Re: water in gas tank

Woozy Song wrote:

Bill Powell wrote:

My kid dumped a jug of water into the gas tank thinking it was gas.
I disconnected the fuel filler hose and used the opening on the tank to
pump  everything out where the last gallon was 90% water & about 10% gas.
 
Since I've never done this before, what's a good way to proceed?
Should I replace the fuel filter? What does water do to a fuel filter?
 
Now that the fuel tank is completely dry, should I run the engine with the
water that must still be in the lines?
 
Should I run only one gallon at first - and then when empty, add the rest
of the 18 gallons?
 
How do you approach this situation after pumping the fuel tank dry?

 
One of those bush survival TV shows said put a litre of methylated
spirits (denatured alcohol) in the tank, which blends with the water.
Never tried it myself, sounds a little dodgy.

No, it's standard practice. There are fuel additives such as Heet and
Ban-Ice that are composed of methanol, for exactly that purpose. If your
area gets below-freezing temps, it's a good idea to add some to your gas
at least every fall to dry out the tank and fuel lines of water and ice.
A liter sounds a bit much. The additive label tells you how much to use
for how much gas.

If your gas contains ethanol, that may also accomplish the same purpose.