Cleaning Jerry cans

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MOAK

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There are two old steel cans that have been used for gasoline forever. Is it possible to clean one well enough to drink water out of? Asking for a friend that has cleaned iwith Dove and rinsed it several times.
 
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rtexpeditions

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I would avoid using steel cans for drinking water, full stop, there are materials in there I wouldn't like in my drinking water not just iron oxide but lead and other base metals.
Just go and get a new plastic one, or if you really need metal stainless steel.
Where metal jerry cans were made for drinking water the insides were usually coated with plastic (polyurethane). Using them for fuel usually dissolves the coating.
 

smritte

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Water cans are cheap.
It wouldn't be worth it to me. If I "had to" use my fuel cans, hot (boiling) soapy water after soaking in acetone to pull as much out as possible then I would filter it with my chemical water filter (ceramic).
Hopefully it wouldn't taste like crap.
 

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There are two old steel cans that have been used for gasoline forever. Is it possible to clean one well enough to drink water out of? Asking for a friend that has cleaned iwith Dove and rinsed it several times.
Never use any container for drinking water that has had a petroleum product stored inside of it. Ever.
 

M Rose

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Water cans are cheap.
It wouldn't be worth it to me. If I "had to" use my fuel cans, hot (boiling) soapy water after soaking in acetone to pull as much out as possible then I would filter it with my chemical water filter (ceramic).
Hopefully it wouldn't taste like crap.
If you can taste petroleum, you still have petroleum chemicals that are t good for you going into your body.
 
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???? Even back in WWII the jerry cans were marked, and made different. Gas cans had 3 handles, water had one. Still true to this day with Sceptor, Wavian, and any other Gov't supplier. The coatings inside are also different. So with that said, I would just spray some Simple Green and water in there, shake it up and buy a Life Insurance Policy.
 
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Obviously your friend has not viewed this video of Jerry can history. I'll share a link. Make sure your friend stays away from any containers that could have contained volatile susbstances, such as used Mexican food containers until he is evaluated by trained Gov't experts.https://youtu.be/gK6feA0OB_0
 
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Friends don't let Friends drink and drive. Gasoline that is. Alcohol? Have at it.
 
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Correus

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???? Even back in WWII the jerry cans were marked, and made different. Gas cans had 3 handles, water had one. Still true to this day with Sceptor, Wavian, and any other Gov't supplier. The coatings inside are also different. So with that said, I would just spray some Simple Green and water in there, shake it up and buy a Life Insurance Policy.
Interesting... all of the WWII jerry cans I've seen for water have had 3 handles (except maybe some of the very early war ones, before the German 3 handle version was noticed). The ones I've seen were stamped "water" though, on the top or side.

You can still get this style today, specially for water. IIRC the NATO ones have a bigger spout opening for water.

What I find interesting is that the NATO style, metal ones are typically under $40 in places like South Africa, yet are over $80 here.
 

MazeVX

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There are two old steel cans that have been used for gasoline forever. Is it possible to clean one well enough to drink water out of? Asking for a friend that has cleaned iwith Dove and rinsed it several times.
Sure you can, heck, I bet some glasses in bars contain crap that is way worse than some fuel remnants...
I could write something like
"no retard will tell me where I have to store water"
or so but your friend probably should get something else to drink from...
 

MOAK

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Sure you can, heck, I bet some glasses in bars contain crap that is way worse than some fuel remnants...
I could write something like
"no retard will tell me where I have to store water"
or so but your friend probably should get something else to drink from...
That’s hilarious!