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It's not conspiracy leaning. It's fact. Gas cans don't work because the government doesn't let you have a vent on them anymore. I used to have gas cans that wo

It's not conspiracy leaning. It's fact. Gas cans don't work because the government doesn't let you have a vent on them anymore. I used to have gas cans that work. Now I can't get one that works. Fact. Edit: And most of the attempts to work around the problems of auto-closing end up causing the user to get gas on themself in the process of attempting to make the stupid broken government-can to work.

numbsafari 6y ago
What do you call this? It works better than any can I had growing up. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/no-spill-gas-can-125-gal https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/no-spill-gas-can-1...
- jtbayly 6y ago
  I call it the least worst option. I call it the requires-2-hands-to-accomplish-what-I-used-to-be-able-to-do-with-1-hand can. And no. It's not better than a simple spout and vent can.
  - maxerickson 6y ago
    What are you doing with your other hand that is important during the 30 seconds you are pouring gasoline? I guess it's unfortunate for you that other people have different priorities in gas can design.
    - jtbayly 6y ago
      You can ask the ADA why this might matter. And no, this gas can still doesn't work anywhere near as well as the one I used to be able to buy. I'm still far more likely to overfill, just for example. And it's still far slower. Quit gaslighting me. Edit: I'm really out after this edit. What I mean by gaslighting is the absurd pretending that this new style of gas can works better than the old style. You want to know what I might be doing with my other hand? How about holding the lawnmower still? Or tipping the blower so that I can get the can nozzle into the proper hole and see when it's getting close to full? Especially with such a stubby spout, this sort of thing becomes even more important. Yeah. Quit gaslighting me. I'm not crazy for thinking the new cans are worse in every respect--even the best of them.
      - maxerickson 6y ago
        I'm not being dishonest or trying to mislead you, so I don't know what you are talking about with the gaslighting. I did ponder what the implications were for people with hand issues, but your comment above seemed to be about using one of two good hands rather than out of concern for people that may only have full use of a single hand.
      - maxerickson 6y ago
        They aren't worse in every respect, they reduce emissions and prevent some types of accidents. Those things are more important to a lot of people than momentary convenience (which is how I've been impacted by newer cans, I'm not trying to say that your experience with them is the same as mine).
      - dang 6y ago
        Please don't post flamewar comments to HN. It's not what this site is for and is not cool here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - dang 6y ago
      Please don't post flamewar comments to HN. It's not what this site is for and is not cool here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
      - maxerickson 6y ago
        I don't see what is inflammatory. I guess it's somewhat dismissive in tone, but there's 60 years of safety practice that lead to modern gas cans.
        dang 6y ago
        "I guess it's unfortunate for you that other people have different priorities" was snarky. The site guidelines ask you not to post like that, and your comment would have been fine without it. Please don't be dismissive on HN, regardless of progress in gas can safety.
  - numbsafari 6y ago
    Here’s the thing: that’s your opinion. I happen to feel differently. However, you said that vented cans don’t exist. It’s not true. They do exist. I proved it. This can is vented. What is true is that the vents require some kind of activation at the time of pour. This model relies on a button, which means two hands. I’ve personally found that using two hands is kind of a requirement for this size of gas can. That’s my personal experience, so I like this model for the speed of its pour. There exist other designs where you activate the vent by pushing on the nozzle and a lip or catch hooks the opening and a sleeve pulls back exposing the vent. I personally have found that design to be problematic because the springs are often faulty or too strong. You could use those one handed if you want, I guess, but I don’t prefer to do that, so, all in, I do t prefer those models. Regardless, they exist, you can buy them. One handers, two handers, fortunately I’m unaware of any three or more handers. But this nonsense about gurgling and splashing because “vents are illegal” is a lie and is gaslighting, especially when you can order pallets of evidence to the contrary.
hirundo 6y ago
Same. I ended up putting a removable plug in one just to make it functional. I just couldn't hold up a 5 gallon jug for long enough to dribble it out. Then was astonished when it turned out to be not just one bad brand but all of them.
nathanm412 6y ago
It's an incredibly disingenuous article. I have a few of these gas cans and don't have any trouble with them. There absolutely is a vent in these cans. The article even mentions that they're still there, but aren't opened until you activate the top. My cans have a trigger that you pull to pour gas. As soon as you pull it, the gas flows freely. No more trying to invert the nozzle to reassemble the lid to close it anymore.
zelos 6y ago
Is this a general problem with regulations? These regs look fairly sensible to me: https://www.hse.gov.uk/fireandexplosion/portabable-petrol-storage-containers.pdf https://www.hse.gov.uk/fireandexplosion/portabable-petrol-st...
- gruez 6y ago
  From the article: >The government never said “no vents.” It abolished them de facto with new standards that every state had to adopt by 2009. So for the last three years, you have not been able to buy gas cans that work properly. They are not permitted to have a separate vent. The top has to close automatically. There are other silly things now, too, but the biggest problem is that they do not do well what cans are supposed to do. Indeed, if you drill down into the regulations you linked, you'll see the same requirements listed: >The closure should not show any visible signs of leaking even if the container is on its side or accidentally tipped over.
caslon 6y ago
> Soap doesn’t work. Toilets don’t flush. Clothes washers don’t clean. Light bulbs don’t illuminate. Refrigerators break too soon. Paint discolors. Lawnmowers have to be hacked. It’s all caused by idiotic government regulations that are wrecking our lives one consumer product at a time, all in ways we hardly notice. This sounds like conspiracy if I've ever heard one. The reason for all of these problems is the market, not government. The gas can is a trojan horse in this article. You can get perfectly fine light bulbs. Can get perfectly great refrigerators. Lawnmowers still work just fine, with no need to be hacked. It's like complaining that the reason printers are so bad is because of "the damn government!" and citing HP's behavior when ignoring that there are brands that don't screw over the consumer for profit reasons.
- gruez 6y ago
  >Soap doesn’t work presumably referring to government regulations mandating them to have less (or zero) phosphorus >Toilets don’t flush presumably referring to government regulations mandating low flush toilets >Light bulbs don’t illuminate presumably referring to government regulations banning incandescent bulbs, requiring the use of CFL bulbs The rest, I'm not sure about.
  - thatguy0900 6y ago
    Paint discoloring is removing lead, I think
  - caslon 6y ago
    Which is ludicrous, because none of those actually made the products worse. To go into one I'm really familiar with: light bulbs are fine after banning incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs (which were still available at time of the regulations) are better than incandescent bulbs in nearly every way, as long as you don't cheap out and go for one that flickers at under the rate of an incandescent. The problem is poor consumer education, not government regulations.
    - mhb 6y ago
      Instead of cherry picking one which might arguably, after many years of development, have turned out all right, why not explain how great low flush toilets are? In part 2, say why toilet size regulations are a better way of addressing water or energy concerns than a more direct method.
bigtex 6y ago
i got tired with buying a new plastic gas can every year because of the horrible spouts. HOWEVER there are 2 US based manufacturers who make metal cans with metal spouts that don't fall off. Both are available on Amazon. I bought the Justrite 7250120 AccuFlow 5 Gallon, 11.75" OD x 17.50" H Galvanized Steel Type II Red Safety Can With 5/8" Flexible Spout is what I bought. Very happy with it.
happytoexplain 6y ago
Yes, but an entire article can not be "a fact". The parent was referring to the entire article.

numbsafari 6y ago

What do you call this? It works better than any can I had growing up. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/no-spill-gas-can-125-gal https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/no-spill-gas-can-1...

jtbayly 6y ago
I call it the least worst option. I call it the requires-2-hands-to-accomplish-what-I-used-to-be-able-to-do-with-1-hand can. And no. It's not better than a simple spout and vent can.
- maxerickson 6y ago
  What are you doing with your other hand that is important during the 30 seconds you are pouring gasoline? I guess it's unfortunate for you that other people have different priorities in gas can design.
  - jtbayly 6y ago
    You can ask the ADA why this might matter. And no, this gas can still doesn't work anywhere near as well as the one I used to be able to buy. I'm still far more likely to overfill, just for example. And it's still far slower. Quit gaslighting me. Edit: I'm really out after this edit. What I mean by gaslighting is the absurd pretending that this new style of gas can works better than the old style. You want to know what I might be doing with my other hand? How about holding the lawnmower still? Or tipping the blower so that I can get the can nozzle into the proper hole and see when it's getting close to full? Especially with such a stubby spout, this sort of thing becomes even more important. Yeah. Quit gaslighting me. I'm not crazy for thinking the new cans are worse in every respect--even the best of them.
    - maxerickson 6y ago
      I'm not being dishonest or trying to mislead you, so I don't know what you are talking about with the gaslighting. I did ponder what the implications were for people with hand issues, but your comment above seemed to be about using one of two good hands rather than out of concern for people that may only have full use of a single hand.
    - maxerickson 6y ago
      They aren't worse in every respect, they reduce emissions and prevent some types of accidents. Those things are more important to a lot of people than momentary convenience (which is how I've been impacted by newer cans, I'm not trying to say that your experience with them is the same as mine).
    - dang 6y ago
      Please don't post flamewar comments to HN. It's not what this site is for and is not cool here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - dang 6y ago
    Please don't post flamewar comments to HN. It's not what this site is for and is not cool here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - maxerickson 6y ago
      I don't see what is inflammatory. I guess it's somewhat dismissive in tone, but there's 60 years of safety practice that lead to modern gas cans.
      - dang 6y ago
        "I guess it's unfortunate for you that other people have different priorities" was snarky. The site guidelines ask you not to post like that, and your comment would have been fine without it. Please don't be dismissive on HN, regardless of progress in gas can safety.
- numbsafari 6y ago
  Here’s the thing: that’s your opinion. I happen to feel differently. However, you said that vented cans don’t exist. It’s not true. They do exist. I proved it. This can is vented. What is true is that the vents require some kind of activation at the time of pour. This model relies on a button, which means two hands. I’ve personally found that using two hands is kind of a requirement for this size of gas can. That’s my personal experience, so I like this model for the speed of its pour. There exist other designs where you activate the vent by pushing on the nozzle and a lip or catch hooks the opening and a sleeve pulls back exposing the vent. I personally have found that design to be problematic because the springs are often faulty or too strong. You could use those one handed if you want, I guess, but I don’t prefer to do that, so, all in, I do t prefer those models. Regardless, they exist, you can buy them. One handers, two handers, fortunately I’m unaware of any three or more handers. But this nonsense about gurgling and splashing because “vents are illegal” is a lie and is gaslighting, especially when you can order pallets of evidence to the contrary.

hirundo 6y ago

Same. I ended up putting a removable plug in one just to make it functional. I just couldn't hold up a 5 gallon jug for long enough to dribble it out. Then was astonished when it turned out to be not just one bad brand but all of them.

nathanm412 6y ago

It's an incredibly disingenuous article. I have a few of these gas cans and don't have any trouble with them. There absolutely is a vent in these cans. The article even mentions that they're still there, but aren't opened until you activate the top. My cans have a trigger that you pull to pour gas. As soon as you pull it, the gas flows freely. No more trying to invert the nozzle to reassemble the lid to close it anymore.

zelos 6y ago

Is this a general problem with regulations? These regs look fairly sensible to me: https://www.hse.gov.uk/fireandexplosion/portabable-petrol-storage-containers.pdf https://www.hse.gov.uk/fireandexplosion/portabable-petrol-st...

gruez 6y ago
From the article: >The government never said “no vents.” It abolished them de facto with new standards that every state had to adopt by 2009. So for the last three years, you have not been able to buy gas cans that work properly. They are not permitted to have a separate vent. The top has to close automatically. There are other silly things now, too, but the biggest problem is that they do not do well what cans are supposed to do. Indeed, if you drill down into the regulations you linked, you'll see the same requirements listed: >The closure should not show any visible signs of leaking even if the container is on its side or accidentally tipped over.

caslon 6y ago

> Soap doesn’t work. Toilets don’t flush. Clothes washers don’t clean. Light bulbs don’t illuminate. Refrigerators break too soon. Paint discolors. Lawnmowers have to be hacked. It’s all caused by idiotic government regulations that are wrecking our lives one consumer product at a time, all in ways we hardly notice. This sounds like conspiracy if I've ever heard one. The reason for all of these problems is the market, not government. The gas can is a trojan horse in this article. You can get perfectly fine light bulbs. Can get perfectly great refrigerators. Lawnmowers still work just fine, with no need to be hacked. It's like complaining that the reason printers are so bad is because of "the damn government!" and citing HP's behavior when ignoring that there are brands that don't screw over the consumer for profit reasons.

gruez 6y ago
>Soap doesn’t work presumably referring to government regulations mandating them to have less (or zero) phosphorus >Toilets don’t flush presumably referring to government regulations mandating low flush toilets >Light bulbs don’t illuminate presumably referring to government regulations banning incandescent bulbs, requiring the use of CFL bulbs The rest, I'm not sure about.
- thatguy0900 6y ago
  Paint discoloring is removing lead, I think
- caslon 6y ago
  Which is ludicrous, because none of those actually made the products worse. To go into one I'm really familiar with: light bulbs are fine after banning incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs (which were still available at time of the regulations) are better than incandescent bulbs in nearly every way, as long as you don't cheap out and go for one that flickers at under the rate of an incandescent. The problem is poor consumer education, not government regulations.
  - mhb 6y ago
    Instead of cherry picking one which might arguably, after many years of development, have turned out all right, why not explain how great low flush toilets are? In part 2, say why toilet size regulations are a better way of addressing water or energy concerns than a more direct method.

bigtex 6y ago

i got tired with buying a new plastic gas can every year because of the horrible spouts. HOWEVER there are 2 US based manufacturers who make metal cans with metal spouts that don't fall off. Both are available on Amazon. I bought the Justrite 7250120 AccuFlow 5 Gallon, 11.75" OD x 17.50" H Galvanized Steel Type II Red Safety Can With 5/8" Flexible Spout is what I bought. Very happy with it.

happytoexplain 6y ago

Yes, but an entire article can not be "a fact". The parent was referring to the entire article.