Repeal EPA regs on gas can nozzles

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Hope everyone has a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving!
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
I've spilled more fuel using the EPA cans (both the sliding sleeve valve and the "push button" type) than I ever did with the old style. Most was due to the amount of pressure I had to apply to get the internal valve to open, then, after a year or two, they would start to leak where the two nozzle pieces meet (where it slides, not the cap). I have one pre-EPA that I will never get rid of and have often transferred fuel from an EPA can to the pre-EPA can just to be able to properly put fuel in my tractor without dumping the dang thing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HybridFyre
Another plug for the No-Spill containers. A great product. No spills, no dribbles.
Push button makes it easy and intuitive to dispense fuel quickly, or small amounts. Fuel stops filling automatically when tank full, which is good for fueling in dark/ low light conditions.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ashful and bholler
I've spilled more fuel using the EPA cans (both the sliding sleeve valve and the "push button" type) than I ever did with the old style. Most was due to the amount of pressure I had to apply to get the internal valve to open, then, after a year or two, they would start to leak where the two nozzle pieces meet (where it slides, not the cap). I have one pre-EPA that I will never get rid of and have often transferred fuel from an EPA can to the pre-EPA can just to be able to properly put fuel in my tractor without dumping the dang thing.
I am sorry but i dont see how you couls spill with the push button ones. The only time i do is if i overflow. And i have several atleast 5 years old with no leaks.
 
I am sorry but i dont see how you couls spill with the push button ones. The only time i do is if i overflow. And i have several atleast 5 years old with no leaks.

The two that I've used leaked severely at the base of the nozzle no matter how much I tightened it. I've just never had good luck with them, any of them.
 
The two that I've used leaked severely at the base of the nozzle no matter how much I tightened it. I've just never had good luck with them, any of them.
I have never had a leak on any of mine other than the one i ran over. Just because you bought crappy ones doesnt mean they are all bad
 
The two that I've used leaked severely at the base of the nozzle no matter how much I tightened it. I've just never had good luck with them, any of them.

Then they probably weren’t “No Spill” brand. The No Spills have an o-ring in the cap base that works very well, even on mine that get filled and emptied every week, after several years. These cans are expensive for plastic cans, but you get what you pay for.

[Hearth.com] Repeal EPA regs on gas can nozzles

Only issue I could see is if the o-ring wasn’t properly seated, and got damaged when tightening down the lid. I bought one that was installed that way, but I caught it before the o-ring got damaged, and it has never come loose again. Must have been assembler error, or a customer before me monkeying with it at the store.

My worst leaker is my vintage Eagle brand plastic can. I have to tighten the nozzle to within a hair of breaking it to get it to not drip at the nozzle screw when pouring. It also won’t stay upright in the back of my pickup, and the little spout plug is damn near impossible to remove when it’s cold. It is my can of last resort.

[Hearth.com] Repeal EPA regs on gas can nozzles
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Then they probably weren’t “No Spill” brand. The No Spills have an o-ring in the cap base that works very well, even on mine that get filled and emptied every week, after several years. These cans are expensive for plastic cans, but you get what you pay for.

View attachment 226744

Only issue I could see is if the o-ring wasn’t properly seated, and got damaged when tightening down the lid. I bought one that was installed that way, but I caught it before the o-ring got damaged, and it has never come loose again. Must have been assembler error, or a customer before me monkeying with it at the store.

My worst leaker is my vintage Eagle brand plastic can. I have to tighten the nozzle to within a hair of breaking it to get it to not drip at the nozzle screw when pouring. It also won’t stay upright in the back of my pickup, and the little spout plug is damn near impossible to remove when it’s cold. It is my can of last resort.

View attachment 226742
Yes those are the cans i use and never have any problems
 
I have tried a few EPA jugs that have found their way into my hands,i would never buy one.
I have lots of the old style and will always have lots.People will throw them away once they loose the caps,i see them at the dump all the time.Plus we can still buy the old style here.
I have never has an issue spilling gas with the old style.I do have an issue with the new ones so i avoid them.I had a couple of Americans ask if i would take gas-diesel mix for my waste oil furnace,so they brought 5 jugs full of the mix they got out of their truck.It took over 10 minutes a jug to empty them into a drum what a waste of time,the old ones would be empty in a couple of minutes.That was enough for me.
 
I’m interested. But it seems they fail to list the one spec that would have someone buying one of these: gallons per minute. How many seconds does it take to empty a 5 gallon can? If not much faster than a No Spill, then what’s the point?

No Spill does 3 gal per minute, which is slower than I like, but faster than any other can I’ve tried.
The VP cans are great for filling machinery like excavators and skidsteers. They often have the fuel cap in areas were the short spout of the no-spills just don’t work. Plus holding down a button for 5 gallons of fuel sucks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TreePointer
Good to hear that the NoSpill are working. I had two Blitz 5 gallon containers that turned out to be pieces of crap. They developed a crack along the top seam after 5 yrs. After that I swore I wouldn't get another plastic can. Now I am using Eagles, both an older version of 30 yrs ago and the new safety model with the metal spout. I like the older version better, but the spout has hardened up over the years and now is not very usable. A replacement was very hard to locate, but I see that Rotopax now makes them, so the old can looks like it will be resurrected.
 
Good to hear that the NoSpill are working. I had two Blitz 5 gallon containers that turned out to be pieces of crap. They developed a crack along the top seam after 5 yrs. After that I swore I wouldn't get another plastic can. Now I am using Eagles, both an older version of 30 yrs ago and the new safety model with the metal spout. I like the older version better, but the spout has hardened up over the years and now is not very usable. A replacement was very hard to locate, but I see that Rotopax now makes them, so the old can looks like it will be resurrected.

I found replacements for my Eagle plastic can spouts on eBay. They even came with the little plastic plug for the end, which folks always seem to lose. But the plastic they’re made from does get stiff in cold weather, making removing that end plug damn near impossible in the cold, and I find they do tend to leak a bit at the spout to jug connection.

I also bought a few of those Blitz containers early on, and these guys (IMO) are the reason EPA spouts get a bad name. Even when new, they were just about impossible to use, without spilling fuel everywhere. They’re also thin and tend to bulge badly when they warm up, after a cold fill.

My only gripe with the no-spill brand is that, even if they’re the fastest EPA nozzle, it’s still only 3 GPM. So, if doing a 5 gal fill, it takes 1 min 40 seconds. Not the end of the world, but one’s hand does tend to cramp a bit after the first minute.

Of course, that’s still faster than my old Eagle can with the nozzle installed, and holding a 5 gallon can of fuel in the air ain’t no picnic, either. At least the no-spill can be rested on the hood of the tractor, whereas the spout on the Eagle forces me to hold it high in the air.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bholler and begreen
I do like the 1 gal and 2 gal no spills for hand held equipment. The button works great for these tools.
 
(broken link removed)
I just use one of these with my EPA cans.
My wife and kids love it because there is no lifting involved to fill the lawnmowers
 
(broken link removed)
I just use one of these with my EPA cans.
My wife and kids love it because there is no lifting involved to fill the lawnmowers

Looks very handy for filling small tanks, but at “up to 6 qt. per minute,” it’d take several minutes to top off my mower after each mowing. I think the main gripe with the push button cans is also the time it takes to do a refill.
 
Looks very handy for filling small tanks, but at “up to 6 qt. per minute,” it’d take several minutes to top off my mower after each mowing. I think the main gripe with the push button cans is also the time it takes to do a refill.

Just get a transfer tank for your pickup with a 15gpm pump. Should speed things up quite nicely.
 
Just get a transfer tank for your pickup with a 15gpm pump. Should speed things up quite nicely.

True! But I’m not one of the complainers that needs one. I have no issues with my old pre-EPA cans, nor do I have any problem with the No-Spill brand of EPA cans. I’ll agree the Blitz EPA cans are garbage, but I repurposed mine for waste oil long ago, so I’m not using them to fill OPE anymore.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bholler
I know with the cheaper EPA gas cans I usually end up spilling almost as much gas on the ground than I do in the fuel tank.

That's what was happening to me - especially with the lawn tractor because of the position. I modified the nozzle, so I guess it's no longer compliant - but haven't spilled any gas since.
 
That's what was happening to me - especially with the lawn tractor because of the position. I modified the nozzle, so I guess it's no longer compliant - but haven't spilled any gas since.
I have a 6" peice of tube on the nozzle of the no spil i use for our leaf vac. It works well doesnt spill anything and is still compliant.
 
I have a 6" peice of tube on the nozzle of the no spil i use for our leaf vac. It works well doesnt spill anything and is still compliant.
When you say leaf vac are you referring to a billy goat leaf/ debris vac with the 10” diameter hose? Or a homeowner style leaf vac?
 
Looks very handy for filling small tanks, but at “up to 6 qt. per minute,” it’d take several minutes to top off my mower after each mowing. I think the main gripe with the push button cans is also the time it takes to do a refill.
The difference is that you can set the can on the tractor, and let the pump do the work after that
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ashful
When you say leaf vac are you referring to a billy goat leaf/ debris vac with the 10” diameter hose? Or a homeowner style leaf vac?
An old craftsman tow behind with an 8" hose. Why do you ask?
 
An old craftsman tow behind with an 8" hose. Why do you ask?
I have been looking at the billy goat commercial vacs for my landscaping company and was curious about real world performance on the different models available