When I was a teenager I needed gas for the lawnmower, so I siphoned some out of a tractor. I had never siphoned gas before.
I found a length of small-diameter tubing, stuck it in the tractor’s gas tank, lowered the other end below the tank, and sucked on the end. The gas came out faster than I anticipated and I got a mouthful. That was a very bad experience.
There are a few different no-suck-needed siphoning gadgets you can buy, but save your money. You don’t need a gadget. I’m going to tell you how to siphon gas (or any other liquid) real easy.
This next photo shows the situation that prompted this TMD post…
I needed to drain the gas tank on my snowblower before putting it away for the summer. The tank was full. I siphoned out those three 32-ounce deli cups in the top photo!
I could have run the motor dry but it would have run for hours, and what a waste that would have been!
So I found a length of hose. It happened to be 5/16” inside diameter. I stuck one end into the gas tank and used an air blower (attached to my portable air tank) to start the siphon.
Hold the air blower like shown in the photo above. It’s even with the end of the hose. Give it a blast of air.
The objective is to get a flow of air in front of the hose end (not across the end). The rush of air creates a vacuum in the hose. It works like a charm. You’ll be amazed. Only a small amount of air is needed. It happens quick.
Did you already know this trick? Have you ever siphoned gas by sucking on the end of the hose? How did that work for you?
I'd say that Mr. Bernoulli's principle was utilized in your gas siphoning endeavor. It's always fun using a bit of scientific knowledge to solve those daily challenges!
ReplyDelete👍 Definitely more fun than sucking on the end of the tube. 🙂
DeleteThat is new to me. Yesterday, I dug out a small pushmower from the back of the shed to mow a path for some electric netting around the chicken coops. I had last used the mower about two years ago. It started on the first pull, and I was only about half way through the pull when it sprang to life. I use the high octane (no ethanol) gas from the local gas station for all my Briggs & Stratton type engines. I've never winterized the engines or drained the gas. I fill the tank completely before I put them away for the season.
ReplyDeleteI also use only the non-ethanol gas for all small engines. And I also don't usually drain the gas. One pull with 2-year-old gas is impressive.
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