[Tirebiter]

I want to carry a little extra fuel sometimes and am wondering if a water bottle would work instead of an MSR bottle without problems. I googled it and a lot of people do it but I'd be interested in your opinions....or experience.



I'd be carrying it in an Agri Supply tube.

 

[peruano]

I don't see why not. Make sure the oring or top cap is tight enough not to leak; be sure to not overfill (i.e. leave some air space for expansion when exposed to high temps; and by all means never confuse with your drinking water bottle. The steel is thin but stronger and less suceptible to puncture than the aluminum sigg bottles, but should stand up well if cushioned by the plastic tubes (as opposed to rattling around in top cases or strapped to luggage racks. Worry about leaks at cap, expansion, and punctures (the steel bottle should perform for all three threats). Tom

 

[RockyTFS]

I want to carry a little extra fuel sometimes and am wondering if a water bottle would work instead of an MSR bottle without problems. I googled it and a lot of people do it but I'd be interested in your opinions....or experience.



I'd be carrying it in an Agri Supply tube.

The bottle itself is probably nearly identical to the MSR bottle, but I wonder if the O-ring is OK for fuel. It wouldn't surprise me if the O-ring disintegrated over time, being intended only for water. Why not try it and suspend the bottle upside down for a week and see what happens to the O-ring? Perhaps the O-ring is Buna or Viton and would be fine...probably varies from one manufacturer to another, if only you could get the spec. Most sellers don't think we're smart enough to know the difference and often they aren't either!

 

[qwerty]

Just take the o-ring to an industrial seal supply or Motion Industries and have them match up a material suitable fopr the fuel you use.



http://www.efunda.com/designstandards/oring/oring_chemical.cfm?SM=none&SC=Gasoline, Automotive#mat

 

[jim]

I have done this and yes the o-ring is not for gas, but if you change the o-ring it should work fine

 

[Tirebiter]

Thanks for the input, and especially for the link to the efunda site. Lots of good stuff there.



I bought a 2pk of bottles at Menards this afternoon and half filled the red one with gas and set it upside down outside. No leaking so far. I figure if it lasts a week in the sun and weather without leaking it should last for a day or two riding.



The o-ring looks like some sort of soft plastic. I'm sure it's the weak point but I'm going to see how long it lasts before I get a more resistant ring. Heck, they're only $1.75 each so I'm not out much if they don't work.

 

[peruano]

You are not out much unless the leak at an inopportune time. I like carrying them in the tractor tubes as they might contain any gasoline seapage, and or major leakage near the muffler or a nearby cig smoker. Gasoline can fool you as to how dangerous it can be. Tom

 

[truepath]

Gasoline should not be carried in any container that is not red in color. There are all kinds of safety reasons for this. I suggest getting out some red paint.

 

[qwerty]

Well, if you're gonna talk safety, gasoline should not be carried in any container not specifically designed and manufactured to carry gasoline. I'm sure there are all kinds of rules and regulations among the >1,000,000 national laws that are related to containers for carrying gasoline, as well as regulations concerning how such containers are mounted to motor vehicles.

 

[Larry]

I've used a water bottle for fuel for years and never had a problem. Its an aluminum bottle with a red color to it. The seal (oring) has been fine for over 2 years now.

 

[truepath]

What I was thinking about are fire fighters. When they get to a fire scene, they don't have time to try to figure out what stuff people have put into containers and have to count on some uniformity. To the extent people don't follow these rule, the world to them gets more dangerous.

 

[Tirebiter]

I live off the grid for 8 months a year so I deal with storage and transporting of different kinds of fuels a lot. I tend to lean towards common sense instead of what the gummint decides is best for me. Gasoline only goes in red containers, blue for kerosene, and silver for denatured alcohol and I make sure visitors understand too. I made a rack to carry fuels and propane that fits in any of my trailers. Oh yeah, I keep solar in the clear container it comes in.

I'm far enough in the boonies that I doubt that a fire truck could even get there so I keep my fire extinguishers filled.



The bottle is not leaking yet. That wet stuff is an April shower.

 

[vuldub]

Stainless steel drinking water bottle has a coating/treatment inside that is not fuel proof. Why not buy an MSR fuel bottle?

 

[Tirebiter]

.... Why not by an MSR fuel bottle?

'Cuz I'm cheap, trying to stretch the small retirement income I have. If my little test doesn't work I'll probably get a fuel bottle if I think I'll need one.



Most of my riding and exploring will be within range of gas stations anyway. Old motorcycle injuries limit my riding time so expeditionary trips to remote areas aren't much of an option.