Consider an emergency situation where you do not have the time to drive to the gas station. And you need to get the gasoline out of the car tank as soon as possible. What will you do if you do not know how to make a siphon for gas in that situation?
We hate to break it to you that you will be out of luck and have to rush to the gas station. However, if you know how to make one, there will be no rush. Instead, you will be able to make the best out of the time you would have in hand.
But where will you learn how to make one? Well, today is your lucky day because you have just stumbled upon the right source for that! We are going to fill you in regarding the whole process and make the process of siphoning gasoline easy.
Method 1: By Creating Pressure
The first and the most obvious method would be to get the gasoline out by creating pressure inside the tank. And the steps you would have to follow to this method is as follows:
Step 1: Find a Closed Container or a Gas Can
First and foremost, you should get yourself a canister of sufficient volume. Any standard gas container or closed container should do the trick. However, do make sure you are not using any unclosed container because gasoline fumes can be hazardous to both the health and the environment.
Step 2: Get a Plastic Tubing
After sorting out the container, you need to sort out the tubing. Basically, you will need something that you can suck the gasoline out. And for this clear tubings would be the ideal ones. Those will allow you to see the gasoline move through the pipe, which will lower the chances of the gasoline getting in your mouth.
On that note, the diameter of the tube should be 1 inch or 2.5 cm. Anything smaller than that will make the sucking a bit hard. And you would need two tubes of two lengths. One should be long enough to reach deeper inside the tank, and the other should be short enough to reach just inside the tank.
Step 3: Prepare the Can and the Tank
Now that you have both the can and the tube with you, start preparing the car’s tank and the canister to hold the gasoline. As you know by now, gravity has to play an important role here. For that reason, you would have to keep the canister to the ground or somewhere lower than the tank inside the car.
Step 4: Feed the Tubes
After placing the tank on the lower ground, push the longer tuber into the gas tank. Do make sure that you are keeping the other end of the tube in the gas can. The first end needs to be fully submerged into the gasoline inside the tank.
However, as you will not be able to see whether the tubing is submerged or not, blow into the tube. If you can hear bubbles, the end should be submerged into the gasoline. Ensure that you do not inhale fumes while blowing into the tube. Push the shorter tube inside the tank so that they are side-by-side.
Step 5: Create a Proper Seal Around the Tubes
Then, you need to ensure a proper seal around the tubes. For this, you would require a rag. Do consider that the rag is going to get dirty, and the stains on it might not be that easy to take off. For that reason, we would recommend getting something that you would not mind getting dirty.
Pack the rag around the tubes to create a tight seal. If you could create the tight seal, you will notice that the rag is conforming tightly around the tubes. However, it should not compress them, or else the flow of the gas and the air will be prohibited.
Step 6: Force Air into the Short Tube
Now that the seal is proper around the tube, you need to work on creating pressure inside. For this, first, ensure that the other end of the longer length tube is sitting on the gas canister. Then blow air through the shorter tube. It will increase the air pressure inside the tank, which will make the gasoline inside get out.
We would highly recommend using a mechanical pump in this case because the chances of you inhaling the fumes will be reasonably low with that. However, if you do not have one with you, do take proper care about not breathing in the fumes when you are blowing the air
Step 7: Monitor the Gasoline and the Let Gas Flow
While blowing through the pipe, you will notice the gas moving through the longer lube. Once you can get the gas flowing freely, there will be no need to blow air through the tube. The gravity will do the rest of the job. However, if you are not using a clear tube, guessing whether the gasoline is moving or not will be tough.
If you want to stop the siphoning, all you need to do is cover the long tube with the thumb. Then raise it above the tank level and remove your thumb. That should stop the flow. The remaining gas on the tube should get right back into the tank of your car.
Method 2: Use a Siphon Pump
Do you know that you do not have to do all the blowing work by yourself when you are trying to siphon gas from the tank? Yes, with a siphon pump, the whole process will become easier. And the steps you need to follow to siphon gas using a siphon pump is as follows:
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Step 1: Get a Siphon Pump in Your Price Range
First thing to do in this method would be to get a siphon pump. The specialized version should be around $10 to $15. There are different shapes and sizes. Choose the one that seems the best to you.
Step 2: Place the Can and Insert the Siphon
Like the previous method, place the can lower than the car’s tank. Then insert one end of the siphon inside the car’s tank and rest the other end into the canister.
Step 3: Start the Pumping
After submerging one end of the tube inside the tank and the other end inside the canister, you need to start the pumping. Pump till gas starts to flow naturally. After it starts flowing, pumping will not be necessary.
Then, fill the container with the required amount of gasoline. To stop the flow, close one end with your thumb and raise the tube higher than the car’s tank.
Final Words
Now that you know how to make a siphon for gas, hopefully, you will not panic anymore when you need to siphon gas for starting something in an emergency. However, while following the steps, do closely monitor the flow of the gasoline, or it might get all over the place.
