Nice, that looks like a good rack. You may already be aware of this, but be sure to acclimate the cans (warm them up so the liquid expands) and vent them. I fill mine no more than 3.9 gallons, set them in the sun for a while, vent, then squeeze the sides in somewhat as I close them back up. They can swell a lot if you don't do this.
Thanks for the tip. I have read to vent them daily for temp. changes and altitude. Most of my travels start at 6500 ft and within the first hour I go over three mountain passes at 10,000+. ft
When I carried my Nato cans on my RR I would vent them and also compress the sides a bit, just like you say. I also made a white canvas cover to strap over them. Keeps the sun exposure down a bit as the cans are dark. Also at altitude they do expand a little
so I open them with the spout away from me.
Is that also an issue with the Rotopax or the fact that the top screws off mitigate that spray when they are expanded?
Thanks for the tip. I have read to vent them daily for temp. changes and altitude. Most of my travels start at 6500 ft and within the first hour I go over three mountain passes at 10,000+. ft
Once I have them acclimated as described earlier, I don't vent daily, I just leave them sealed. At lower temps and lower elevations, they'll actually become a little bit concave on the sides.
In my experience it's the temperature, not the elevation, that makes them swell the most. Four gallons of gas will easily expand by a pint or more when warmed from in ground tank temps to top of roof temps. That's incompressible liquid, not vapor, and that's what really bulges the sides IMO.
@krick3tt I always open them slowly and don't stick my face close to the cap, to allow them to vent... don't want an eyeful of fuel mist.
Our race plastic jugs would swell as well. We'd try to keep the fuel out of the sun because sunlight also affects fuel (that's what I heard, never verified).
Every once in a while the barrels of fuel in the shop would pop a little with the heat. That's probably why I don't freak out like my wife when a water bottle pops a little going thru massive elevation gains.
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