1998 - Volume #22, Issue #5, Page #44
[ Sample Stories From This Issue | List of All Stories In This Issue | Print this story
| Read this issue]
Upright Fuel Tank Minimizes Fuel Loss
![]() |
![]() |
So when the Ontario government outlawed underground steel gas storage tanks, he started gathering information. Research from a petroleum lab indicated that above-ground tanks can lose as much as 8 gal. of fuel per month to evaporation, depending on location, color of tank, and other factors.
To avoid that problem, Kominek decided to build a storage tank that would keep fuel from evaporating.
"I realized that if I could find a way to cover the surface of the gas in the tank, I would be able to reduce the amount of evaporation. In order to do that, I had to design a vertical tank," says Kominek.
He set a 200-gal. tank on end, resting on a concrete pad. He made a floating cover out of wood covered with fiberglass-type resin. The "floater" covers the entire surface of the fuel except for a 1/4-in. wide band around the outer edge. A lightweight steel rod attaches to the top of the floater and extends up out of the top of the tank so Kominek can tell at a glance how much fuel is left in the tank.
The tank is painted white to reflect heat. "The design dramatically reduces fuel loss. Evaporation only occurs in the 1/4-in. gap around the edge and in the 2-in. dia. fill pipe. "The fuel savings from using this tank will save me a considerable amount over the years."
A hand-cranked pump mounts on the side of the tank. Legs were made from 2 by 2-in. sq. steel tubing. A 2-in. fill pipe on the side of the tank runs to a fitting at the bottom of the tank.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Kominek, RR 4, Chatham, Ont. N7M 5J4 Canada.
![](/img/download-story.png)
Click here to download page story appeared in.
![](/img/entire-issue.png)
Click here to read entire issue
To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.