Useful Links

NW-Bound · 11-04-2012, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50

Does anyone have a good reference source for doing this? I've often thought that it would be better to tap into my car for the 1~2 gallon/week I might need in mowing season, than to make the trip with a 2.5G gas can, and then have a partially full can in the garage. I could fill the tractor direct, as needed.

I do not have a permanent set-up, and have done this only in an emergency.

In my cars, I can get easy access to the flexible hose section of the fuel return line from the pressure regulator. This hose is disconnected from the steel line going back to the tank. The flow is then diverted to a container. Tampering with the low-pressure return line is safer than disconnecting the 50-psi high-pressure line from the pump, as any subsequent leak could be disastrous.

Then, the next trick is to keep the fuel pump running. One can do that with the engine not running. Just disconnect the wire to the starter to disable it from cranking the engine, and hold the ignition key in "start" position.

It does take a few minutes to get a gallon by the above method, so I still carry a couple of gas containers.

RAE · 11-04-2012, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50

OTOH, how much do you invest in prevention or response for a rare event? Maybe it's just cheaper to deal with it? I dunno.
-ERD50

The problem is, a lot of folks (including me) believe that storms like this are not going to be a rare event as we go forward over the next few decades. In an article I just read, one climatologist was quoted as saying as these kinds of storms will probably occur every 10-20 years (or less) now, and they will actually probably be larger and more intense than Sandy, if anything. I know there are those of you that don't believe we have altered the climate (and I don't want to get into any arguments here), but I'm just pointing out that a lot of the scientists who are studying climate change were not all that surprised by an event like Sandy (or Irene, or the Texas drought of 2011, or the Midwest drought of 2012, or the bizarre winter/early spring of 2012 across much of the northern USA, etc), and are predicting that these types of things are likely to occur much more frequently as we go forward. The massive amounts of ocean ice that have melted in the Arctic in recent years has, in addition to other things, significantly altered the jet stream from its normal seasonal pattern.

ERD50 · 11-04-2012, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound

I do not have a permanent set-up, and have done this only in an emergency.

In my cars, I can get easy access to the flexible hose section of the fuel return line from the pressure regulator. This hose is disconnected from the steel line going back to the tank. The flow is then diverted to a container. Tampering with the low-pressure return line is safer than disconnecting the 50-psi high-pressure line from the pump, as any subsequent leak could be disastrous.

Then, the next trick is to keep the fuel pump running. One can do that with the engine not running. Just disconnect the wire to the starter to disable it from cranking the engine, and hold the ignition key in "start" position.

It does take a few minutes to get a gallon by the above method, so I still carry a couple of gas containers.

Thanks - That's starting to sound complex enough to not be worth the effort, which is what I was afraid of.

-ERD50

GrayHare · 11-04-2012, 07:42 PM

ERD50 - I've had the same concerns. Might be simpler to remove the anti-siphon grid, or pay someone to do that.

meierlde · 11-04-2012, 08:25 PM

One other possiblity if you have natural gas or a propane tank would be to set the generator to run off these sources. Natural Gas is idea in a lot of circumstances, as it takes a lot more to take that network down. If you live in the country and have propane heat, then a propane generator is an ideal add on.

NW-Bound · 11-04-2012, 08:26 PM

What I described was the way I had to do to get some gasoline off my car in an emergency while not having a siphoning hose.

If you want to have a more convenient and permanent set up, it is possible to fit in a 3-way valve in the fuel line. I would put it in the low-pressure return line instead of the high-pressure output from the pump to minimize the risk of leakage. The fuel pump can then be wired to be turned on with a switch under the hood. I will note here that the flow rate from a car fuel pump is somewhat low, at about perhaps 1 gal/min.

Following is a fuel valve for marine applications. Of course the risk of modifying the fuel line is that you may forget to throw the valve back in the normal position. You would then drive off, dumping a trail of gasoline behind.

Or worse, idle while parking and dumping the gas in a puddle under the car.

NW-Bound · 11-04-2012, 09:05 PM

This guy shows how siphoning gas may be impossible with some cars: the restriction is a plastic ball deep below the filler neck.

PS. Some say that the ball is a check valve, whose real purpose is to keep gas from spilling out of the tank in a roll-over accident.

Why siphoning gas is hard to impossible on modern cars - YouTube

ERD50 · 11-05-2012, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound

What I described was the way I had to do to get some gasoline off my car in an emergency while not having a siphoning hose.

If you want to have a more convenient and permanent set up, it is possible to fit in a 3-way valve in the fuel line. I would put it in the low-pressure return line instead of the high-pressure output from the pump to minimize the risk of leakage. The fuel pump can then be wired to be turned on with a switch under the hood. I will note here that the flow rate from a car fuel pump is somewhat low, at about perhaps 1 gal/min.

Following is a fuel valve for marine applications. Of course the risk of modifying the fuel line is that you may forget to throw the valve back in the normal position. You would then drive off, dumping a trail of gasoline behind.

Or worse, idle while parking and dumping the gas in a puddle under the car.

That would be the way to go. You might be able to attach a tube extension to that handle, to make it so that it gets in the way of closing the hood in the ON position (a mechanical interlock of sorts).

I guess I'm getting scared away from doing this though. The idea of the off chance of a leak over the next ten years or more, in something I modified on the car, is just not giving me a warm-fuzzy. Though, with standard practice it should be as safe as every other connection in the car.

-ERD50

brewer12345 · 11-06-2012, 01:20 PM

The mayor of Brick Twp in NJ has ordered an evacuation ahead of the approaching storm. Here we go again...

N.J. Town Ordering Evacuations as Cuomo Considers Them - Bloomberg

brewer12345 · 11-07-2012, 02:41 PM

Dad just told me it is snowing heavily in central NJ and the police have been telling people on Long Beach Island that they are free to shoot to kill if they are bothered by looters.

NW-Bound · 11-07-2012, 04:05 PM

But, but, what if trespassers are not looters, but also victims looking for some relief?

Anyway, some people do not have guns, so have to resort to bow and arrows, like in this photo from nydailynews.com

Anyway, flights to Newark, La Guardia, and JFK have been suspended. People in Long Island and along NJ shores are ordered to evacuate. Just like Gilda said, it's always something.