People put the wrong fuel in every day. We'll talk you through what to do immediately, then come to you: home, work or roadside. One call, and most jobs are done in under two hours.
When and why people need a tank emptied and how we do it safely.
Fuel that's sat in a tank for months goes off, just like food does. The lighter ends evaporate, water condenses out, microbes grow in the diesel layer and rust starts in steel tanks. Start the engine on old fuel and you pull all of that straight into the pump and injectors, which is a quick way to turn a project car or a fleet truck into a workshop visit.
Other reasons people call us: prepping a vehicle for sale or auction, recovering after an accident or insurance claim, a fleet rotating stale stock, a workshop that needs a tank dropped quickly, or simply having put off draining the wrong fuel for too long. The job is done the same way every time: clean drain, safe handling, legal disposal, no surprises on the invoice.
We come to you with sealed transfer equipment and absorbent matting. A qualified technician extracts the fuel cleanly, transfers it to an approved disposal drum, flushes the fuel lines if needed and refills if you want it ready to drive. The old fuel goes to a licensed waste oil facility. You get a receipt and a service report.
If the tank has stale or contaminated fuel in it after long storage, the drain step is the same, followed by a clean refill.
Not every drain job is a misfill. Half of what we do is old fuel out of stored vehicles. Ride on mowers dragged out of the shed in spring, caravans that sat over winter, motorhomes on standby, boat outboards trailered back after a slow summer, project HiLux and LandCruiser builds sitting for a decade waiting for the restoration to finish.
Call us before you try to start it. We come to you, drain the tank into sealed drums for EPA compliant disposal under EPA Licence 52359, flush the fuel lines if needed, put fresh fuel back in to whatever level you nominate and run a full system scan before we hand you back the keys. Half a day and you're back on the road.
If you've already tried to crank it and it's stumbling or won't start, still fixable on the spot, just takes a bit longer. Petrol goes off inside a year, the light ends evaporate and the residue turns to varnish and gum inside carbies and injectors. Diesel picks up water and starts breeding bug. Neither will start clean on the first crank and running an engine on it just spreads the mess through more parts.
We also do fleet and construction work, draining tanks on decommissioned plant, off highway generators and marine tanks at the ramp. Same drain rig, same EPA compliant disposal, same written invoice you can hand to your accountant or fleet manager. If it's been sitting, don't start it. Call (08) 7083 9699 and we'll book a time that suits.
Straight answers about mobile fuel tank drainage. If yours is not here, call and ask.
Every tank is a bit different. Cars, utes, caravans, boats, ride on mowers, project builds sitting for a decade. We drive up, drain the old fuel into sealed drums, flush the fuel lines if they need it and put fresh fuel in to whatever level you want. We run a full system scan and listen to the engine before we hand you back the keys. Recovered fuel goes for EPA compliant disposal under EPA Licence 52359.
Any long stored vehicle where the fuel smells like varnish or looks yellow to brown. Any diesel with water sitting in the fuel. Any petrol with visible water at the bottom of the tank. Anything where the engine will not start, or starts and dies. Waiting only makes it worse.
Do not start the engine. Take a photo of the fuel gauge and jot down the odometer reading if possible. Move anything from around the filler cap so we can work. If the vehicle is in a shed, open the door so exhaust and fuel vapour can vent when we run the engine after refuel.
From $400 for metro Adelaide callouts. Larger tanks over 100 litres, heavy vehicles like trucks and motorhomes and difficult access add to the price. You hear the exact quote on the phone before we dispatch and you get a written invoice on site with EPA Licence 52359 on it.
Full Adelaide metro, the Hills, Barossa, Fleurieu Peninsula and Victor Harbor. Regional SA jobs handled with a scheduled visit, quoted on the phone. Regular work on caravans, motorhomes, HiLux and Ranger project builds, ride on mowers, gensets, LandCruiser and Patrol restorations and marine tanks.
We drain the tank, flush the fuel lines if needed, put fresh fuel in to whatever level you want, then run a full system scan and listen to the engine before we hand you back the keys. You get a full comprehensive report and a written invoice on the spot.
It goes into sealed drums on the van, then to a licensed waste oil facility for EPA compliant disposal. You get a written invoice on site referencing EPA Licence 52359, which is what your insurer, fleet manager or club records officer will ask for.
As soon as you're planning to try starting it. Old petrol varnishes carbies and injectors within minutes of first crank. Old diesel dumps water and bug through the fuel system within seconds of the pickup drawing fuel. Drain first, start after.
Usually not, because it is scheduled maintenance rather than accidental damage. Some agreed value classic car policies do cover it. Fleet and plant policies vary. Our invoice makes the claim easier if you want to try and we can send documentation to your insurer direct.