


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## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

The lamp oil accident is one reason that we went to a wind electric and solar electric system when we went off grid in 1977. I had enough experience with kerosene lamps when I was a kid to know that I didn't want to have them in the house regularly. Metal is the safe way to store kerosene, outside of the house, and fill lamps or lanterns outside, too.


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

Well, with the water in gas, if you freeze it, then you can pour off the gas.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

After reading the OP's post the other day I got to looking around for something to transfer my lamp oil into...today I spied a metal container that used to have Canola oil in it...Woo Hoo! I too was worried about using glass...Earthquakes, cats, clumsy elbows, so on and so on.


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## Mr.Hogwallop (Oct 2, 2009)

You should cycle any stored chemicals just like you would stock the shelves in a store.

Dispose of old gasoline. Uhmmmm... how about, after a few months of storage with stabilizer in it, you USE it in the truck/car and refill the jugs.

Lamp oil stores much longer, keep it in gallon glass jugs.

All plastic containers will degrade and get hard/brittle in time. Glass gallon jugs, in a wooden protective crate works very well.

Gasoline/diesel should be regularly cycled out of storage. Bad gas does more damage than its worth to use, more so in newer engines. I have really OLD engines that will happily burn old smelly gas, and newer engines that a little old gas will make me tear them apart and clean then before they will run again.

They don't make engines like they used to.


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