Doomsday Prepper - Storing Fuel or Gas in a 55 gallon drum ( barrel )

So I've found lots of forum posts asking the question "Is it safe to store gas in a 55 gallon drum at home?" Most questions center around using a steel drum or barrel 55g gallon or 30 gallon and if it is safe. I've seen a wide variety of advice. Some say you have to vent the drum others say don't vent it because the gas will evaporate. Others go off on tangents about how unsafe it is and how local codes and insurance will be an issue. So I wanted to get to the bottom of this issue and get credible information.

My investigation yielded the following information that I thought was useful.

NOTE: You should not rely on my paraphrasing of the "How to handle flammable and combustible liquids safely" manual by Justrite Manufacturing found HERE.  Read it yourself and check local laws before you store fuel!!!

1. DOT approved drums or barrels are designed to contain hazardous contents. Steel seems far safer to me than any type of plastic barrel.

2. Gasoline ignition point is 475 to 536 degrees F.

3. Gasoline only explodes when it is vaporized (carburetor or fuel injectors do this in cars).

4. Fuel expands and contracts with hot or cold temperatures. It's this expansion and contraction that can build up pressure causing the container to fail and spill flammable fumes and liquid in the storage space. If there is an ignition source such as a spark from a light switch, water heater, garage door opener it could go boom if the space is enclosed and the vapors build up or fuel reaches an open flame!

5. To prevent container failure you must use a "drum safety vent" like this one HERE It will automatically vent if the pressure gets too high (say from a fire in the storage space) and equalize the vacuum that can occur when you pump the fuel out or it gets really cold.

6. The storage drum should be grounded to a water pipe or grounding rod into the earth AND a ground wire must BOND the storage drum to the tank or container the fuel will be pumped into. Some fuel pumps made for fueling can automatically BOND the two containers to prevent static electricity discharge (spark)

7. Use a pump made to transfer gasoline! Electric pump motors create spark and non fuel pumps can cause an explosion. Here is a hand pump made for gas: HERE

So what's important is that this information be true and correct. Here is the link to read the safe fuel storage manual yourself.

In conclusion, it seems to me that properly storing gas or diesel in a steel drum is safer than having 10 plastic gas containers for the simple fact that the container can be grounded to avoid a static electricity spark. Of course none of this considers any local limitations on the amount of fuel you can store by law. It does seem clear cut that you can have two cars with full tanks and a portable container for your lawn mowing equipment without any issues.