Monday, October 17, 2016

Hate the New CARB Spouts on Jerry Cans?

The solution is a Shaker Siphon. Just a few quick up-and-down pulses and it goes about 60% as fast as pouring from a can (I timed it), but without spilling a drop or straining your back.


Jerry can gas from the local station is about $0.70/gallon cheaper here, and I need to gas the car anyway. I figure the total time is also less than fooling around at the fuel dock.

I promise, you will never lift a can again. Even good under way.


Tips:
  1. The shaker end goes in the jerry can. 3-4 good shakes should start the flow.
  2. The farther you stuff the hose down the tank filler, the faster it runs. More height difference.
  3. Remember that you lift the suction end to stop. Stop a few ounces early so that you can empty the hose into the tank and clear the hose.
  4. Tip the can and place the hose in the lowest corner, and you will get every drop.

[I still use a 1-gallon non-carb can to fill the integral tank on the dinghy outboard. Easier to control when only adding a pint or so.]

I first spotted this as part of a Practical Sailor review titled "Taking the spill out of Fill-Ups."

3 comments:

  1. I use a siphon also. Not the shaker, just one of the squeeze-bulb types, and you're right - I never spill a drop. The CARB spouts are dysfunction junction, as far as I'm concerned. I never fill from a pump - always fill from a jerry can, then transfer, even if I'm at a fuel dock. The siphon is just more controllable, even more than from a fuel dock, I think because the fuel flow rate is a slower - gives you time to anticipate a full status without having fuel flow out of the tank vent.

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  2. I second the comments on the CARB spouts - I hate 'em. But you can still buy non-carb spouts to retrofit your cans...

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  3. I do what Robert suggested, use the older ones.

    Funny story about the shaker though. We had one and could never get it to work. When we were sailing with Two Fish, Jason asked me to put some diesel in his tank from a jerry can, and gave us one of those hoses to use. Once again, I couldn't get it to work. He then pointed out that we had been trying to use it upside down. Oops!

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