Fuel odor in garage

xr6

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I keep my GS in a garage which has very little ventilation. When it has been sitting a few days the smell of gas is very strong when I enter the garage. I updated the filler pipe with the kit from Allison and have tried taping the vent as well but the odor is still very strong. I have snowmobiles and other gas stuff in there but I'm pretty sure the culprit is the Ally. Anyone else have similar experiences and or solutions.
 

xr6

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Thanks for the replies guys!

Draining the tank is an option but seems like a huge pain....hoping to find another solution. Mine is a 1999 and I installed the the upgraded vent kit from Allison but no change. I suspect it is a vent or tank issue as it stinks under the cover even when stored outside. I think that taping the vent closed should work but doesn't seem to in my case....maybe a better tape on the vent?
 

allimax

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Rigging a balloon up on there might be a better idea to allow for expansion. There’s a guy I know there in TN that uses a condom on his ‘02 vent in the off season. Must work.
 

xb03

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My 98 had an external vent but my 00 is in the cap/fill hose.
 

RiverRat71

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Maybe try keeping the tank completely full while storing. It is my understanding that there will be less fumes that way. Also will lessen or eliminate condensation in tank. RR
 

SLOmofo

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river rodent gets the brass ring. The tank isn't sealed it's vented, it breathes, it loses volatile fuel vapors=you smell them. As it breathes in(cold) and out(hot) it sucks in atmospheric vapors=water and expels gasoline vapors(water sinks=heaver then gasoline=bad JuJu).
Your car is sealed, if it doesn't seal the check engine lights up. Plug the hole and the tank fuel system pressure increases. Hopefully it will vent the excess pressure through the carbon canister(which scrubs the hydrocarbons off and stores them).
Products like Sta-bil and Ace's work to lessen this. Just a rant of an old grease monkey.
I really like the condom idea, although my suggestion is to make unused ones available to the teen rather then the one on the boat.
 

SLOmofo

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A suggestion would be to find the vent hole and attach a tube to it and place it's end out from under the cover. Or a tube sealed around the filler. Don't allow the vent to be plugged. Again Sta-bil and Aces. Don't use anything with Alcohol in it. Alcohol will combine with the water then stratify=sink . When you start the engine it gets that mix and if it starts, runs poorly if at all. If you run it the engine will be damaged. Depends on %. I always use Aces in the SackOCats or Sta-bil in the Champion, insurance is cheep.
 

SmallJaw

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Slomofo has some good ideas. I do HVAC engineering for a living and work with vapors in industry on a regular basis. There is going to be vapors if there is fuel (hydrocarbons etc) around. Keeping the fuel tank full will lesson the surface area vaporizing during temp changes and thus lesson the vapor release, so that is a good idea for minimal vapors. If it is as bad in the garage as you say, I personally might invest in an small fan such as you would find in a computer tower and make, or get someone to make me a square to round adapter for each side of the fan to which I would connect that to some vacuum hose or flex hose. Rig up something so the inlet to the hose is over the vent of the tank and the outlet of the hose goes through a wall, window, or anywhere outside. You can order a very inexpensive timer online to turn the fan on and off on an flexible time schedule. probably a minute on and a minute off. Run the little fan and blow the fumes outside. WW Grainger or KELE in Memphis have tons of timers. The condom or balloon idea may work just fine too. I can't see any reason why other than I'd change them out pretty regular if the vapors eat away the rubber in the balloon.
 

nort

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Holy Crap on a Cracker!!
Keep it simple guys......
DRAIN THE TANK!!
I drain all my tanks.......
Boats, sleds, power equipment......
Takes a few minutes and it's done....
No issues, no odour, no auxiliary venting or fans or.......
 

RiverRat71

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Holy Crap on a Cracker!!
Keep it simple guys......
DRAIN THE TANK!!
I drain all my tanks.......
Boats, sleds, power equipment......
Takes a few minutes and it's done....
No issues, no odour, no auxiliary venting or fans or.......
Nort, the only drawback to that is condensation. Here in GA the temp extremes & humidity could create a lot of water in the tank over a period of a couple months. RR
 

nort

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Toss a can of Sea Foam (or isopropyl) in the tank after you drain it.
We get some pretty goofy temp / humidity extremes up here to.......ours just usually involve more sub zero / snow days!!
/:-(
 

nort

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"Holy Crap on a Cracker!!" Is that Swiss or Cheese Wiz your talking about.

Some of us boat almost year round. Don't live in the sub zero north...LOL
Smoked cheddar actually.....it's delightfully earthy...../;-)
Yes.....I realise some of you boat year round......
I do the best I can......last boat came out last weekend, ice was over 1" thick......6" now!
It'll go back in the day the ice clears my ramp......I'll bust up whatever is left!!
 

SmallJaw

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Holy Crap on a Cracker!!
Keep it simple guys......
DRAIN THE TANK!!
I drain all my tanks.......
Boats, sleds, power equipment......
Takes a few minutes and it's done....
No issues, no odour, no auxiliary venting or fans or.......
Drain the tank and you are inviting moisture in by way of condensation. Fill the tank completely is much better than draining. If draining works for you then keep doing it, but the vapor in a tank has a lot of water in it that will condense out.
 

Jr in Jax

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Drain the tank and you are inviting moisture in by way of condensation. Fill the tank completely is much better than draining. If draining works for you then keep doing it, but the vapor in a tank has a lot of water in it that will condense out.
Smalljaw,
I am a retired Mechanical Engineering/Industrial HVAC/Building Automation System [BAS] designer and lastly a large Hospital Plant Engineer. Your full tank idea along with a flexible sealing membrane on the vent would be the best solution. Any fuel inside the tank will saturate with water vapor due to the vapor pressure difference of the water and fuel. The smaller the exposed surface, the slower the infiltration of water into the fuel [just like refrigerant vapor infiltration into non-heated oil inside of the HVAC compressors]. The membrane will allow expansion/contraction without allowing infiltration. An open/empty tank will condensate on the inside surfaces with temperature changes
I keep my 3 PWCS, A-boat and both vehicles fueled as another storage source of fuel for my 16KW backup generator [which came in handy during Irma].

Just my $.02,
JR
 
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