In Brief: How to Drain Gas from Lawn Mower
Disconnect the spark plug. Locate the fuel line, clamp it, and unplug it from the carburetor to pour the fuel into a container. If there is no accessible fuel line, siphon the gas directly from the tank into a separate container. Always run the lawn mower afterwards to ensure
Lawn mowers can run into a variety of problems related to the oil or fuel. If you have problems with bad fuel after unsuccessfully winterizing a lawn mower, or if you need to remove the gas for any other reason, you need to know how to do that.
Learn how to drain gas from lawn mower fuel tanks so you can avoid a costly trip to the repair shop. Here you can find out the three main methods available to empty the fuel from a hand mower.
3 Ways to Drain Gas from Lawn Mower
No matter what tools or equipment you have, there’s a way to drain your lawn mower fuel. Try one of these three methods.
Method 1: Disconnecting the Fuel Line
Many push mowers have visible fuel lines going from the tank to the carburetor. If your mower has a fuel line you can access, the simplest way to drain gas from the lawn mower is to use the fuel line as a drain.
- Step 1: Locating the Fuel Line
Disconnect the spark plug in the front of the mower. This is for your safety to avoid accidentally starting the mower.
Then, locate the carburetor on the side of the mower. It may be under the air filter. Check if there is a fuel line connecting to the carburetor.
When you locate the fuel line, check to see if it has a clamp on the pipe connecting to the carburetor. If so, remove the clamp and place it further up the line to stop fuel from spilling when you disconnect it. - Step 2: Draining the Fuel
With the fuel line clamped appropriately, place a container underneath the line and pull it free from the side of the carburetor. Place the free end of the line into the container and allow the gas to drain into the container freely.
As the tank empties, the gas will pour more slowly. Allow the gas to stop dripping out before you remove the line from the container. Wiggle the line around a little to free up any gas trapped within dips in the line. - Step 3: Reconnecting the Line & Turning on the Mower
Once you feel confident that gas is empty, reconnect the gas line to the carburetor. Replace the line clamp over the end of the line to seal the connection.
To dry up any remaining gas in the carburetor and fuel lines, turn the mower on and let it run until it turns off on its own.
Check out this video illustrating this method:
Method 2: Siphoning from the Tank
If your mower doesn’t have an accessible fuel line or you would prefer not to disassemble any part of the engine, siphoning is another easy method to drain gas as well.
Step 1: Setup
To start, first disconnect the spark plug wire to prevent the mower from turning on. Open the fuel tank pour spout. Place a collection dish, jug, tray, or gas can on a flat surface lower than the fuel tank.
Put the pouring side of the siphon into your container and place the other side into the mower fuel tank.
Step 2: Start Siphoning
If you have an electric siphon, simply turn it on. If you have a hand siphon, move it rapidly up and down inside the fuel tank to create suction. Keep the siphoning end of the line as close to the bottom of the fuel tank as possible to get more fuel out.
Siphons can lose suction if they break the surface of the fuel in the tank. When this happens, simply place the line deeper into the tank and start siphoning again. Continue this process until the siphon to longer brings up any fuel.
Step 3: Running the Gas Out
Remove the siphon from the tank. Reconnect the spark plug wire and close the fuel tank with the cap. Start the lawn mower and allow it to run until it turns off on its own. This helps to dry up any remaining fuel in the carburetor and fuel lines. Watch a video of demonstrating siphoning fuel:
Method 3: Running the Tank Dry
If the other two methods are impossible for you or if your mower if already very low on gas, you can choose to run it until the gas dries up on its own. This method can take the longest, but everyone is able to do it.
Step 1: Preparation
Take your mower to a flat, open space free of any debris. Make sure you’re outside or in a very well ventilated, large indoor space. Check the ground and remove any rocks, sticks, or other items that might get hit by the lawn mower blade.
Since the mower could be on for a while, you want to make sure there is nothing that could get in the way of or be damaged by the mower blade. A level space on a hard surface outside is ideal.
If you have a self-propelled mower, disconnect the drive wheel cable to prevent it from moving forward.
Step 2: Running the Mower
Turn the mower on and let it run until it turns off. Try to start it again. If it turns on successfully, let it again run until it turns off. If it doesn’t start, open the fuel tank and check to see if it’s empty.
When the mower refuses to start again, you can safely assume you’ve emptied the fuel.
Depending on how full your tank was to start, this process may take much longer than the other two methods.
Conclusion
Draining lawn mower gas is simple. You can do it even if you don’t have any equipment or tools. Depending on the method you use, your gas could be fully drained within just a few minutes.
If you still have questions about how to drain gas from lawn mower fuel tanks, leave a comment below.
