Topic: Whats the best way to Clean a gas tank?

[the architect]

For light surface rust, I absolutely love using The Works toilet bowl cleaner.  I usually swish it around with some stainless, sharp, pointy drywall-type screws.  Rinse a few times, neutralize any remaining cleaner (acid) with baking soda + water (or laundry soap or any other solution with a base pH) and then fog the tank with fogging oil or WD-40 (or fill it with gas).




I recently used an electrolysis setup for cleaning a really bad tank.  I wire wheel cleaned the electrode every night (in my case, a piece of rebar from Home Depot).  With my wimpy battery charger, it took 3 weeks (6 amps at 12 volts), but again, this was a seriously fuel-varnished tank.  I switched out my solution once a week (it looked like coffee each time).  Then I followed up with a rinse of The Works (no screws, this time) using the process above, and it looks sparkly a new inside.

[Bankerdanny]

Bankerdanny You photo looks pretty good. What concentration of The Works? Did you mix it with water in the tank or outside the tank. How long did you leave it? Was there a lot of gas produced?

I did two treatments because the scale and varnish in my tank was heavy after 30 years of sitting 2/3 full of gas. I used it straight for the first round, then mixed the second bottle with a gallon or so of water.

It does produce fumes (visible fumes actually). I emptied the bottle inside, added 2 one foot lengths of a medium size chain, put the cap on, shook it around for a minute or so, then let it sit for about 10 minutes before emtying the liquid and flushing with water.

The second treatment I cut the cleaner with about 1 a gallon of water. But if the rust in light in your tank, you could most likely use the dilluted solution vs the straight cleaner. But I don't think it makes a difference which way you go.

After the second treatment I rinsed the tank with half a box of baking soda and a couple gallons of water.

[cookindaddy]

Thanks Bankerdanny