Propane cylinders, kerosene, denatured alcohol and spirits, and used cooking oil are the fuels most often overlooked, and the first two keep far better than gasoline: propane does not degrade in a sealed, undamaged cylinder, and kerosene keeps for years. Move cylinders upright with valves closed and never open a valve to check one, and treat high-proof alcohol as a fire hazard whose flame can be almost invisible in daylight.
Part of Fuel Siphoning & Storage
Vehicle and tank fuel runs out and spoils, while propane, kerosene and alcohol sit in other places, behave differently and in some cases suit lighting and cooking better.
These Fuels Last Because They Are Stable, Not Because They Are Safe
Propane. Barbecue cylinders (9 kg in the parent article), forklift cylinders (15 kg) and residential tanks (120-500 US gallons) all hold propane as a liquid under pressure. In a sealed, undamaged tank it does not spoil. Propane is heavier than air, so a leak collects at floor level, in drains and in basements.
Kerosene. Found at hardware and farm-supply stores and in home heating tanks. The parent article gives a shelf life of 2-5 years in a sealed container. It is less volatile than gasoline, so it is safer to handle, and it serves as lamp fuel, heater fuel and a firelighter; see Lamp Fuel and Oil Lamps.
Denatured alcohol and spirits. Hardware stores sell denatured alcohol as a solvent; liquor stores sell high-proof spirits. Both burn cleanly and work in camp stoves. Denatured alcohol is deliberately made unfit to drink and must never be consumed or used on a person’s wounds without knowing exactly what was added to it.
Used cooking oil. Restaurants hold used oil in grease traps and disposal containers. It is feedstock, not fuel: turning it into biodiesel needs methanol and a lye catalyst, both hazardous, and is covered at Biodiesel Production.
What You Need
- For propane: nothing to open the cylinder. You only need to find them, check them and move them. A cylinder with a damaged valve, a dented wall or heavy rust is left where it is.
- For liquids: clean metal or approved plastic containers with sealed caps; see Approved vs. Improvised Containers.
- A way to label what is inside. Spirits, solvents and fuels in unmarked bottles kill people.
Method: Collect, Identify, Segregate
Step 1: Locate. Hardware, farm-supply and garden stores, workshops and campsites hold propane; hardware and farm-supply stores hold kerosene; liquor stores and cleaning supply stores hold alcohol.
Step 2: Check the container, not the contents. Look for leaks, rust, dents, swelling and a smell of the product outside the container.
Step 3: Move propane upright, with the valve closed and the protective collar on if there is one, in an open vehicle bed or cart. A cylinder on its side can pass liquid into the valve.
Step 4: Segregate. Keep propane away from liquids and keep both away from ignition sources and living space.
Common Mistakes
- Opening a propane valve to see whether the cylinder is empty. Weigh it or lift it; a heavier cylinder holds more.
- Drinking or cooking with denatured alcohol. The additives are poisons.
- Storing propane in a basement. The gas is heavier than air and pools there.
- Filling an engine from a nameless bottle. An unknown fuel can wreck an engine and cannot be fixed afterwards.
Safety
Propane pools, alcohol flames are hard to see
Escaping propane is heavier than air and collects in low and enclosed spaces, where a spark can ignite it; never store or use cylinders below ground level or in a closed room. If you smell leaking gas, move away upwind, leave switches, engines and lighters alone, and let the area ventilate. Never test for a leak with a flame. Alcohol burns with a pale flame that can be almost invisible in bright light, so a burning spill may look as if it is out; keep everyone back until it has been smothered or burned off, and do not pour alcohol onto a fire or hot surface.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Propane, Kerosene & Other Fuels — how these fuels keep and what they need
- Combine with: Ethanol Fuel Production — making alcohol fuel when the shelves are empty