Siphoning gas

I have a gasoline generator and a plug on the electronics of the gas furnace so that I can run the furnace when the electricity goes out. Carrying jerricans back and worth from the gas station is a pain. There is something in the gas line, I believe a spiral that is large enough at one end to let the gas pump hose in, but tapers down so that I can’t get a siphon hose in. Does anyone know a way around that?

I feel we don’t have enough information.

What gas line?

A spiral?

let the gas pump hose in what?

Also, I’m confused about why you’re siphoning gas out of anything. Aren’t you just pouring the gas from the jerry cans into the generator? But, FWIW, it’s very possible that whatever this restriction is, is meant to stop people from siphoning gas.

You can check this out: anti siphon device gas tank - Google Search

Also on one of my cars I was able to disconnect the fuel line to the fuel filter and run a line from that to a gas can. By cycle keying the ignition on and off many times I was able to drain the tank.

It sounds like he wants to fuel the generator on the fuel in the tank for the furnace. Except isn’t the furnace fuel diesel while the generator runs on gasoline?

I did almost that exact same thing when I had to drain a (rather full) gas tank. There’s a Schrader valve for checking the pressure on the fuel system. I took the core out of it, stuck a hose over it and, at least at first, was cycling the key. Then I decided to ‘hotwire’ the fuel pump. Originally I pulled the relay and shorted it. But then I found out that some (many? most? all?) GM vehicles have a little random wire/connector just dangling by the fuse box. Jump it to B+ and the fuel pump runs. Works perfectly for something like this.

A natural gas furnace.
The gas line running from the gas cap to the tank. I’d like to get a hose into the tank to siphon out gas.
Thanks, kanicbird, I’ll give that a shot.

What gas line?
What gas cap?
What tank?

I’m so confused.

I had thought that he wanted to siphon gasoline out of his car’s tank, but that wouldn’t be relevant for a natural gas furnace…

I thought he wanted to siphon gasoline out of his car for the generator…but it seems to me it would be easier to just drive the jerry cans to the gas station, fill them up and drive them back. Also, he’s made no mention of a car.

Also, don’t try to siphon gas out of a car gas tank, you’re likely to end up with the hose stuck in the filler neck.

Too many words are “gas”. Unclear what you mean.

I assume the natural gas furnace is irrelevant, except that the natural gas supply remains pressurized and requires electricity for the furnace to run? So you want to do so with the gasoline generator.

So really, we are talking about - how do I siphon gasoline from jerry cans into the generator? Into the generator’s tank, or direct to the engine?

So where is this blockage - the Jerry cans (I doubt it) or the generator? Or are you hoping to replace the fuel feed from the built-in tank on the generator (which I assume is smaller) with a direct fed from the Jerry can?

I am siphoning gas from the car gas tank to run a generator that will provide 110v to run the electronics of a natural gas furnace when the power goes out. I did it during an ice storm several years ago, but carrying gas cans to and from a gas station is a pain.

I seem to recall from a previous thread that someone here paid their mechanic to remove that device (which is obviously designed to prevent someone from stealing gasoline from your car).

In that case, I’d do what was mentioned earlier. Find a way to connect a hose to your car’s fuel system and run the pump. It’ll work perfectly. A bit slow, but it’ll do the job.
I drained an entire gas tank that way, more than once.

Thanks, the gas tapper mentioned above says it won’t work on my Ford Ranger.

Huh? If you’re referring to what I (and kanicbird) mentioned. Where do you see it mentioned that it wouldn’t work on a Ford Ranger?
This isn’t an uncommon way of draining a tank.

“Accessible car search” on their website,

I’m going to talk to the mechanic I’ve spent money with.

When you talk to your mechanic, you might mention Joey P’s suggestion about using the fuel pump to get the gas out of your Ranger’s tank—it’s a valid solution to the problem you’ve described here.

But I agree with others: why not just buy more gas cans and ferry them in the bed of your truck? For someone not mechanically inclined, that seems like less fuss than Joey’s method. It might be safer, too: you don’t risk spilling gas on a hot engine while you’re figuring out the procedure.

I guess you could pay your mechanic to pull the anti-siphon device in your fuel filler, but that may not make economic sense. How many gas cans could you buy for that money?

That’s why my suggestion was to tap into the fuel system as opposed to siphoning the gas out.

Also, if this is going to be a regular thing, it would be absolutely trivial to add a switch so all you have to do is connect a hose and flip a switch. OTOH, if this is going to be a regular thing, I wouldn’t use something I’d consider a temporary solution. But a few times a year, sure.

Also, I don’t think I mentioned it, but the OP could run to Autozone, rent a fuel pressure checker, connect it to the car and then hold the relief button on the gauge when the fuel pump is running, it’ll do the same thing I mentioned. It’s a bit more work, but it’s easier if you’ve never done something like this before. Mostly since you’re not cobbling together your own hoses, playing with (and totally not dropping) valve cores etc.

For someone with a pickup truck

At some point it might even be easier to just get a fuel tank with it’s own pump for the back of the truck. Like you see contractors with for fueling their equipment.

I can’t quite parse “For someone with a pickup truck”. I doubt you’re suggesting that anyone who owns a pickup truck must also be mechanically inclined, but that’s what I get from what you wrote.

Are you pointing out that anyone with a pickup truck could easily put a dedicated tank in the bed? That I agree with!

I’m not picking nits here—I’m just a little dense today due to sleep deprivation.