You may need to drain the gasoline from your lawnmower’s tank for a variety of reasons. The most typical time is when you winter your lawnmower and put it away. The old gas left in the tank can cause problems and make it difficult to start the spring.
Usually, people do not use the mower in winter due to snowfall and they forget to maintain it, and a very important part of this maintenance is to drain the old gas from the mower after use, which Most people never do because the bad gas sets in and sometimes it leads to rust because your lawn mower won’t start.
The most common method is to extract the gas from the tank with a tube and pump or to blow it yourself through the pipe to create air pressure in the tank. This method forces the gas through the pipe, which then falls into the drum by gravity.
What other options do you have if you don’t want to drain your tank with a siphon for some reason? We’ll take a look at why you should drain the fuel tank and why you should. In conclusion, we will go over the different ways to drain gasoline from lawn mower engines.
Without a siphon, how to evacuate the gas from a lawnmower? If you are also here for the answer to this question, read on:
Why do you have to drain the gas?
Old or stored gasoline can damage the tank. The deposits will sink to the bottom after two months, reducing the quality of the fuel. So if there is still old fuel in the mower, it is best not to leave it in the shed all winter. He has been mowing the lawn regularly for a few months.
However, the grass will stop proliferating during the winter season. Now you need to stop the mowing activity until the grass has grown properly.
Putting the mower in the garage and leaving the remaining fuel in the engine is a common mistake. However, when it comes time to take the machine out in the spring, you have a hard time getting the engine to run properly.
Deposits will settle to the bottom of the fuel tank, further reducing the quality of the gasoline. Empty the tank before storing the machine for the winter and keep your mower in good working order to avoid such a costly mistake.
Step 1
Park the mower on a level surface after the last use or place it on a set of trestles to allow access to the underside. Be careful to avoid tipping the mower on its side at all costs.
If you do so, the oil may leak from the reservoir to other parts of the engine. Also apply the mower’s parking brakes to keep it stationary.
Step 2
Then disconnect the spark plug by pulling the spark plug wire from the spark plug cap. This is a precautionary measure to avoid dangers.
Step 3
If your lawnmower came with a fuel line that goes from the gas tank to the carburetor, all you need to do is place a plastic collection container under the tank.
Simply disconnect the fuel line from the carburetor and allow the old gasoline to flow into the collection container.
Step 4
You are now ready for the drainage task. It must develop a propulsive force to expel the liquid fuel. At the open end of the shorter tube, blowhard to push the air into the tank. If you have access to an air pump or compressor, the task becomes even easier. Use it to blow air into the tank, but be sure to cover the tank opening with a rag.
Be careful not to inhale fuel vapors while blowing into the tank. You will notice that fuel begins to come out of the tank through the other tube after a few strokes. When the flow becomes continuous, you can stop blowing. Gravity and the pressure difference do the rest. Most of the gasoline will drain.
Step 5
Repeat step 4 over and over until most of the gasoline has drained out.
Step 6
After the siphon action has removed most of the gasoline, remove the brass end of the siphon from the tank. No matter how well you install a proper siphon line, there will always be gasoline residue inside.
In this case, use rags to absorb the remaining gas from the bottom of the tank.
Step 7
Now add new gas to the tank to spread it. The new gasoline will mix with any old residue left in the tank. Drain this new mixture of old and new gasoline in a plastic container.
Step 8
Make sure you have completely drained the old gasoline from the tank. Then let it dry for a few minutes before reconnecting the fuel line and spark plug wire.
Check that the air filters are not clogged. If they are clogged, clean them or buy a replacement.
Step 9
Also, check that the oil tank is full. Then pull the power cord to start. Let it run in standby mode until it shuts down. This step is necessary to remove excess gasoline from the carburetor.
Step 10
Finally, put the mower on the ground from the supports and fill the tank with fresh, clean gasoline. Restart the mower. You may feel an initial sizzle for a while until the mower burns the cool gas.
Some important points to keep in mind when draining gas from the mower
Make sure to remove the spark plug to prevent your lawnmower from having an unexpected and unwanted start.
If you have just attempted to start the mower, wait for the engine to cool, and be sure to park the mower on a level or well-balanced surface, otherwise, it may move while it drains.
Remember to use protection in all cases and do not remove it until the job is completely finished.
After draining the gas, check again if there is no more gas in the fuel tank because if the gas does not come out properly it can ruin all your work.
Final verdict:
Draining gasoline or fuel from your siphon-less lawnmower tank is certainly not an easy task for everyone. However, the guidelines and steps mentioned above will help you do it efficiently and effortlessly. In addition, you can also inspect the performance and maintenance of your tank or lawnmower while you empty the gasoline.
That’s all on our side. Now it’s your turn to empty your gas tank and save your mower for the next lawn mowing season.