Gas cans/ water cans

[toptiger]

I see some 5 gal jerry cans painted red on top on this site. Looks good but I don't recall seeing any like that in the service. Is/was it SOP to paint them like that.
While I am at it, some cans have a flip top cap, other have the screw on, wasn't the flip top used only for water?

[muttguru]

Hello Top,

if we're talking about the metal cans....yes, the fliptop types are water (or anything potable) and the spintops are for fuel.

Although I've not been able to find anything in writing, it seems that the painting of the metal can tops was local SOP, Red signifying gas and (so I'm told) Yellow signifying diesel. I think that the British military used a metal tag clipped around the handles of their fuel cans. The tag was in various colours and had raised letters/numbers stamped into the metal.

With the US military going completely over to diesel, a plastic spintop was introduced for fuel. Also, a plastic water can was introduced, too. As both fuel and water cans are now spintops, they are distinguishable from each other in colour (the fuel cans are an olive colour and the water cans are tan).

The water cans also have a spigot fitted to the screw cap alongside a small air vent. I'm told that there were also black plastic water cans in US service but they tended to absorb the sun's heat and the contents ended up hot. There's a sort of quilted bag for water cans now to keep them cool.

I made the mistake of filling my US plastic fuelcan with petrol (gas) and now I know why they are for diesel fuel only!

[rickf]

Somewhere I have a couple of those black plastic cans. They were on a trailer I got with my Mutt and had water in them that was probably in there for 20 years! These would have frozen every one of those twenty years and they were still sealed!


Rick

[whirook]

Are you sure it is not a civilian thing?
I believe that federal law states that any portable container that is used to transport gasoline has to be red.

[Rainman]

First time I saw red/od was on MrD's rig, but no idea where he got his idea from. I never ever saw one painted like that in the Army. Diesel cans for the most part were not marked well, so we used the smell test before we poured. Never had a problem getting things mixed, maybe I was just lucky.

The large flip type lid on the steel water cans were to allow for a hand and arm to get inside for cleaning purposes. Not sure when they were phased out.

Black plastic water cans were in use CONUS during the early 70's for sure and I assume worldwide. Screw top with a vent and a spout on the cap. Ive never seen one with a "spigot" adapted to one though other than at the bottom, and I think it may have been done by Bubba. Rick, I've been looking for one of those black water cans in a fair to good condition, if you ever decide to move one of em down the road. Tan is a much better color for drinking water cans, it sure got hot in the black ones. Good for shaving though

Rainman

[rickf]

Rainman, I am not sure if I saved them or tossed them during the code enforcement fiasco last year. I am in for the day so I will try to remember to look tomorrow. Might be a good excuse to take a ride to Ohio.

Rick

[Rainman]

Threw them away, and you call yourself a packrat? I haven't even gotten rid of that old Kaiser gas tank with the pounds of crud dried up in it, and you pitched a water can that held water for 25 years? Geez, I'm speechless...

Rainman

[Ralph Fuller]

Did anyone else notice that Rick is now the "First Captain" on G838?

[SEABEE62]

Ricks a Captain now !!! I'm surrounded by officers and can't find a place to hide ( or take a nap) Congs. Rick. , Tom

[raymond]

Didn't Mr.D have one painted up as a Coors can

[k8icu]

I believe I've seen some pics from Germany in the late 60's and early 70's where the top of the can say the last inch or so to include the handles was painted Red for gas and yellow for diesel. So that might have been a Europe command thing....to keep NATO happy or some such thing who know. I know that in the late 80 and early 90's before the plastic cans came into use the fuel cans were all flat OD and the gas cans were stenciled MOGAS in flat black 1-2 inch letters and the diesel were stenciled DIESEL in flat sand the same size. But I only saw that in Ohio so maybe it was a OARNG thing.

I have a few of the black plastic water cans and they work well.

[ida34]

I have a very early WWII water can that has the same screw top as a fuel can. The only way you can tell a difference is it has a W between the Xs while the fuel cans have the G. The water can like mine only lasted a year as too many people got confused. After this they made the flip top cans.

[muttguru]

Just to put some pictures to names, here's some that may explain what we are talking about to any new folk here.

The redtop metal gascan may well be a Europe (specifically Germany) mod. Photo below shows an A2 at Pinder barracks in Germany. The photo is from "Warmachines No.14" by Peters/Verlinden.




Next photo (below) shows another redtop at a display in the USA.. (Bob's???)




Next photo (below) shows a tan-coloured plastic water can complete with quilted cover:



And the next one (below) shows a black plastic water can:



Next one (below) shows the OD plastic fuel can (Diesel):



Next one (below) shows the metal water can with big fliptop lid:



And to finish off, here's an ingenious way to carry fuel and water.......

[Ralph Fuller]

All of my metal cans have dates stamped on the bottom. The black water can has a date stamped into the plastic on the side.
Black plastic water

Date stamp is the circle directly below "water" on the side

Metal can below stamped USMC 5-90

Metal with screw on cap

[moose53]

Here's a film clip from the embassy attack in Saigon during Tet... most of the jeeps had red topped jerrycans....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1vJqTN-qVI

Jim