Small gasoline transfer pump needed

[teacherman]

I am looking for a way to pour gas from a saw back into a gas can without spilling it all over everything. Since I have a lot of saws, it may be a while between uses, esp. for the bigger saws. So, I have started the practice of draining the tank when I'm done cutting, and idling the saw out. What with cap retainers and recessed tank openings, I seem to get a fair amount of gas on me and the ground. I went to the McMaster-Carr website, and they have some neat little hand pumps, but even the small ones seem a bit big for this, and they may not get it all.

Some sort of inline siphon pump that is small would be great. Is anyone aware of something like this? Thanks.

 

[blsnelling]

Check out a hobby shop. They have small manual or electric pumps for RC vehicles.

 

[Jacob J.]

Go to Schuck's, they sell a small plastic transfer pump for doing oil changes on the newer, smaller hybrid cars with a tranverse mounted engine. It's perfect for siphoning gas and fairly gas resistant too.

 

[stipes]

I always used one on them kerosene hand pumps to get gas out...But please,,please make sure once you use it for gas,,always make sure noone ever use it to pump kerosene..Seems to work good for me and dont make alot of mess...

 

[tree_beard]

if you are that worried about getting out every drop without spilling,

get foot or so of fuel line, pucker up and syphon the tank clean....

 

[oneoldbanjo]

Here is a cheap transfer pump that may work.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BATTERY-POWER-LIQUID-SIPHON-PUMP-Transfer-GAS-OIL-WATER_W0QQitemZ350068029803QQihZ022QQcategoryZ46547QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It might work better and last longer to just buy a 12V automotive fuel pump and use a battery charger or one of those jumper packs to run the pump.

 

[Urbicide]

Be careful of sparks.


On a side note I remember a Coast Guard safety poster from years ago. It stated that one cup of liquid gasoline that is allowed to vaporize in a confined area and then ignited is equivalent to 5 sticks of dynomite.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

I am reminded of a story I read a while back. An owner of a Corvair did not want his car sitting all winter with fuel in it.....and he did not want to suck on a siphon hose. He decided to use his vacuum cleaner to pull the siphon and then would transfer the hose to a fuel container once the fuel came out of the hose. When the fuel came out the siphon hose some of it was sucked into the vacuum cleaner hose and when the vapors hit the vacuum the sparks from the armature ignited the fuel/air mix and the vacuum exploded.

Supposedly he didn't want anyone else to repeat his mistake and posted it in the club newsletter......and the next thing you know the club started having exploding vacuum cleaner events at their gatherings!

 

[B_Turner]

It's probably not what you had in mind, but the shop I mostly go to has a fairly big funnel on a gas can that they regularly empty saws into.

Last time I was there they had a huge stack of Stihl saws (new in boxes) that in preparation for pickup they had fueled, oiled and tested (each saw) then drained them. (Bound for South America as I recall.)

Low tech, but it seemed to work well except then you would need to store the funnel free from dirt for next time.

 

[vapnut257]

I just use a funnel and pour it back in. I don't bother to run it dry though, that seems like overkill and a waste of fuel. I leave fuel in my el cheapo sears blower and poulan weed eater all off season and they never fail to start. I did have to replace the fuel lines though. But I think the new fuel lines are impervious to the new fuel mix. On a expensive premadonna saw like stihl or husqvarna I might think differently about it.

 

[kevin j]

fuel container once the fuel came out of the hose. When the fuel came out the siphon hose some of it was sucked into the vacuum cleaner hose and when the vapors hit the vacuum the sparks from the armature ignited the fuel/air mix and the vacuum exploded.




well my BIL (no relation to PlantBio's BIL, but almost as smart) used his vac and a rubber milker inflation (from the farm) to 'prime' the fuel line after changing fuel pumps on his race car. Figured a nice short blip would prime it. found that a short blip was too long, it took gas through the vac motor. Didn't explode, but ran like a jet engine with flames out the back end from the exhaust, very briefly until it melted its guts... lucky it didn't blow.


I have a small piston type transfer pump for assorted petroleum liquids., never used it for gas, but will get the name and info this weekend and post it.

Or, a suction gun, like a grease gun body but for changing transmissions/rear end lube.

I just dump the tank out over a wide pan and shake the saw around to get the last of the fuel over the lips of the tank cap.....

kcj

 

[Jim Mesthene]

Clear plastic tubing, such as the kind used in aquarium filters, are gas resistant. You can siphon while watching the liquid level. I discovered this 25 years ago and haven't had a drop of gasoline in my mouth since.
Home Despot has any size you want, cheap. Get a piece long enough to give you plenty of warning. A very long hose will keep siphoning despite sucking up a few air bubbles.

 

[hanniedog]

Try using a turkey baster to suck the fuel out.I have not used on for that purpose but it should work.

 

[harrygrey382]

if you are that worried about getting out every drop without spilling,

get foot or so of fuel line, pucker up and syphon the tank clean....

+1, fuel tastes good after the first few mouthfulls...

 

[Lakeside53]

Just tip it into a big pan... like for oil changes... then into a funnel......

 

[Bowtie]

It's probably not what you had in mind, but the shop I mostly go to has a fairly big funnel on a gas can that they regularly empty saws into.

Last time I was there they had a huge stack of Stihl saws (new in boxes) that in preparation for pickup they had fueled, oiled and tested (each saw) then drained them. (Bound for South America as I recall.)

Low tech, but it seemed to work well except then you would need to store the funnel free from dirt for next time.

I use a wide mouth funnel as well. Works for me!

 

[Jim Mesthene]

For $20, one of these would be slick.

 

[chowdozer]

For $20, one of these would be slick.

make sure there isn't anything that will spark!

 

[teacherman]

Wow. Thanks for all the ideas. I went and got a 3 foot piece of 5/16" I.D. tubing, and my black carb vacuum caps fit over it nicely. Still spilled some gas on me and the floor, trying to move the hose from mouth to gas can, but it did work.

I have been pouring into a funnel, but it is messy because of the cap, and the non pour-friendly nature of the gas tanks.

I will go to George's Hobby Shop tomorrow and look for a RC car gas transfer pump. I can probably throw that in the ammo can that I take cutting with me.

 

[kevin j]

have a small piston type transfer pump for assorted petroleum liquids., never used it for gas, but will get the name and info this weekend and post it.



'Mr Goodpump' by Rubber Queen. about 10 yrs old. They used to make really good heavy duty rubber floor mats for cars. no idea who made the pump for them. Nice pump, but i think overly complicated for gas. and not sure if non sparking. needs to be alum, bronze, plastic, anything but steel.

I'd just run it low then shake out the last bit over the weeds away from surface water....

k