Most homeowners living in cold climates prefer using a snowblower to a hand shovel for effortlessly removing heavy snow build-ups.
However, proper maintenance of the machine can be quite a hassle, especially if you own a gas-powered snowblower. You need to carefully drain out the old gas from the machine before storing it away once winter is over.
Today, I’ll talk about how to get old gas out of a snowblower.
Before discussing the steps of draining old gas from your snowblower, I’ll highlight the equipment and protective gear you must assemble to get the job done safely. These include:
Once you’ve gathered all the necessary items, it’s time to move on to removing the gas from the snowblower.
When draining old gas from your snowblower, choose an outdoor location far from open flames or heating units because you’re handling a highly combustible substance. If you drain out the gas indoors, you are at a higher risk of being exposed to toxic carbon monoxide fumes.
It’s best to select an outdoor location that’s flat and easy to clean if you spill any gas while getting it out. Now, carefully move the machine to the desired location and ensure that the engine is off and cool before draining out the gas.
You can use this small pump to create a manual pumping action to drain out the gas. It has two tubes - one of them goes into the gas tank of your snowblower, while the other goes into the container in which you’ll collect the gas.
After you’ve figured out the basic working principle of the siphon gun, you need to set it up properly to drain the gas from the snowblower.
Locate the cap on the top of the fuel tank of your snowblower and unscrew it before putting one tube of the siphon pump inside the fuel tank. Make sure to place the tube as deep as possible into the fuel tank so that it stays fully immersed.
Once you’ve put one tube of the siphon pump inside the fuel tank, you need to place the catch pan to collect the gas. Place it at a suitable distance from the fuel tank and put the second tube of the siphon pump inside the catch pan. Now, your entire setup is complete, and you are ready to drain out the gas.
Squeeze the siphon pump with one hand and use your other hand to keep the two tubes of the siphon pump as stable as possible. Continue pumping manually for a while, and you can drain most of the old gas out of your snowblower’s fuel tank. Carefully collect the gas in the catch pan to avoid unnecessary spillage.
Manual pumping requires serious effort, and no matter how hard you try to pump, a small amount of gas will be leftover inside the fuel tank. You can drain out this remaining gas by running the snowblower engine. Screw the cap back on the fuel tank, turn on the engine, and keep it on until it shuts off automatically when the gas runs out completely.
The first thing you need to consider while maintaining your snowblower is to check whether it’s turned off. Always turn off the machine before you start any maintenance work.
If the machine has been running for a long time, it’ll remain hot even after switching off the engine. Thus, wait for half an hour to let the machine cool off to avoid burning your hands.
Also, wear your earplugs while working with a snowblower because the engine can get loud.
And thus, I come to the end of my article, and I hope it has helped you understand how you can safely drain out old gas from a snowblower.
Simply follow the steps I’ve mentioned and keep the safety regulations in mind, and you’ll be good to go. On that note, I’ll see you next time!
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