I made this simple apparatus to defuel lanterns and stoves. With most of the tanks I have, it's impossible to get all the fuel out by simply dumping them due to the filler necks protruding into the tank to provide airspace and overfill prevention. I use the metal cap on my Coleman items and the cork on nonstandard ones. I have other corks for larger and smaller openings. Simply insert the tube to the bottom of the tank, slide the cap or cork down the tube to seal the filler neck and pump the tank. I gets 99.9 percent of it out. On tanks that don't have pumps or the pump is the filler cap, I insert it, seal it, and blow or use and external pump to force air into the tank via the tube. Works great. Mike
Thanks for posting this - I was just going nuts trying to empty out a Coleman 414 tank and could feel the fuel in it, but not figure out why it wasn't pouring out. I'll try your method if I can find the right parts.
You can get the poly ice maker tubing and a cork at your nearest home improvement/hardware store. I recommend the cork unless you don't mind sacrificing a cap. Mike
ToonSgt - I dropped by the hardware store today and got some tubing and a rubber grommet with a hole in the middle. It worked like a charm, emptying out two old tanks in seconds. Thanks again! PS...if you know...there was some flakes of crud that came out of the tank when I had it upside down emptying it (yesterday, before your tube suggestion). Any good suggestions on how to clean a tank, when the tube wont get all of that stuff, and you can't just swish some fuel around and empty the tank to get all of that out?
Lots of stuff on here about cleaning rusty tanks. I use steel shot and black beauty blasting abrasive and shake or put it in my tumbler for a few hours. I blow the residual crud out with compressed air. I haven't used the POR 15 tank sealer yet, but will soon. The price scared me off, but I read that you can do LOTS of tanks with one kit. Mike
