You might need to drain your fuel tank for a number of reasons. The most frequent way is running out of petrol when far from a gas station. In the middle of your unfortunate predicament, you may meet a good person who is willing to share their precious liquid.
In this situation, you’ll need to learn how to drain fuel tank easily and transfer some petrol from their tank to yours. Other times, you could require the ability if you have to clean your fuel tank to get rid of bad gasoline or change your fuel pump. Before moving on to the topic of how to quickly drain a gasoline tank, we’ll go through these possibilities in more depth. Let’s get started.
How to Drain Fuel Tank Easily
The majority of automobiles on the road today have internal combustion engines, which store their fuel in gas tanks and run on either gasoline or diesel. The majority of gas tanks are found on the undersides of cars and are made to prevent gasoline from escaping once it has been pumped in. However, there are some circumstances where it will be required to drain the fuel from the tank, such as when changing the fuel pump, cleaning the tank, or if you unintentionally filled it with the incorrect kind of fuel. We’ll cover two procedures in this manual for removing fuel from a tank. These techniques are reasonably easy to execute and just require a few hand tools.
Method 1 – Using a hose
The first technique entails fairly straightforward siphoning. It’s a practice that has been passed down from one generation to the next for a long time. It entails sticking your lips into the gas tank and sucking the petrol out with a hose.
The key in this situation is to quickly remove the hose from your lips and allow the petrol to pour into a pail. Your lips and mouth should not come in contact with the gasoline. Your health might be at jeopardy if you do this.
Any air in the pipe is removed by sucking the gasoline. Once you release go, a vacuum is created that enables the gasoline to flow constantly. Unfortunately, it’s not always clean or secure to use this method. While sucking on the hose, you can wind up drinking some petrol and possibly spilling more.
As a result, it may provide both a fire risk and a health risk. It is thus only advised as a last option. The three options listed below are significantly superior alternatives that are safer and less dangerous.
Method 2 – Use two hoses
Using two hoses to empty a petrol tank could be the most popular and secure method without getting any fuel in your mouth. This approach is by far the simplest. You’ll need a bucket or jerrycan, a cloth, two hoses—one long and one short.
The lengthy hose should first be placed with one end in the gas tank and the other in the bucket. Next, while holding the other end with your arm, insert one end of the tiny hose into the gas tank.
Use your cloth to thoroughly cover the gasoline filler or “gas tank hole.” Use your mouth to blow air into the little opening. The long line will then allow the fuel to begin flowing from the gas tank into the bucket. It may occasionally take a few blows to get the gasoline flowing continually.
Method 3 – Use a manual pump
You may get a manually driven pump for a reasonable price on Amazon or at your local car dealership. You can pull petrol out of the tank without using your lips thanks to this. An about six-foot-long 3/8 hose works nicely with the pump.
Incorporate the hose’s other end into a 20-liter bucket or drum after inserting the other end into the gas tank. Utilize the manual pump to remove the gasoline. You will be able to see the fuel transferring from the tank to the drum if you’re using a transparent hose. Pump away until no more petrol is left.
The manual pump occasionally has highly flexible tubing that might be challenging to fit into the tank. It may kink, obstructing the efficient flow of gasoline. Inserting the tube gradually and in modest increments might be one solution. This continues up till it touches the tank’s bottom.
In other instances, you can have a little metal flap within the tank that prevents it from opening even after the gas cap has been taken off. The flap may be forced open with a screwdriver so that the tubing can pass through.
Choose a manual pump that has been certified to handle flammable liquids when making your purchase. Some pumps cannot accept gasoline or diesel. In reality, the inexpensive substitutes frequently use shoddy plastic and aren’t entirely sealed. The best pumps have a lot of siphoning tubes and can handle big volumes.
Method 4 – Use the fuel tank drain plug
On the gasoline tank of some cars, there may be a drain plug that may be used to empty the tank whenever necessary. Before using this technique, you need first make sure your automobile has one. If so, get a pair of safety glasses, some gloves, a jack, some jack stands, a ratchet, a socket, and some wheel chocks or wooden blocks.
The front wheels should first be choked to stop them from moving, then the automobile should be raised. You may position the jack nearer to the back wheels. Lift the vehicle to a height that will allow you to work beneath it comfortably. The car may be supported using jack stands. Never allow it to rest on the jack.
Since the entire system is intended to be airtight, open the gas cap. Look for a gasoline plug below the fuel tank. Before attempting to unscrew the tank, set a bucket directly beneath it. Remove the gasoline plug using your ratchet and socket, then allow the petrol to flow into the bucket from the fuel tank.
Be sure to keep some towels close by that you may use to mop the floor because it can occasionally forcibly pour out. Your gas cap should be slightly closed to lessen the force with which fuel is ejected. If you want the fuel to pour out with higher pressure, fully open the valve.
Read more: What Are Transit Connect Fuel Pump Problems?
What Should You Do To Drain Fuel Tank Easily
To minimize the quantity of petrol you’ll need to drain, you can drive your car until the fuel gauge reads empty. Of course, this assumes that the gas tank is filled with the proper gasoline. If you put the wrong gasoline in your automobile, don’t drive it.
Disconnecting the negative battery terminal must always be done before getting your hands filthy with the gasoline tank. As a result, no electricity can flow via the electrical systems, and sparks that may ignite the gasoline are also avoided.
A fuel tank should only be drained once you have enough storage containers. A gasoline tank’s typical volume lies between 40 and 70 liters (10 – 18 gallons). Have more storage than you require in case you need it while working.
Petrol is very flammable, as are its fumes. Furthermore, breathing them in is harmful. Consider working in a well-ventilated area when draining your petrol tank. During the entire time, keep all open fires, sparks, and gadgets away.
Fuel should never be dumped into ponds, play areas, highways, gardens, waterways, or sewers. Not only does this harm the environment, but it is also against the law.
Conclusion
It’s a simple task that is doable by many folks to drain a gasoline tank. It’s an easy technique that just calls for simple equipment and little expertise. Make sure you’re handling fuel safely by implementing the appropriate safety measures. I hope you were able to deplete your gas tank using the information in this post. Watch this space for further information on vehicle maintenance.