is there an easy way to get a siphon started?

[TrophyHusband 0]

i mean besides the sucking method. i know there are products i can order online, but is there something i make from parts found at lowes or home depot?

i want to extend my range while pulling the rv by putting 4 five gallon jugs of deisel in the back that. that way i can empty one or two of them into my tank whenever we pull over for piss breaks.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[futuredivot 0]

fill the hose using a funnel. Block the end with your thumb. Quickly put one end in the tank neck and stick the other in the gas can. There should be enough fuel in th ehose to start the siphon

You are only as strong as the prey you devour

[DigitalDave 0]

Put two hoses in the tank. One long one and one short one. Seal the area around the inlet. Blow on the short hose, fuel will come out the other.

[CSpenceFLY 1]

You really want to spend a trip with the smell of diesel all over you? If you can't pour it in I'd rig some kind of 12 volt pump.

[TrophyHusband 0]

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Put two hoses in the tank. One long one and one short one. Seal the area around the inlet. Blow on the short hose, fuel will come out the other.

awsome idea, i'll give it a try

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[wmw999 2,556]

I haven't tried it () but you could try cutting the tip off a turkey baster and using it (i.e. ram the now-sharpened tip into the end of the hose). I'm not sure how many fills a turkey baster bulb would be good for, though. But don't gas cans have nozzles on them that let you pour?

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[TrophyHusband 0]

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You really want to spend a trip with the smell of diesel all over you? If you can't pour it in I'd rig some kind of 12 volt pump.

no, idefinately don't want to smell like diesel, but i'm sure i would if i were to try suck-starting the siphon. of course i could just get the wife to do it, she has an uncanny ability to stop sucking before getting anything in her mouth.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[davjohns 1]

Sounds like you need a spare fuel cell with an electronic valve to switch over. More complicated to install, but much more convenient ever after.

I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet..

But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course.

[NovaTTT 2]

You can buy a small hand pump at the hardware store.

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

[TrophyHusband 0]

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But don't gas cans have nozzles on them that let you pour?

Wendy P.

they do, but my experience with a 5 gallon can of gas and my riding lawn mower has taught me that i'm not coordinated enough to do it without spilling.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[diablopilot 2]

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You really want to spend a trip with the smell of diesel all over you? If you can't pour it in I'd rig some kind of 12 volt pump.

no, idefinately don't want to smell like diesel, but i'm sure i would if i were to try suck-starting the siphon. of course i could just get the wife to do it, she has an uncanny ability to stop sucking before getting anything in her mouth.

This sounds like a problem that deserves much more of your attention than the fuel supply.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[ChrisL 2]

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i'm not coordinated enough to do it without spilling.

thats what funnels are for...

__

My mighty steed

[TrophyHusband 0]

i've looked into transfer tanks and larger aftermarket fuel tanks.

the largest aftermarket tank i can get for my short bed truck is 47 gallons for $700-$800. thats a lot of money for only 14 more gallons.

tranfer tanks that are plumbed in are permenant installations and i'm don't want to give up the bed space.

i've been thinking about a 50 gallon fuel tank with a pump so i can remove it from the bed when i'm not pulling, but they're a little spendy so it will have to wait a while. I also have to get my rig to a scale fully loaded to see if a can afford to add the extra weight.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[Hausse 0]

Sounds like maybe when you pull over for a pee break, you should do so near a gas station?

Seems like a lot easier option to me then trying to rig some wacky construction that will end up covering you in diesel, which in turn will lead you to lose a LOT more time then just looking for a gas station.

[wmw999 2,556]

One other thing you can do is just to use a clear hose so that you can see when the gas is getting close; close it off by bending or clamping when it's close, place the end into the desired receptacle, and voila!

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[quade 4]

If you only have exactly the length required, then you have limited options but if you have about twice the amount required then you can slip most of it in, cap it with your hand and just pull out enough to get it started.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[shropshire 0]

Put the 'jug's above the main tank and let Gravity do the work.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Gawain 0]

Aside from having loose fuel tanks back there, I'd advise against it. Make the investment for a fuel transfer tank. You can probably find a slim 36 gallon tank at TSC for under $300.00 and a solid electric fuel pump for about the same. The tank is sealed, no siphons to worry about.

If that's more than what you're looking to spend, then look into something like this:
http://reviews.northerntool.com/0394/33631/reviews.htm

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[muff528 3]

Get an outboard motor primer bulb and some fuel line. Stick one end into the tank. Squeeze the bulb...hold your thumb over the end of the hose.... release the bulb....remove thumb.....squeeze the bulb......repeat until fuel is flowing. Obviously the end of the hose should be below the level of the tank, but it doesn't have to be if you want to keep pumping. Another check valve can be used if you don't want to use your thumb. (one is already built into the primer bulb assembly)

[TrophyHusband 0]

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Sounds like maybe when you pull over for a pee break, you should do so near a gas station?

Seems like a lot easier option to me then trying to rig some wacky construction that will end up covering you in diesel, which in turn will lead you to lose a LOT more time then just looking for a gas station.

that's not as easy as it sounds. my fifth wheel is huge and difficult to manuver at many regular gas stations. going to a truck stop is fine when my wife is with me, but without her its a whole different story. i have 3 kids, 2, 4, and 6. truck stops usually don't allow pay at the pump, so they require 2 trips inside. some of them do have rv pumps where you can pay at the pump, but not all. also, when a kid says "i gotta pee", he has to pee. having him hold it until we reach a suitable gas station just doesn't work.

the whole point of "some wacky construction" is to keep me from getting covered in diesel.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[JohnMitchell 16]

You know, of course, to truly siphon something the 1st container has to be well above the receiving container. Does that mean you'll hold the 5 gallon can above the level of the tank while you refuel?

Another way to prime a siphon tube. Push the tubing down into the liquid so that all the air is force out and the tube is filled with liquid. Put your thumb over the opening of the last bit of tubing to seal it off, then pull the tubing up out of the liquid and down to the receiver. When you take your thumb off the end of the tube, the siphoning should start.

I still vote you just get some good Jerry cans and a good sealing spout.

[skyrider 0]

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Put two hoses in the tank. One long one and one short one. Seal the area around the inlet. Blow on the short hose, fuel will come out the other.

awsome idea, i'll give it a try

Should work too, but seems I have also seen siphon pumps for sale at automitves, be worth a phone call anyway!

[MakeItHappen 15]

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But don't gas cans have nozzles on them that let you pour?

Wendy P.

they do, but my experience with a 5 gallon can of gas and my riding lawn mower has taught me that i'm not coordinated enough to do it without spilling.

The hot tip for the nozzle is to twist it a 1/4 to 1/2 turn after you pull it out completely.
That seals it at the base and makes it harder to accidentally push the nozzle back in.
Then bend the nozzle into a U shape & put into the tank before tipping the gas container up.

.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[TrophyHusband 0]

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You know, of course, to truly siphon something the 1st container has to be well above the receiving container. Does that mean you'll hold the 5 gallon can above the level of the tank while you refuel?

at the worst it will be sitting in the bed of the truck which is above the tank. as long as i make sure the hose goes about 6 inches down the fill tube there will be no problem. i could also easily build a small platform out of scrap wood i have in the garage to set the can on. doing that so that the cap is a little above the bed rail would make things pretty easy.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[TrophyHusband 0]

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Aside from having loose fuel tanks back there, I'd advise against it. Make the investment for a fuel transfer tank.

i'm not big on having them ride in the bed of the truck, fortunately they don't have to. i have a compartment in the 5er for a generator that is currently empty. they would ride in there. its also sealed off from the rest of the trailer so i don't have to worry about fumes getting into the living space.

i want to get another fuel tank in the future but it won't be this summer. next month i'm taking the kids to new york and back without mom. (she's flying up for a couple weeks while we're there). i want something cheap and easy before then. i also wanted something that i can get locally so i can get it and try it out this weekend.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com