Rotopax Leak....

Hi,

I've been RV'ing this spring and keep a 3 gallon Rotopax in the bed of my Tundra. Smelled something this afternoon and finally traced it to my Tundra and the Rotopax had sprung a pinhole leak and was squirting fuel in the bed of my Tundra! At least a gallon by the time I found it.

Yes it was hot and the Rotopax was expanded. I had to get a large bucket if water to immerse part way in to cool it down. I opened to relieve pressure and it was vaporized it was so hot! Kinda scary because it just takes a spark!

Went to Rotopax .com to see what's the deal and they clearly state: Must be vented DAILY! Failure to do so voids warranty....Never heard about that.

So careful out there. It's already danged hot and about to get hotter. These aren't fill and forget it seems!

Mine was 7 years old (warranty is 10 years) and hardly been used during that time. Just filled for long road trips.

I emailed Rotopax and will let y'all know how they respond. I'm not mad and got good use from it but curious if it was age or what.... if this is common etc...

Thanks,

Trav

 

I've heard of this issue a lot with them. Filler cap failures are also common. They really need to be vented regularly to avoid it, especially with larger elevation changes. Any plastic container with gas should be vented, i do it to my Sceptre cans too, mine have never leaked though.

 

Time for a metal one I guess.

Read good things about Wavian so far...

 

Wavian's are awesome. They're bombproof. But its also heavier and more awkward to store unless you get a mount. I'm still considering a rotopax for the sake of mounting options on my rack, moreso water than gas though.

 

I have a plastic jerrycan in the bed and I vent it often when I carry extra fuel. Altitude or heat makes it expand.

 

Heard back from Roto Pax...since I didn't vent DAILY....NO warranty coverage.

I looked closely at the can and while there's all kinds of printing not one mention of venting. Came with no literature.

The way mine was stored/locked in my Tundra bed combined with the difficulty of opening it makes daily venting an unlikely event around here.

I don't know if build up over time or conditions just right to pop it but I don't think I'll be using Roto Pax any more. It was ~95° and it was in the bed with tonneau cover closed. Usually not as hot in there as outside as I've monitored it and found closed keeps cooler.

 

Did you always keep it in your bed? You said you've had it for 7 years - plastics and UV will always lead to eventual degradation. That and with constant expansion cycles from temperature fluctuation it will stress the plastic.

 

I just retired my rotopax fuel cans after a similar experience. I had kept one on top of my LX for years with no issues, but it was under a water rotopax and roofmount storage bag, so no direct sun exposure. Took it off as I'm cleaning up the LX to sell. Set it by the truck and forgot about it for awhile (maybe 3/4) full. Came back after a moderately hot week to use up the gas in it and set it up for the truck spare fuel. It was blown up like a balloon... When I went to try and vent it (after dark, so it had cooled down.) it had so much pressure in it that it sprayed vaporized fuel in a 20' plume when I opened it up. Scary as Sh*%! All but maybe a 1/2 gallon sprayed out. Container is totally blown up permanently now. Needless to say, I don't trust them on my vehicle after this experience, unless I am filling that day and using it up within a couple days. So I'm going to 5 gal metal jerry cans, despite the weight and bulk...

 

This is what I have:

$100 Wavian USA Authentic NATO Jerry Can and Spout System - Rust-Proof, EPA & CARB Compliant, Red, 20 Litre, Metal Gas Can 5 Gallon

https://www.amazon.com/Wavian-USA-JC0020RVS-Authentic-System/dp/B011AJF0PE

I noticed the price has gone up since I bought it, though.

 

everything going up lately

 

How do the water cans hold up in the sun? I'm guessing it's far less dramatic, but I'm sure they are still prone to expansion damage. I plan on using them on a trip this summer.

 

I use Rotopax's for 1 trip use and store them empty just for this reason. Fill them up for whatever adventure you need and then get the gas out whenever you're done. Luckily I always seem to have a thirsty machine somewhere that can eat the extra gas when I am done using them.

When I use them on my ATV and Dual Sport, I find myself venting them more often than once a day. They seem to expand rather quickly unfortunately.

Keep us posted on the customer service, curious to see how they treat your situation. Hopefully they send out a new one for you!

 

YEP!

Mine did the same! Just missed a hot exhaust pipe!

Got the polite brush off from Roto Pax when I asked if what they said means no warranty they wanted a receipt. I provided the date stamp from the can and they ignored that wishing me good luck!

I suggested the print the venting instructions ON the can and got this response:

"We appreciate your input and will pass this along to our team!
We apologize for the inconvenience, let us know if we can be of further assistance!"

Classic screw you response!

I could probably argue my way to a replacement but frankly would not feel safe! I'm an RV'er and saw a couple rigs on the road side engulfed in flames originating from the tow vehicle...I wondered how the heck that happened! Now I may have a clue! ALL of us RV'ers have a generator and gas can in tow vehicle....

Be safe and vent those cans!

Trav

 

Rotopax suck. They're expensive and unreliable. I ran two 3g for a year in my 4runner. The spouts break, the lids fail and leak, and even when venting daily the containers swell and malform which one ends them from stacking properly.

Additionally the locking mechanism fails frequently. Usually to the point that you cannot remove the locking cylinder and remove the pack from its mount.

This happened on both my 3g setup and the water pax that came with my trailer. The reason the seller of the trailer included the pax is because the lock was broken...

I got 2x 5g Jerry cans now and haven't had a single issue after 3 years of use in the hot Utah desert.

 

Same here. Fill for use. Vent daily. But never store it for long term use. It either goes into the trundra( it always needs gas) or into my lawn mower after trips. On rare occasion neither needs gas, the roto pak is left in storage with spout on, but not tight so it can breathe.

 

I found that filling them all the way up (tilting sideways to get as little air space in there as possible) was the best way to keep them from expanding so much while shaking around on the back of the dual sport. Also could fit 2 gallons in the 1.75 gallon cans that way! Still had to vent daily or more precisely over drastic elevation/temp changes. They're a great solution for mounting small capacities in tough areas but with some trade offs with durability and strength.

I've now got some expedition one jerry cans for "water only" that came with my truck and I still haven't had the balls to put fuel in them for same reasons as rotopax. Thinking of swapping the 4x 4 gallon slim cans out for the double 5 gallon wavian setup.

 

Rotopax gets you Instagram points though

 

NATO surplus jerries are awesome and you can get 2 or 3 for the price of a wavian. Most of them have never been used, at worst you may have to replace the rubber seal.

 

Water can seems fine, never had any issues with it. Never had any issue with the fuel can until I took it off the truck. It was laying flat on my roofrack with fuel in it for over a year. As soon as I took it off and stood it upright it blew up. Makes sense that laying it down to minimize air space could help. Regardless, I bought a Wavian a while back before a big snow storm to have extra gas for the generator and it will now be my truck's extra fuel. Anyone have a recommendation on a holder that I can mount onto the upright of a Wilco swing out? Looking at maybe using a Front Runner vertical mount or something like this.