Gasoline, mostly.

[lysistrata.livejournal.com]

So we just moved to our new place, back to Davis, phew. We moved in knowing from the realtor and other tenants that the landlady is kinda crazy. There's all sorts of trash outside the apartment: microwave, rusted out grills, broken plastic tubs and more. It all belongs to the landlady ( who lives in Belmont and never comes over here, apparently ). I dragged as much as I could to the curb last night with a big exception.

We found a 30 gallon plastic barrel of gasoline and two smaller containers. They sit in a sunny spot outside the backdoor and have apparently been there for at least 2 years. They're so that the 3ish times a year her kids mow the lawn, they can fill the mower.

My questions are: does anyone know if it's legal to store gas like that? Other tenants have said that she won't move it, and I don't want my first interraction with her to be negative, but I've already had a housefire once this year and I don't want to have another, what would you do in that situation? My Fiance suggested using it to fill our scooters, but not *really* knowing what's in there makes me hesitate to do that. I guess I'm just looking for any help on the subject that I can get.

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Comments

[miraclaire.livejournal.com]

Here's what MA DEP has to say about storing gasoline: http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/hazardous/gasoline.htm

Kaboom!

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

:-\

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

And since that says "keep out of direct sunlight," I would ask the landlady politely to move it. And if she refuses, call the fire department and let them know you're nervous because your landlady is keeping large amounts of gasoline in a sunny spot close to the house.

[xuth.livejournal.com]

As to using the gasoline, I absolutely wouldn't. Gasoline deteriorates after a relatively short while unless a fuel stabilizer is used and even then it's only good for about two years. Really bad gasoline will make a mess of your fuel system. Increased temperature accelerates the process, so if it's out in the sun, it's only going to get worse. Look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline#Stability for more information.
With regards to storing it in a plastic container next to the house, that's just bad.

[tt02144.livejournal.com]

The questions of the gasoline has been addressed sufficiently, but I was wondering.....since you say that 1. your landlady is crazy and 2. you don't want your first interaction to be negative.....
Did you get her permission to lug everything to the curb? Just wondering, since you did say that it was hers.....

[whaler.livejournal.com]

Sounds like she was trying to solve the gas crisis, always sunny style.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

I'd take it to a recycling depot if I were you. As was mentioned several times above it is almost certainly deteriorated to the point of being bad for any fuel system at this point. Be prepared to pay her the fair market value for the gasoline if she complains, and don't get rid of the container itself.

And as an aside you might mention to her, 30 gallons is much too large a container to use just for lawn mower gas. Tell her to replace it with a proper 5 gallon container that will get used up before it starts to separate.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

*Technically* you probably should try to get her to handle this first, at least from a legal perspective, and if she is indeed crazy she may not take well to having her stuff moved in the first place, no matter how flammable and dangerous it is. And at least if you call her and she doesn't do anything about it, at least she can't say you didn't ask her first.

If it really is just that she's lazy, she probably won't care either way but at least asking her first would remove any possible fault from yourself.

[masswich.livejournal.com]

If you don't want your first interaction with her to be negative I'd probably stop moving her stuff around. You did see the yard when you rented the place, right?

OTOH, the gasoline is almost certainly a violation of public safety laws. I'd just call the fire department and/or 311 directly and tell them you'd prefer to keep anonymous since she's your landlord.

[ron_newman]

If it really is an illegal fire hazard, I wouldn't wait very long for the landlord to remedy it.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Legal, I don't know.

Now, stupid, on the other hand...

[veda815.livejournal.com]

+1. Don't put it in the scooters.

Don't mess with the barrel!

[red-liner.livejournal.com]

If it were me, I would call the fire department, like now. I'd hesitate to sleep there. And I'd get the hell out if people were using power mowers or barbeques or smoking anywhere nearby. Gasoline and (especially) its vapors are dangerous stuff, and this does not sound like a well-thought-out situation.

Also, avoid dragging the barrel - that can generate static electricity and sparks.

Be safe!

[smammy]

WIN

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

For the win. Do this.

I'm having flashbacks to absentee landlords of years past. So not worth it.