Fuel store for gasoline etc.

[philip in china]

I want to make a lock up store to keep gasoline, thinners and eventually OA bottles. I am not too concerned about the risk of theft but just don't want such stuff too near the forges. Also being at a school I want to keep children away from such things. The store would be outside round the back of the forge building.

My plan is probably to build 4 brick pillars, one at each corner of the store and then fill 3 sides in with steel mesh screens and the 4th side have a mesh door. Then probably put a tin roof on it all to keep it dry. I thought that open mesh sides would be best as they would allow vapours to dissipate. Also if there were to be an accident the place should burn rather than explode.

Does anybody have any thoughts on the subject please?

[Bentiron1946]

That sounds OK. Do you have much theft and burglary there? Some places here if they can see it they will steal it and even if the can't they will try. So concrete block walls with high and low ventilation openings one each side for cross air flow, plus a heavy duty steel door with a good lock would be better. If thieves are not a problem then your idea sounds good.

[philip in china]

Thieves are not my worry. We are on a fairly secure campus. I am worried about keeping schoolchildren away and keeping the materials out of my shop.

[ptree]

Phillip, I would offer the following;
If all the chemicals are stored are fuels you plan sounds OK. If you intend to store Oxygen bottles for an OA system, the Oxygen needs to be seperated from the fuels, as a small leak of the Oxygen will be a diaster in the making. Pure O2 and Hydrocarbon fuels are a really bad mix.
I think if O2 is to be stored a divider wall of solid, say even thin steel or masonary would be minumum. A small seperate storage with a bit of difference would be better.
As an Industrial safety guy here in the US we are reuired to plan for either seperation by distance or an impermable wall.

I would also plan for some tank chains if that is in the future. These are to hold the tanks securely upright. Also a requirement in the US, and a really good idea. I have seen the after effects of a knocked over bottle that had the valve knocked off.

[philip in china]

Thanks. The idea of Oxy and fuel is one of those things that is SO obvious............. once somebody else has told me! I will make the fuel store and then later make a separate oxygen store. No shortage of space here or mostly free materials either. I hope the only thing I shall need to buy will be the wire mesh for the sides.

[John B]

For mesh could you use concrete reinforcing grid/mesh if there is a lot of rebuilding work going on around you?

[philip in china]

Remesh would be fine and YES there is a certain amount of rebuilding going on here!