Best Way To Drain Fuel From Truck For Emergency Generator

20Silverado11 · October 10, 2011

Hey all,

Winter is fast approaching, and I live in an area where the power can go out for up to a week. I've got a generator that'll run the critical needs of the house and three six-gallon fuel cans, but that's not enough to last through an extended outage. Last time we had a major outage, the power was cut across three counties, and external gas supplies were non-existent. So, I started looking at my truck. We've got four vehicles in the garage, three of which are all wheel drive, all stored with full tanks (a habit left over from my flying days). Since the truck gets the worst mileage, is only second best in the snow, and holds about 26 gallons, it seems like a great candidate for enough fuel storage to see us through any of the outages we've experienced in the last twenty years.

I started looking at hand-pump syphon type devices to get the fuel from the tank into one of my cans, but then read about some sort of anti-syphon screen standard in all new vehicles (mine is a 2011). So, what's the easiest way to get fuel out of my truck's tank? I'd like to have this thing all set up and tested before the end of October.

Thanks for any help/advice you can give!

ruggedlife · October 10, 2011

why not get more fuel cans and rotate them out every so often..... once a week pour one into the truck and refill it with fresh gas since it will break down depending on how long it sits... it would be a far better idea than trying to get it back out of the truck, and far simpler.

as far as a screen goes i'm not entirely sure, but you could pull off the fuel filler from underneath and start investigating it. most are just held on with hose clamps. if there is a screen the best way to do it would be pull the tank to knock it out if its not in the tube, that way you dont run the risk of it falling down there and clogging the pump

20Silverado11 · October 10, 2011

Well, it's more of a convenience thing. I figured I could just use the 26 gallons of gas (or 42 gallons if I drain the convertible too) on hand that would just be sitting there, without the hassle of managing 6 or 7 more six-gallon jugs of gas (making my total 9 or 10). I mean, shouldn't this be fairly simple to do? Don't people screw up from time-to-time and put the wrong fuel in (diesel or whatever) and have to drain their tank?

khancock · October 10, 2011

[quote name='20Silverado11' post='1209094' date='Oct 10 2011, 07:06 PM']Well, it's more of a convenience thing. I figured I could just use the 26 gallons of gas (or 42 gallons if I drain the convertible too) on hand that would just be sitting there, without the hassle of managing 6 or 7 more six-gallon jugs of gas (making my total 9 or 10). I mean, shouldn't this be fairly simple to do? Don't people screw up from time-to-time and put the wrong fuel in (diesel or whatever) and have to drain their tank?[/quote]

How about getting a liquid carrier to fill up only when a storm is coming. After that just fill up the daily driver with it...

chrisjr123 · October 10, 2011

Best and easiest way I can think of is at the fuel rail where u test for pressure you could connect a line there turn key to acc let the truck do the work this would be for emergencys only. Fuel filter is in tank.

GasHog369 · October 10, 2011

^ Good minds think alike ;) and almost at the same time..

what about rigging up a T in the line of gas going to the engine, and when you want gas in the gas can, just turn the battery on in the truck and the fuel pump will pump the gas to the can. when done , close the valve back up off the T and your back to stock.

It might work or it might not.. Just a shot

c4cruiser · October 10, 2011

Why not find a good clean 55-gallon drum and build a rack for it so you can fill it and drain gas as needed. It would be simple to add a gate valve to the bung hole and then add a short length of hose to the valve. Use your gas cans to fill it up and then you have a good supply. Keep the small gas cans full and use them last.

Even if the truck tank is full, once you start using that gas for generators, you could wind up with no transportation. Keep the truck (and any car) tank full so you have a way to travel if needed.

Don't rely on the vehicle tanks. If there is a chance they won't be used because of weather, add some Sta-Bil to the tanks. That will keep the gas in good condition. Keeping the vehicle tanks full is a good idea' prevents the accumulation of moisture. If you start draining the tanks, that could create moisture issues later on.

What heats your house? Natural Gas? Propane? Can your generator be converted to either?

The only problem with using the vehicle fuel pump is that it may take a long time to transfer gas. And if the engine is not running, some fuel pumps will shut off after just a few seconds. The pump won't run again until you start the engine. With a separate power lead to a fuel pump, the battery may run down pumping out gas.

dewfpo · October 10, 2011

You may want to consider cutting in a "T" into the fuel line from the fuel tank, with a shutoff valve and a barbed fitting that you can cover with a rubber vacuum nipple. When you need fuel, you pull the rubber nipple off the barbed fitting, push a hose onto it, open the valve and either turn the ign. key on to pump out the fuel, siphon it, or rig up a suction pump. It would just be the cost of a few brass fittings and hose clamps.

DEWFPO

DeePa · October 11, 2011

dont the fuel pumps just run for 2 seconds to build pressure at the fuel rail, then start back up once the motor is started? I know this is how my 91 vette works, not sure about my truck though.

You could always supply the pump with 12 volts. I would pull the fuel line at the fuel rail, put an extension on the hose, then wire 12 volts to the pump.

Mike

jro909 · October 11, 2011

why not just spend the cash and get a generator that runs off of natural gas...thats the norm around this place when power goes out

j13smiley · October 11, 2011

[quote name='DeePa' post='1209165' date='Oct 10 2011, 10:24 PM']dont the fuel pumps just run for 2 seconds to build pressure at the fuel rail, then start back up once the motor is started? I know this is how my 91 vette works, not sure about my truck though.

You could always supply the pump with 12 volts. I would pull the fuel line at the fuel rail, put an extension on the hose, then wire 12 volts to the pump.

Mike[/quote]

this.

i store some of my cars during winter and have always wanted to empty the tanks in the spring to add fresh gas. i baby them when i first pull them out in the spring until i get fresh gas in them (i always fill the tanks before winter storage). so i've looked into doing this as well. as stated newer cars (i think since the lat 90's) have screens to prevent sticking a hose in the filler neck to siphon. turning the key to run will only work for a few seconds so that would equal a lot of key turning.

best answer i've gotten is hook up a hose and run it to an empty fuel can. either at the fuel rail (most have a schrader valve at the end that can be removed). i always though disconnecting the fuel line under the car at the fuel filter would be much easier. then apply 12 volts to the fuel pump... i'm assuming you could run a simple wire from + battery post to the fuel pump fuse. this is the part i'm not sure about. pumps are submerged in the tank so i can't apply power directly to them... i would think i could do this in the engine bay at the fuse block somehow.

i've yet to actually do this... but would like to. it would allow me to drain the old gas (i'd just throw it into one of my daily driver cars) and get fresh gas into the good cars the first time i pull them out of winter storage. every year i debate breaking down and figuring the details out.

dewfpo · October 11, 2011

When you turn the key on, the fuel pump runs until it builds up the correct pressure, it doesn't run on a timer. If you have a "T" in the line the fuel pump will continue to run.

DEWFPO

redjewel2ss · October 11, 2011

back at the OP:

i think investigating to see if your fuel filler has this anti siphon screen is the easiest thing to try first. it wouldn't hurt to check your owner's manual for an answer or call your local dealer's service dept. chances are they have seen one or two diesels come in with someone forgetting to put the right gas in.

or you could drill a hole in the bottom of your tank and install a petcock

redvett · October 11, 2011

Fuel pump is turned on from the PCM for 2 seconds just enough to prime the system.

[quote name='dewfpo' post='1209273' date='Oct 11 2011, 09:50 AM']When you turn the keep on, the fuel pump runs until it builds up the correct pressure, it doesn't run on a timer. If you have a "T" in the line the fuel pump will continue to run.

DEWFPO[/quote]

wavery · October 11, 2011

I'd have to agree with c4cruiser. If I lived in an area that was plagued with such occurrences, I would get a proper 55G drum and a barrel pump like this one:
[url="http://www.harborfreight.com/barrel-pump-45743.html"]http://www.harborfreight.com/barrel-pump-45743.html[/url]

Transferring gas from a vehicle can be a hassle and can also be dangerous. Check with your local laws to see if it is legal to store gasoline on your property. That's one of the reasons that most people use diesel for B/U generators. The fuel is much safer to store.

If you put a fuel stabilizer in the stored fuel, it can last for years [u]if you keep the drum full[/u]. If you let the drum get low, condensation can form and water may accumulate in the bottom of the drum. It may be a good idea to find a steel drum that a 1/2" pipe thread bung in the bottom (they are there for this purpose). Just install a valve so that you can drain the water out every few years.

This would make a handy stand-by fuel station for your vehicles as well.