LIGHTER HANDS #1 - SIPHONING

by Pam

So, there it was in my garage. My jet ski in mint condition and the only thing standing between me and a good time was bad gas in the tank. I had already changed the spark plugs, put in a new battery and searched the internet about siphoning so I could empty the gas from the tank but I hadn’t been convinced that selling the jet ski wasn’t a better option.

What’s a girl to do? I talked Doug into really wanting to ride that jet ski. He babbled on and on about the petrol strikes when he lived in Sydney and having to siphon gas all the time and it was easy and he’d show me how to do it. Cool! That went well.

I cut him a section of hose from an old water hose, got him a bucket and watched as he stuck one end of the hose into the gas tank and the other into his mouth and began sucking. I’m thinking that seems like a seriously stupid thing to do. Probably a good example of why men don’t live as long as women.

I watched as his face contorted and he coughed, gagged, spit, and drooled involuntarily. All he’d managed to suck out was gas fumes and when he spoke his voice had changed and I was pretty sure he’d burned the lining of his throat. As I stepped back, he continued to instruct me on how it sometimes takes a while to get it going and commented on how this gas must be older than I said because the fumes alone were pretty nasty. I’m thinking there is no way I’d ever stick that hose to my lips and here he is talking like a connoisseur of gas and being able to tell its age. Only a man would acquire that skill.

A short while later, he hoarsely says … ‘well, there is another way …”

Here is how to siphon gas the easy way as well as a video demonstration that shows how you can use this simple method to drain your boat unassisted when it’s full of water and you aren’t strong enough to lift it yourself. Who knew it could be so easy.

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