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Learn How to Drain Gas from Ariens Snow Blower – 6-Step Guide

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A gas snow blower is an excellent tool to eliminate excess snow from driveways, yards, sidewalks, and roads for people living in cold climatic conditions.

It is an efficient tool that provides effective results with no hard manual labor. You must learn how to drain gas from Ariens snow blower to keep it in good shape.

Proper maintenance and upkeep of your snow blower are crucial to its proper functioning, and draining the gas tank is one of the essential maintenance requirements.

Using a shovel is a cheaper and easier way as it requires no maintenance or fuel at all. However, shoveling the snow will become the bane of your existence if you have a large property.

Here the snow blower enters; that makes getting rid of those mounds of snow a piece of cake! But it comes with the price of regular maintenance. Keep reading our instructions to learn how to drain gas from Ariens snow blower.

Man blowing snow with a snow blower—how to drain gas from Ariens snowblower
How to drain gas from Ariens snow blower? — Image via Александр Коновалов.

How to Drain Gas From Ariens Snow Blower?

I have also emphasized how important it is for you to clear your gas tank and drain all the gas before storing it away for the season.

But before that, the following simple steps would help you learn how to drain gas from Ariens snow blower.

Before You Start the Project

There are a few crucial things that you need to keep in mind:

  • Choose an open outdoor location to carry out this project—avoid closed spaces or garages.
  • As you are dealing with a highly flammable substance, you must ensure that you are away from any heating systems, open wiring, flames, etc.
  • Working in a closed space will expose you to the toxic fumes of carbon monoxide.
  • Choose a flat surface to work on—an inclined location may always pose a risk of slipping.
  • Do not use your driveway as your location to work on the gas drainage. Spilling any gas will subject you to cleaning it up, and gas is also quite harmful to pavements.

Safety Precautions

A snow blower is a piece of heavy-duty equipment that is pretty powerful.

You might face serious injuries or accidents if you aren’t careful while working with it. So before starting drainage of your gas tank, check the following preventive measures:

  • If you have been using your snow blower for some time, it must be boiling and can cause burns. Allow your snow blower to cool down for at least one hour before starting the project.
  • Wear safety gloves and eye protection to protect against injuries.
  • Please do not start your snow blower engine in a closed space, as it will expose you to carbon monoxide.
  • Avoid wearing loose clothing like scarves that may get entangled in moving parts. Wear boots with a good grip so you won’t slip away while working.
  • Wear earplugs to protect your hearing from damage due to long-term exposure to the loud noise of the engine.

Now that you are ready, let’s start draining!

Items You Will Need

Wear tight-fitting clothing so that your won’t get entangled with the moving parts of the snow blower.

Safety gloves and glasses—how to drain gas from Ariens snow blower?
How to drain gas from Ariens snow blower? Start the process when you are ready—Image via Steve Johnson.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Move Snow Blower to the Selected Location

First, you need to move your snow blower to the most suitable location. Please turn off the engine and let it cool down before you start.

Step 2: Understand the Working of a Siphon Pump

A siphon pump is a very simple tool used to suck out gas from the gas tank.

Familiarize yourself with the working of the siphon pump before you start.

“The pump consists of two tubes and a manual pump. One of these tubes will be inserted into the gas tank, and the other tube will be placed in the catch basin.”

When you pump, it will create a vacuum that will suck gas out from the tank and expel it into the catch basin.

Step 3: Remove the Cap of the Fuel Tank

  • Identify the fuel tank of your snow blower and unscrew its cap.
  • Insert one end of the tube (of the siphon pump) into the tank.
  • Insert the tube as deep as possible in your gas tank.

It will ensure you get the maximum gas out without leaving any at the bottom.

Step 4: Place the Catch Basin

The catch basin is used to collect the gas that is drained from the gas tank to avoid any spillage. You can buy a catch basin or use any extra container.

Place the catch basin a little further from the tank and insert the other end of the tube into it.

Step 5: Drain the Gas

Now manually pump the siphon pump until the gas starts to drain out of the gas tank and gather into your catch basin.

Repeat pumping until you are sure all the gas has been drained.

Pump with one hand and stabilize the apparatus with the other hand to increase the effectiveness of the siphon pump.

Step 6: Run the Engine to Get Rid of Gas Residue

Once all gas has been pumped out, screw back the lid of your tank, put your tools away and start the engine.

  • Let your engine run until it stops by itself due to lack of gas.
  • This step will help eliminate any residual gas left in the gas tank or the fuel pipes.

That was all about how to drain gas from Ariens snow blower. Now, let’s see why it is crucial to do so.

Should I Empty My Snow Blower Out of Gas?

Draining the gas from the tank of your gas-powered snow blower is an extremely important project.

After you are done with the maintenance of your yard and driveways and the winter season is over, you need to drain and clean the gas from the snow blower before storing it away.

Draining the gas from a snow blower is an effortless task that requires elementary tools. The only challenge is to remember to do it before storing your snow blower.

If you don’t want to be bothered by buying a fuel stabilizer every season, you must always drain your gas tank no matter how little gas is left. If this untreated gas is left in your tank for months, then it can cause some severe damage to the performance of your snow blower.

Owners often overlook this task, but the price must be paid when the damage shows up in the coming season.

  • Unattended gas can form a slurry in your gas tank which can clog your fuel pipes and even your engine—engine often fails to start.
  • The ethanol in the fuel can mix with moisture or water seeping into the tank—results in clogging and corrosion.
  • If the damage is severe, you might need to bring your snow blower down to a local repair shop, which can cost you many bucks.
  • To prevent the extra cost and effort and keep your engine healthy, it is necessary to learn how to drain gas from Ariens snow blower.

Related Article: Learn How to Drain Gas from Snowblower with 6 Effective Instructions

For visual assistance, here’s a valuable YouTube video:

How to drain gas from Ariens snow blower? — The Half-Assed Guide: Draining the gas from a 2014 Ariens snow blower – YouTube.

That would be all; let’s head towards the conclusion.


Conclusion

A snow blower is a godsend tool if you live in cold climates with lots of snow.

As helpful as it may be, maintaining it might seem a little chore. Proper maintenance is necessary to keep your snow blower running smoothly.

For that purpose, we have put together this helpful guide on how to drain gas from Ariens snow blower.

Let us know if this article was helpful. Leave your queries in the comments below!

Regards.