Even if you aren’t a collector of cars or motorcycles, it’s still possible to have a lot of vehicles to keep up with, especially if you’re taking care of your spouse or kids’ vehicles as well. Currently , we live in the city, so dropping off used fluids at the parts store isn’t a big deal. That said, I am tired of constantly spilling oil and having to clean things up, as well as having a million 5-quart bottles of used oil haphazardly stored everywhere, so I recently set about to change that.
Here’s what I’ve come up with on my quest, and hopefully it will help you develop more efficient ways to store your used oil and keep a cleaner workspace.
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Problems When Changing and Storing Oil
I have a few cars and motorcycles to keep up with, so used engine oil, transmission fluid, and gear oil accumulates quickly. Usually, I transfer it from the drain pan back into an empty 5-qt jug (or milk jug) for storage, but I am tired of dealing with these problems:
- having to store one million little plastic jugs around the shop until I take them to the parts store
- inevitable, some oil gets on the floor and on the jugs when I transfer from the drain pan (and then leaks back down onto the floor)
I decided I need a larger storage solution that can hold more oil than my drain pan (one like this, which itself can store about 16 quarts of oil), And one million little jugs of motor oil.
The Solution: 20-Gallon Portable Oil Lift Drain
Now, I do not have a car lift right now, and have no plans to get one for the foreseeable future. That said, the various “20-gallon lift drains” on the market designed to roll underneath a car on a lift and collect the oil directly are still the best option if you have to manage a lot of used oil at home. Here’s why:
- large storage capacity
- easy and clean transfer into the drum, thanks to the large collection pan
- easy and (relatively) painless transfer from the drum to your preferred container using compressed air to push the oil out of the storage tank
I went with the Pittsburgh 20-Gallon Oil Lift Drain from Harbor Freight, but if you don’t have one close by you, I’ve had good experience with Vevor tools, and they offer a 25-gallon oil drain for similar money as the Harbor Freight, or a 20-gallon unit for much less than the Harbor Freight (which is also on Prime at the time of this writing).
For even better functionality, one user (video linked below) suggests replacing the standard nozzle with a fuel nozzle, and I think this is something I’ll do in the near future.
Final Thoughts and a Few Helpful Videos
If you are sick of dealing oil spills and leaks while storing used fluids, I think picking up one of these 20-gallon oil lift drains will be the solution you have been looking for. You can’t go wrong with Harbor freight these days, but the Vevor also looks like a good solution.
Below are a few videos that might be helpful so you can see these things in operation, and consider a few modifications that may make your experience even better.
