# I hate these new "green" gas cans. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 5, 2012, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299 "2012-07-05T12:06:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/1 "2012-07-05T12:06:44Z")
The new, plastic, five gallon gas cans are **shit**. The one I bought last summer worked up until a month ago. The stupid thump switch thing on the spout decided to break. I went out and bought another one. Different design… you had to twist and pull back the nozzle to pour gas. Broke the first time I used it. I eventually got so frustrated that I rammed a rod inside the nozzle just to keep the flap valve open. :mad: A few days ago I was at Tractor Supply and decided to buy yet another gas can. Similar design to the second can; you had to twist and pull back the nozzle to pour gas. I did this, and then lifted it up to fill my mower. Gasoline poured out of the locking mechanism and all over my hand and the tractor. What a piece of shit. I wanna a fucking normal gas can with a fucking tube nozzle and fucking screw cap. And I want it fucking now. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/2 "2012-07-05T13:00:47Z")
I’ll bet it’s due to the EPA (or CARB for that matter). If you really want to live dangerously, could you buy a funnel and not use the fancy filler neck that comes with the can? Of course, that might make you a wanted person with a price on your head, but at least you’ll get your yard mowed. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/3 "2012-07-05T13:24:51Z")
Mine has a thumb lock and a valve, so I have to upend the can over my tank with one hand, unlock it with the other hand, and depress the valve with the third hand I have growing out of my chest. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/4 "2012-07-05T13:42:32Z")
With the money I’ve spent on cheap-piece-o-shit gas cans over the past year, I could have bought [this](http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-U2-51-S-Galvanized-Capacity-Diameter/dp/B000BQO15I). Am placing an order for one today. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/5 "2012-07-05T14:04:03Z")
The green gas can we bought has a spring in the end so stiff it’s almost impossible for either of us to use it. And yes it does spill gasoline all over us. It actually releases far more VOCs via spilt gas than it could possibly prevent by its closing action. They’re a supreme piece of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/6 "2012-07-05T14:09:26Z")
Heartily endorse this pitting. I favor most green initiatives – tax plastic bags? Go for it! Penalize people for not recycling? Get those slackers! Low-flow toilets? They actually work fine, you Neanderthal water-wasters. And so on and so on. But these new gas cans? Im-fucking-possible to use. No human can simultaneously push, twist, pull, yank, squeeze, pinch, tilt, and fingerbang these gas cans to dispense fuel safely and cleanly. I have never been able to pour gas out of one without some kind of spill. Fuck that. ---
**Author:** ![skylyn12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@skylyn12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skylyn12)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/7 "2012-07-05T14:19:17Z")
100% hear you on this! These new cans are terrible, you spill gas all over, get gas all over your hands, etc. How is this better? I ditched mine and got some old fashioned ones from a flea market. They close tightly and pour perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/8 "2012-07-05T14:20:48Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > With the money I’ve spent on cheap-piece-o-shit gas cans over the past year, I could have bought [this](http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-U2-51-S-Galvanized-Capacity-Diameter/dp/B000BQO15I). Am placing an order for one today. Dang, that thing ain’t cheap. Let us know how it works for you. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/9 "2012-07-05T15:02:40Z")
I’ve never heard of this. Anybody got a link? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/10 "2012-07-05T15:05:45Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’ve never heard of this. Anybody got a link? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/V_UMDpJbvTQ/hqdefault.jpg "Complaints surface about new gas cans") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_UMDpJbvTQ) Look around the 28 second mark or the 1:15 mark. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/11 "2012-07-05T15:31:02Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Look around the 28 second mark or the 1:15 mark. Thanks. And holy crap. I feed both my tractor and plow truck out of 5 gallon cans. I have NO problem not spilling. Those new spouts look like absolute overdesigned garbage. They really look like they restrict the flow of the fuel quite a bit with that auto shut off type spout. It’s already not too fun to stand out in the cold holding up 40 lbs of fuel while I pour it in. Now I’m gonna have to do it longer. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/12 "2012-07-05T15:38:18Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > With the money I’ve spent on cheap-piece-o-shit gas cans over the past year, I could have bought [this](http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-U2-51-S-Galvanized-Capacity-Diameter/dp/B000BQO15I). Am placing an order for one today. Definitely gonna get one of those. Well worth the money. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/13 "2012-07-05T15:45:48Z")
We have a few old fashioned cans, but some gas stations refuse to allow them. So, we fill up a couple “green” cans, come home, and use a funnel to fill the old cans. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/14 "2012-07-05T16:17:16Z")
Jesus, I thought I was an idiot because I’ve spilled twenty times as much gasoline with my “no-spill” gas can than I ever did with a normal one. Glad to know it is a design issue and not just me. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/15 "2012-07-05T16:44:54Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > With the money I’ve spent on cheap-piece-o-shit gas cans over the past year, I could have bought [this](http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-U2-51-S-Galvanized-Capacity-Diameter/dp/B000BQO15I). Am placing an order for one today. This is exactly what I picture when I think “gas can”. I bought one like it about 20 years ago and have never had the need to get another one. Glad to see they still make 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/16 "2012-07-05T17:13:29Z")
I have a cheapo one that’s apparently called a Blitz Enviroflo. It’s worked for three years, and requires only one hand to operate - thumb switch \> squeeze black palm trigger thing \> gas comes out. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/17 "2012-07-05T17:34:50Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I have a cheapo one that’s apparently called a Blitz Enviroflo. It’s worked for three years, and requires only one hand to operate - thumb switch \> squeeze black palm trigger thing \> gas comes out. I must have the same style. It’s simple, it’s safe, no spills to report so far. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/18 "2012-07-05T18:14:46Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > We have a few old fashioned cans, but some gas stations refuse to allow them. Wow…really? Do you live in a state that doesn’t allow self-serve gas? Because in my neck of the woods, its impossible for me to imagine the fat lady in the glass-encased cubicle at the center of the station noticing (or caring) about some guy at the far pump filling his old-timey gas can with prepaid gasoline. And even if you do live in such a state, what law exists that prevents you from using them? I mean, all gas stations have those signs about “dispensing fuel into inappropriate/unapproved containers”…but its a GAS CAN, you know, a device designed for transporting smaller amounts of gasoline, not a styrofoam cooler! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/19 "2012-07-05T18:24:29Z")
Agree 100% with the OP. What especially frustrates me is that I can only ever find the uber-cheapo plastic shit cans and nothing else. Does no one make something in between the $9.99 will-break-immediately and the $100 metal-can-from-the-1920’s linked by Crafter\_man? Complex valves and cheap plastic shit from China are generally not a winning combination, but that’s literally all I can find at any of the hardware stores in my area. It’s vexing. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/20 "2012-07-05T18:26:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I have a cheapo one that’s apparently called a Blitz Enviroflo. It’s worked for three years, and requires only one hand to operate - thumb switch \> squeeze black palm trigger thing \> gas comes out. Three years ago was prior to the most recent change. Bitz has had to retire that line, [replacing it with one of the newer pieces of trash](http://www.blitzusa.com/fuelcanda.htm). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299.md?page=2)