How To Remove Gas End of Season

[langski93]

Every season I try to have the least amount of fuel going into storage, but this year, as other years, I had somewhere between 25 and 30 gal on board. I have used the jiggly thing, air compressor, mouth to hose and hand pump. Last year I tried to rig an auto pump, but I was sold the wrong pump, wrong fittings, nobody wanted to advise on the electrical etc etc. This year I bought a Gastapper Pump. There are several models of this little rig, and I bought the “Standard” . Amazon reviews were plentiful and mostly at 4.5. And above. It’s not the fastest system, but I pulled 28 gallons in fairly short order. I have an Adventure 208 and the On/Off switch allowed me to stand outside the boat with the portable tanks and control the flow. I ran the hose from the fuel sender opening and kept the pump on the gunnel. I learned by doing that while you switch off the pump a syphon action remains. Just be aware.
At $109 shipped I thought it was a good value and I’ll be able to drain other pieces of equipment. It’s not for polishing fuel, but I spent the $109 and gained back $98 worth of good fuel for the truck. Cheers

 

[seasick]

Interesting but be aware that the connector and the switch shown are not ignition protected. In other words, do not use in the presence of gasoline vapors

 

[langski93]

Interesting but be aware that the connector and the switch shown are not ignition protected. In other words, do not use in the presence of gasoline vapors

You bring up a great point. They highlight it should only be powered through the automotive connection at the helm or in the case of a car, the front seat. No connection directly to battery at all, no alligator clips. I took an extra step of making an additional ground wire for the hoses. With today’s breeze in the dooryard, I I think I was in good shape. Cheers

 

[trapper]

Why do you pump out your fuel every year?

 

[Fishtales]

Why pump out? Treat whatever fuel you have left over and fill with fresh fuel in the spring. Do this for all my toys (boat, bike and car) and lawn equipment and never had a fuel issue.

 

[blindmullet]

I have used the transfer pump that you hook a drill up to. It's probably one step up from the old mouth full of gas.

 

[Legend]

Sounds like a lot of work when you can just stabilize with a few ounces of stabilizer you will be good till spring?

 

[grady33]

Have stored my boat for 6 months with full fuel tank over 25 years and never a problem. Just use a good amount of stabil!

I do not use ethanol!

 

[everwhom]

In Massachusetts we only have 10% ethanol gas. Many years my last tank fill is in early October and then I may not actually use up that tank until the following June or July. I always use Ring Free Plus or Chevron Marine additives which stabilize. I've never had any fuel issues in over 10 years. I think many (most?) of the reports of phase separation in their tanks actually have tank leaks letting rating water in.

 

[DennisG01]

Langski, I like what you're doing and also that you're sharing with us. As others have noted, though, there are much easier and less time consuming methods for the end of the season (like just filling up and treating the fuel). But here's the thing... there's nothing inherently wrong with what you're doing so if it makes you feel better, go for it. For me, decades of filling up my own boats and family/friends and also working in the marine business has shown me that a full tank with stabilizer is all that's needed. In 15 years, since using Startron, I have also put away weedwhackers/snow blowers/chain saws/mowers/etc by leaving the tanks and carbs full (with stabilizer). I have NEVER had a fuel issue (I also only use E10 as I don't have access to E-free). So, yes, do what you're doing if it makes you feel better - just know that, in reality, it's completely uneccessary.

Everwhom... just a little side note... Ring Free Plus is not a stabilizer. I'm not sure about Chevron - have never fully looked into using it. For reference, I use RFP and Startron with the Yamaha on my Grady.

 

[everwhom]

Good point on the Ring Free Plus -- my marina actually adds stabilizer in any event, but I actually switched to Chevron Techron Marine a few years ago...

 

[PointedRose]

You don’t need a motorized siphon at over $100. You need gravity on your side.

Just Shake & Let Gas Flow EZ Siphon Hose
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BNTZD54/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_a_6AFM9KSN0C8K268VBQ3E

 

[PNW_Drifter]

That's a cool system. Maybe you can help your buddys out too and get their fuel into your truck as a "service".

https://amzn.to/3kk1oxA

I made a DIY system from Amazon with this cheap $13 electric pump, was just like that. Added a cheap inline filter, screwed to a board and pumped into cans. The purpose was when I bought the boat it came with a full tank of fuel that was unkown age and most of all. I wanted to know if there was water at the bottom of the tank which could corrode aluminum.

Thanks for posting.