by Todd Walker
Gasoline in your mouth is not pleasant – or safe!
This doesn’t happen – not to you!
Growing up on a rural farm there were times when we needed gasoline for our non-essential combustion engines (dirt bike or go-cart). Daddy would never notice a gallon missing from his work truck.
Our technique was crude. We’d stealth-fully shove a length of hose into Daddy’s plumbing truck gas tank and coax our youngest brother to suck on the other end of the hose if he wanted to ride to the bottom fields. The thing is, he wised up after his first mouthful of gas.
You have safer options today. Of course, in an extreme emergency, you could use a hose to siphon fuel orally, but it’s not advisable.
I purposely ran the tank of my daily driver below empty this week. A very rare occurrence. I needed to rotate my gasoline storage. The fuel was just over six months old. Though I treat my stored fuel, I don’t trust the ethanol mix to last. Corn gas isn’t good for your vehicle.
If you want real gas, here is a site to help you locate non-ethanol laced fuel near you. It’s more expensive but is so much better.
Siphoning Gas Without Sucking
First, let me say how much I hate Government Approved gas cans! The Usurpers on the Potomac screw up everything they touch. Even a simple gas container.
As of January 10, 2009 all portable fuel containers are required to conform to two new regulations:[3]
- They must meet new federal Mobile Source Air Toxic regulations, based on the California Air Resources Board’s regulations.[4]
- They must meet the requirements of the Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act.[5] – Source
I suppose the switches, buttons and pouring handles on approved containers are for our safety, right? Well, they suck!
Okay. I’m better now.
To keep from sucking from Government cans, or any gas cans, you need a Shaker Siphon.
Just shake and it works!
You can purchase these online. I found this one at an auto parts store and bought two. They cost about 8 bucks a piece.
For my Forerunner, I have to elevate the gas can above the vehicle’s tank. Holding a 5 or 6 gallon tank of gas while filling your vehicle tank is not practical. I sit my on the top of the Forerunner or on the ledge of my turn signal with my backdoor open.
That’s me suspending a 5 gallon Jerry Can. Not really. It’s resting on my turn signal.
The hose is only six feet long. Keep that in mind for your can placement. When on the roof, I have just enough hose length to reach my vehicle gas tank.
A slight tilt allows the valve to suck more fuel from the can.
It would much easier to place the can in the back of a pick up truck and just shake the hose. I’m truck-less at the moment.
Warning: If you place the tank on top of your vehicle, make sure you hold the hose in your vehicle’s tank as you shake the siphoning valve in the 5 gallon can. You may not have a decent length in the opening of your car’s tank. Shaking the valve end can pull the filling end out of the tank opening. There’s no shut off valve. The gas will pour all over the side of your vehicle and your shoes until you re-insert the hose into your tank.
Don’t ask me how I know.
This Shaker Siphon will drain a 5 gallon can of gas like it’s nobody’s business. A couple of minutes and you’re ready for the next transfer can.
This device is not limited to fuel transfer. It can be used to transfer water and other liquids. Just be sure to label clearly and keep different hoses separated to prevent cross contamination.
You’ll want to wear gloves (do as I say, not as I did) and have some Gojo on hand to remove any gas that may have spilled on your skin.
Consider adding Gojo to your vehicle kit.
No water needed. Just rub a dab of Gojo on your hands and wipe off with a towel.
My next gas siphoning project is to build a portable filling pump from a spare electric fuel pump. Just hook it up to your car battery and transfer fuel to another tank.
What’s your best method fuel (liquid) transfer? Share in the comments if you’d like.
Keep Doing the Stuff,
Todd
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Pingback: Preparedness Quick Tip #9: Keep Your Car Filled with Gas | Mom with a Prep
No one told me all this when I was three and decided to siphon gas like I saw Daddy do it. I swallowed two huge mouthsful before I decided to stop. I had my stomach pumped out and was never tempted to try to siphon gas ever again, even as an adult when I learned how to do it without getting gas in my mouth at all.
If you want to siphon with a tube and not get it into your mouth, use a clear tube. When you see the gas coming up to your mouth, pinch off the hose and insert it into the gas tank. Then, let go where you pinched the hose.
I do have the jiggler siphon now.
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Dont use a shaker siphon. If your worried about swallowing a mouthful of gas like our fathers did seeing when we were kids. Get yourself a bulp pump siphon. Its so easy to use that even this idiot who created this site could use it. Shaker siphons are just the same if you took a damn garden hose to siphon gas with. The bulp pump siphon is easier and safer to use than the shaker from getting gas in you mouth or all over your hands. Sheesh people do you not remember those if you had a boat growing up whether it was for recreation or fishing. The bulp pump siphon is used on boat in such to pump gas from the gas can to the boat motor.
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Michael, I’m the “idiot” that created this site. I appreciate you stopping by and commenting. You say the bulb siphon is easier that using shaker hose. Have you used a shaker hose to transfer fuel? From you’re comments I can see you haven’t. A garden variety hose ain’t the same as a shaker siphon. But you’ve never tried one so I understand your ignorance in this area.
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The bulb on the outboard motor tank only gets gas to the carburetor, then the fuel pump picks it up. From one container to another, you have to constantly pump the bulb. Try that on a 55 gallon drum. You will wear out both hands before you pump 10 gallons. With the shaker hose, once the fuel or water begins to flow, just stand by and watch it flow. Inside diameter is about a half inch, so it flows very quickly. They cannot be used to get gas out of newer vehicles because of the Anti-siphon design. But from one container to another, it’s a breeze.
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A garden hose will dissolve and put contaminates in the gas tank. So who is the real idiot?
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This is extremely helpful to know about. I have a vehicle that I need to sell for scrap metal, but it has to have an empty fuel tank. I have a new gas guzzler that could use the gas from the old tank. I’ll check into this. I appreciate your sharing this information.
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Glad you found it useful, Tammy! Good luck on the sale.
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The shaker end could get stuck in the filler tube,, happened to me trying the same thing,,,and I didn’t get any gas out,,,
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Timing is everything, I just rotated my gas fri. And utilized the shaker siphon for the first time.Wow! Love this thing, I was always getting a awesome forearm workout holding cans up pouring through nozzles.Saw some at harbor freight, plan to acquire backups.Thanks for the read. HDlivin
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Awesomely simple and effective little tool! This allows you to be hands-free which is important in an emergency situation. Thanks for sharing!
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I bought a couple of these about 10 years ago. The hose is too big to fit down into an unleaded car’s pump fill hole. Regular gas older model cars; these siphon hoses work well; as they have a larger opening. Would be good to know if the shaker hoses in your article – now have smaller hose size. Please let me know.
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Thank you for the information, I especially liked the Pure Gas site and loaded the app on my iPhone.
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You’re welcome. Glad you found it useful!
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Those shaker hoses work great but not good for removing gas from a car tank,,, tried and lost the shaker end it got caught in the fill tube of the car when taking it out
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Yea, John, they’re not designed for car tank to car tank. The metal end will get stuck.
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Thanks for the siphon info you non-“idiot” 🙂
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You’re welcome. Coming from a fellow non-idiot means a lot. Thanks for the comment!
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Pingback: Preparedness Quick Tip #9: Keep Your Car Filled with Gas - Mom with a PREP
You don’t have to have a shaker hose just a hose and a rag. Insert hose in tank stuff rag to make a tight seal, then BLOW air into hose to pressure tank transfer hose to gas can!
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Good addition. I’ve seen it done just never was successful with this method. I guess I never got a good seal on the opening to create the pressure. Thanks for the comment, Louis!
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Growing up we never had anything but a normal tube to get gas out
If when you put the tube into the tank cup your hand with the tube between thumb and forefinger. hold all tightly around the filler pipe. Blow into the tube and lower the tube into the bucket. the build up of air preasure in the tank pushes the gas out . The new tanks are harder because they are flat but a rag wound tight and held on the hole will work.
Grampa
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The good old days were different in so many ways! Thanks for commenting, Grandpa!
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If you are transferring fuel from can to vehicle wouldn’t a funnel be a wee bit simpler? From what I read in the pre-article I thought this was about siphoning fuel from all the aboandoned vehicles left after shtf. Thanks for ..…… nevrmind.
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Here’s the scenario, guess. In a true SHTF situation, wouldn’t you rather have both hands free while putting gas into or taking it out of another vehicle? With your head on a spindle checking your surroundings, it would be tough to concentrate on pouring flammable fuel.
As far as abandoned vehicles goes, it would depend on whatever hypothetical doomsday scenario you’d like to come up with. I just think the shaker hose is a practical tool to have for filling my tanks and transferring gas from container to tank. If the SHTF, I’m not so sure there will be abandoned cars and trucks lining the roads anyway. I’ve never experienced any of this kinda stuff in the real world anyway. Just in fictional novels.
Thanks for the comment.
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U can do the same by using your thumb. As u slide hose in and all the way in , put your thumb over the end of hose. Pull it out a bit, Shove it back in at same time let a little air out with your thumb. Repeat four or five times and BAM u got gas flowing. No need to by anything but a good hose. Ya that’s how I got gas for my 3 Wheeler when I was a kid. Lol
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I just bypass the fuel relay (if it has electronic fuel pump) and tie into the line under the hood. let the inbread pump do all the major work
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I’ve made the mistake of sucking up gas a few times as a kid until I came up with a better trick… Drop one end of the hose down into the ‘full’ tank. With about half the length of hose still hanging out, wrap a rag, or plastic bag around the hose and stuff it in around the neck of the filler neck to make a good seal. Now, instead of ‘sucking’ on the hose, ‘blow’ into the hose to pressurize the tank. It might take a few big breathes to blow enough air in to pressurize it; using your thumb to cover the hose end between breathes (turn your head to avoid breathing in gas fumes). Then lower your end of the hose into the empty gas container. The pressurized tank will push the fuel up to fill the hose and start the flow, and regular siphon will take over after that.
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I’ve used your technique growing up after a wise cousin showed me how to keep the fuel out of my mouth. Thanks for adding to the discussion, Jeff!
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I came to this site hoping to find out how to siphon gas w/o using my mouth to suck a vacuum. I didn’t find out how to,unless you count the commercial for the Shaker Siphon. Disappointed. And don’t recall that the article mentioned just HOW to use this shaker siphon.
Granted, I’m a first time CASUAL user of the site, I did not STUDY everything. But must I??? Too much trouble.
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Shaker hoses are the best. I’ve used them for years. When I’m about to put my boat away for a while, I need to empty the remnants of my 30-gallon tank. I can then use the gas for my generator, mower, etc. no gas on the hands, just set gas can on the ground, insert shaker end into boat tank, shake a few times, and it empties very quickly. I have another designated for water. The problem with the bulb siphon idea is that you have to constantly pump the bulb. With the shaker, once it starts the flow, the work is over. Another non-idiot added to the list!
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Hey Todd, I’m not a prepper, just a guy who needs a way to move a few inches of leftover gasoline between a snow blower and a tractor (in either direction). Or from either of those into a gas can. I just discovered the shaker siphon on YouTube and it looks effective and simple. But then a few Amazon customers said it might not work unless the gas is more than 3 inches deep. Only one of them gave a reason, and I’m wondering if it’s valid. He said it wouldn’t give you enough room to shake the thing to get the gas going. I realize the siphon would be lost if I accidentally lifted the shaker end out of the gas and let air in. But it seems to me I can get a pretty vigorous motion going with less than a three-inch up and down action. Am I kidding myself? Would I be better off with another kind of pump (like one with a bulb) for shallow fuel tanks? Thanks so much.
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