# 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:** 2
**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, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/21 "2012-07-05T18:47:48Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > 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! > > 🙂 We have self serve in PA, but the closest gas to our house is full service and run by a madman. Our lawn tractor uses diesel, and he would not put diesel into a regular gas can. I bought a yellow diesel can specifically to make gassing up easier. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/22 "2012-07-05T18:51:27Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > … > Glad to know it is a design issue and not just me. Yep. Every weekend the outside of my mower, my shoes, pant cuffs, and hands get soaked in gas. I’m honestly just going to enlarge the air vent to pour out of, and use the spout as the air venting. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/23 "2012-07-05T19:09:23Z")
I heartily endorse this pitting; those things truely suck. Think you can fill your mower without a funnel? Not unless you’re down to the last 1/4 of the can because if there is any gas in the nozel when you pull open that sleeve it gushes right out and the stopper makes is spray over everything, including your hands and the nozel sleeve, making it slippery so you lose your grip and it snaps closed, spraying even more gas around, hopefully not on your face. Joke’s on you, asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/24 "2012-07-05T19:51:01Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > … simultaneously push, twist, pull, yank, squeeze, pinch, tilt, and fingerbang these… I am so turned on right now. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/25 "2012-07-05T20:02:15Z")
if you are using a 5 gal. can and filling a tractor/truck/auto i have seen spouts which open with pressure on a hook on the end. it does open easier with pulling the spout back with your hand but will stay open with spout pressure on the filler neck. hoist can, rest spout hook on top edge of filler neck, pull spout back, use both hands on can to press spout forward into filler neck and to tip can. works OK on an angled filler of a auto/truck, might be tricky on a vertical filler of a tractor. ---
**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, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/26 "2012-07-05T20:06:13Z")
BTW, thanks to this thread, I now know that OSHA approved metal safety containers, like the Eagle Crafter Man is buying, are exempt from the new laws. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/27 "2012-07-05T20:11:12Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > 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? I’ve had pretty good luck with [No-Spill](http://www.nospill.com/) brand products. They run about double the cheapo prices, but the bigger problem I have had is trying to find them. They are pretty rare to see in a store. I use the 1 1/4 gallon for filling the lawn mower and weed trimmer. The valve works pretty darn good and lets you not only stop the flow, but regulate it. Handy for filling the small tanks on yard tools. ---
**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, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/28 "2012-07-05T20:24:03Z")
> [@Hbns](#): > > I’ve had pretty good luck with [No-Spill](http://www.nospill.com/) brand products. They run about double the cheapo prices, but the bigger problem I have had is trying to find them. They are pretty rare to see in a store. Thank you! It’s on Amazon, so I’ll probably pick one up the next time I order something. ---
**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, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/29 "2012-07-05T20:25:34Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > 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). Huh. Maybe I should put mine on eBay or something. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/30 "2012-07-05T20:46:46Z")
Huh…my 1-gallon container has the stupid turn-hold-spill spout, and it’s brutal for filling up my trimmer. My 5-gallon containers I bought well after the 1-gallon and they have the palm switch head like RNATB describes. They are sort of a pain because they empty very slowly and can’t be used in a car (although his link shows there’s an adapter. Woohoo!) but I always thought they were the solution that came out AFTER the stupid spill-y ones. Thanks for the NoSpill info - I might replace my 1-gallon with it! I also never realized they were “green” - I thought it was all about safety. Except I wasn’t sure how spilling gas all over yourself and your patio was safer. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/31 "2012-07-05T21:02:02Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I also never realized they were “green” - I thought it was all about safety. Except I wasn’t sure how spilling gas all over yourself and your patio was safer. it is both. safety standards for accidental spills or leaky vapor came during the same time period as new safety standards. ---
**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, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/32 "2012-07-05T21:11:23Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I also never realized they were “green” - I thought it was all about safety. Except I wasn’t sure how spilling gas all over yourself and your patio was safer. It is only if you also happen to be smoking at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![zoltar7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b38774/32.png) [@zoltar7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoltar7)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/33 "2012-07-06T17:41:03Z")
You may want to google “5 gallon utility jug”. Be sure not to use them as portable fuel containers in those states that require spill proof systems. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/34 "2012-07-06T18:56:27Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > if you are using a 5 gal. can and filling a tractor/truck/auto i have seen spouts which open with pressure on a hook on the end. it does open easier with pulling the spout back with your hand but will stay open with spout pressure on the filler neck. hoist can, rest spout hook on top edge of filler neck, pull spout back, use both hands on can to press spout forward into filler neck and to tip can. works OK on an angled filler of a auto/truck, might be tricky on a vertical filler of a tractor. I have a couple of 1gal cans as you’ve described, and they work like a charm for me, too. On the other hand, they stink up my storage shed just as bad as the old-fashioned kind, so I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to have gained here. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/35 "2012-07-06T23:33:08Z")
> [@zoltar7](#): > > You may want to google “5 gallon utility jug”. Be sure not to use them as portable fuel containers in those states that require spill proof systems. I love this along with the heat globes in areas where IC lightbulbs are banned. I got a few gas cans with the first round of spill proof systems, they pour slow and they suck, but now glad I have them as these seem much worse. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Niply\_Elder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@The\_Niply\_Elder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Niply_Elder)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/36 "2012-07-07T09:48:09Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > 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. But why is it the fault of the EPA? It seems to me that its just shitty design, not that the requirements are so uber 23rd century advanced that we cant handle it without unobtanium cock-and-ball valves. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/37 "2012-07-07T11:06:19Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > 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. No, it’s not just you. I got one of these several years ago, and like you, in the year or so I tried to use it, I spilled more gas than I’ve spilled in the entire rest of my life. And like **Cheesesteak** , I think could manage it OK if I only had a third hand, but even then it would be a lot of work. I think the legislators who mandated this piece of shit should be required to go around their districts and give tutorials on how to use the damned things. Once they spilled enough gas on their shoes to ruin a few pair, they’d repeal this requirement in a hurry. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/38 "2012-07-08T22:29:34Z")
> [@Hbns](#): > > I’ve had pretty good luck with [No-Spill](http://www.nospill.com/) brand products. They run about double the cheapo prices, but the bigger problem I have had is trying to find them. They are pretty rare to see in a store. I second the No-Spill. We just got one last weekend and it’s perfect. It doesn’t leak and it only requires one hand to pour/press (unless you need the second hand to help lift the can). I got mine at Rocky’s Ace Hardware in Palmer MA. It was with the Stihl power tools - about 4 aisles away from the shitty leaky “green” gas cans. ---
**Author:** ![littlespeedysuperbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@littlespeedysuperbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/littlespeedysuperbike)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/39 "2012-07-10T07:16:27Z")
You need a Scribner “dirtbike jug”. 5 gallons, 10 seconds full to empty (modified) > **[Scribner Plastics 5 Gallon Utility Jug - Glow Green : 2000GG](https://pitstopusa.com/i-5075601-scribner-plastics-5-gallon-utility-jug-glow-green.html)** > > Pit Stop USA has Storage/Organizers like Scribner Plastics 5 Gallon Utility Jug - Glow Green at low everyday prices. Be sure to check out our Storage/Organizers. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299/40 "2019-06-14T11:55:23Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > 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… I’m going to point out that it took about 20 years between when low flow toilets were mandated and when the industry produced low flow toilets that actually work. I love my current toilet, and plan to replace the old ones in my house. But I carefully held on to the old toilets for quite a while. > [@Hbns](#): > > I’ve had pretty good luck with [No-Spill](http://www.nospill.com/) brand products. They run about double the cheapo prices, but the bigger problem I have had is trying to find them. They are pretty rare to see in a store. > > I use the 1 1/4 gallon for filling the lawn mower and weed trimmer. The valve works pretty darn good and lets you not only stop the flow, but regulate it. Handy for filling the small tanks on yard tools. > [@congodwarf](#): > > I second the No-Spill. We just got one last weekend and it’s perfect. It doesn’t leak and it only requires one hand to pour/press (unless you need the second hand to help lift the can). > > I got mine at Rocky’s Ace Hardware in Palmer MA. It was with the Stihl power tools - about 4 aisles away from the shitty leaky “green” gas cans. I’m also happy with the “no-spill” brand. I’m filling a little tank in my lawn mower, and I don’t want my two gallon can to empty fast. I want it to neatly fill the 1/4 gallon tank and then stop, which is really easy with this gas can. I use both hands to pull off the end cap, but then I operate it with one hand. I’ve had it a couple of years now, since the nozzle of my old can disintegrated, and I’m pretty happy that I ponied up for the pricy option, and didn’t buy the cheaper one that takes three hands to use. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-these-new-green-gas-cans/627299.md?page=3)