teotwaki
Excelsior!
This information is very important to safe fuel storage in Scepter MFCs as well as the proper use of the two types of Scepter gaskets: Standard Rubber and Viton
Standard Rubber gaskets are only to be used with diesel fuel. Viton is meant for gasoline but could be used for diesel storage but was not reccommended.
These facts are straight from Scepter and are not on the web site. I had a good conversation with their tech guy and tried hard to take good notes to share here on the Portal. This information applies to both commercial and military issue versions of their fuel cans.
In a nutshell: do not use the Standard Rubber gaskets for gasoline storage as lid damage will occur. The lid's inner plastic lip that holds the gasket in place will be sheared off by swelling of the rubber. The gasket will seal improperly and will fall out of the lid. I have a used can that this happened to when the previous owner stored gas in the cans. I replaced the entire lid and gasket with a red strapped lid and a gray Viton gasket.
How do I tell which gaskets I have?
It will depend on the age and source of the cans, especially if they were actual US military issue.
Recent commercial issue cans can be easier to deal with if they are color coded for fuel type. Either the entire can or at least the retention strap on the cap will have a color related to fuel type.
For the last two years Viton gaskets have been a gray color and standard rubber have been black colored. There are no part numbers or markings on theses two types. If you bought old stock this color scheme might not be true even for color coded cans.
Gaskets on old stock can be black for both Viton and standard rubber, even if the can or strap are color coded. If you have a black gasket on a can that you think is for gasoline you have to remove the gasket and inspect the gasket's edge. Black-colored Viton gaskets will have a small notch that is colored yellow.
Military Issue Cans
Now it gets complicated. The bulk of US Government purchased cans do not have color coded straps, are a "mud" color ("field drab" not OD Green) and have rubber gaskets. They were meant for diesel fuel only.
The bulk of the US Government orders only had black gaskets, whether Viton or Standard Rubber. Individual gaskets were not normally replaced. Instead the entire lid with the proper gasket would be installed.
I have four used cans that are military surplus, two of them are field drab and one of those had a damaged gasket retention lip inside the lid. The other two cans are OD green and had diesel fuel in them but I need to carefully inspect the gaskets. I'll post up any pictures that may be useful. None of these cans had color coded straps.
Standard Rubber gaskets are only to be used with diesel fuel. Viton is meant for gasoline but could be used for diesel storage but was not reccommended.
These facts are straight from Scepter and are not on the web site. I had a good conversation with their tech guy and tried hard to take good notes to share here on the Portal. This information applies to both commercial and military issue versions of their fuel cans.
In a nutshell: do not use the Standard Rubber gaskets for gasoline storage as lid damage will occur. The lid's inner plastic lip that holds the gasket in place will be sheared off by swelling of the rubber. The gasket will seal improperly and will fall out of the lid. I have a used can that this happened to when the previous owner stored gas in the cans. I replaced the entire lid and gasket with a red strapped lid and a gray Viton gasket.
How do I tell which gaskets I have?
It will depend on the age and source of the cans, especially if they were actual US military issue.
Recent commercial issue cans can be easier to deal with if they are color coded for fuel type. Either the entire can or at least the retention strap on the cap will have a color related to fuel type.
For the last two years Viton gaskets have been a gray color and standard rubber have been black colored. There are no part numbers or markings on theses two types. If you bought old stock this color scheme might not be true even for color coded cans.
Gaskets on old stock can be black for both Viton and standard rubber, even if the can or strap are color coded. If you have a black gasket on a can that you think is for gasoline you have to remove the gasket and inspect the gasket's edge. Black-colored Viton gaskets will have a small notch that is colored yellow.
Military Issue Cans
Now it gets complicated. The bulk of US Government purchased cans do not have color coded straps, are a "mud" color ("field drab" not OD Green) and have rubber gaskets. They were meant for diesel fuel only.
The bulk of the US Government orders only had black gaskets, whether Viton or Standard Rubber. Individual gaskets were not normally replaced. Instead the entire lid with the proper gasket would be installed.
I have four used cans that are military surplus, two of them are field drab and one of those had a damaged gasket retention lip inside the lid. The other two cans are OD green and had diesel fuel in them but I need to carefully inspect the gaskets. I'll post up any pictures that may be useful. None of these cans had color coded straps.