Mr Rawles:
Would a hand-lever pump like this one [1] or this one [2] work for pulling up fuel from a gas station underground tank [3]]? Thanks, – F.
JWR Replies: Both of those hand pumps are designed specifically for pumping from drums with standard barrel bung threads. They should work with underground tank is you add an extension hose with a nice tight seal at the union of the hose. However, this type of pump is less flexible than my preferred 12 VDC pump design [4], since they cannot be used for one step vehicle-to-vehicle fuel transfers. They are also only marginally faster, they are more labor intensive to use, and they are much more expensive. Just buy a spare electric fuel pump for your primary vehicle and construct your own 12 VDC [5] pump. This will also provide you a spare fuel pump if the one for your vehicle ever goes kaput. If new off-the-shelf pumps are too expensive, then pull a used one at a wrecking yard. (Which, BTW, is also good mechanical experience.)