Cleaning a 300 Gallon Diesel fuel tank

[CFDWheeler]

Anyone have any good suggestions on how to do this? My tank is steel and has a lot of sludge and I'm assuming rust pieces in the bottom of it. There are only two small holes in the top to access the inside (fill and pump hole). Anyone done this?

Turn it over and hose it out real well. Dry it, and then rely on the fuel filter at the pump?

Is there a cleaning solution to use?

Suggestions, tips, tricks.....?

 

[ipz2222]

I wouldn't use water to clean it. Will cause rust before it can dry. Ideal would be to have a pressure washer with 5 gallons of diesel fuel or kerosene to feed into the pressure washer and then spray it in. Be nice to have a drain in the bottom.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Normaly I would agree with ipz222, water would not be good, but you already have rust so clean it.
Go to Home depot and buy a 5 gal jug of ZEP industrial purple cleaner degreaser, one gallon of ZEP calcium, lime and rust remover and get a couple gallons of kerosene, pour 1/2 of the purple cleaner into the tank and pressure wash with the other 1/2, wear gloves and mask as the purple cleaner is an acid but safe for the ground, wash the grease off the tractor while your at it.
empty tank of water pour gal of rust remover in tank, get it everywhere you can,
pressure wash again, Drain all water from tank pour in kerosene and move around inside entire tank, drain and use it to clean other parts.

 

[78-79fordman]

I really feel there's no way to Pressure wash it out with the two -- small --- holes ..lol

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

OPPS! Didn't catch the 2 small holes.
OK start by using a cutting torch or plasma cutter and cut one big access hole!
Ok wait, maybe that's not such a great idea!
just use the Industrial purple cleaner without any water, gallon or so in the tank let it sit a while then drain and repeat!

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I can make a phone call to a professional tomorrow and come back with a correct answer. I have a friend of mine who does gas tank and radiator repair and he knows how to properly clean fuel tanks.

He's told me war stories of finding all kinds of stuff in tanks, everything from shop rags to 5lbs of nuts and bolts to screw drivers and pliers.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

OHHH and whats the 300 gallon tank off of? A tractor trailer or is it a stand alone tank for fuelling equipment?

 

[CFDWheeler]

Thanks for the replies thus far guys. Thus is a stand alone diesel tank to refuel my tractor with. It was in one of my barns when I purchased my property. I have already pumped all of the old fuel out of it and can see the crud in the bottom. I would like to continue to use it.

 

[CFDWheeler]

I really feel there's no way to Pressure wash it out with the two -- small --- holes ..lol

Correct, it will be very difficult to properly pressure wash the inside of the tank, due to very limited access.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Now that I know what the tank is used for I'll make a phone call tomorrow to the professional and get you an acurate answer.

 

[bandaidmd]

chimney sweeps use chains and brushes maybe some version of that would get the crud knocked loose.
About a foot of small chain attached at the end of a rod that can be clamped in a battery drill as a flail was what i was thinking.
Once you get the crud in suspension pump it out, hopefully you saved some of that old fuel to use for the preliminary washing (crud pumpout)?
If the tanks stationary you could just leave the crud to sit in the bottom and raise your pickup.

 

[78-79fordman]

If the tanks stationary you could just leave the crud to sit in the bottom and raise your pickup.

This

Or cut a section out the top to pressure wash it . Wash it real good and weld it up .thats the way I will do a 50 gallon tank I have if I even really can justify the need to use it .

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Diesel and water don't really mix well. I don't think power washing would be the way to go.

 

[zman8537]

I had the same issue. I bought a 275 gallon oil tank that had about 20 gallon of home heating oil in it, and by the time I got it home I checked to see what the heating oil looked like. The oil was like black sludge from everything sloshing around for about 25 miles. I drained it and used a heavy duty degreaser then sloshed it around then sprayed it out with water. I repeated this until the degreaser came out the same way it went in. I then put about 10 gallon of clean diesel back in it and sloshed it all around again flipping it upside down and on its side and drained it again. I then filled it about half full and have been adding more every so often. I have a see thru filter housing on the pump and everything looks good with no sediment or anything. I also have a drain on the bottom that I put a valve in and have the tank at a slight angle so that any water would run to the end with the drain valve and I have had no issues with water, rust or sediment, so I wouldnt be afraid to use the same method again. Seemed to work for me.

 

[Frank46]

If you know someone with a pressure washer and it has the ability to draw from a bucket make up a mix of either simple green and the hottest water possible. Then blast away. Hope this helps. Frank

 

[CFDWheeler]

If you know someone with a pressure washer and it has the ability to draw from a bucket make up a mix of either simple green and the hottest water possible. Then blast away. Hope this helps. Frank

Again, getting a pressure washer inside this tank to effectively clean it will be very difficult due to only have 2 small holes in the top of the tank. They are about 3" in diameter...

 

[Lil Foot]

Years ago, I visited a friend's small ranch & found his father shoving an oval diesel tank around the pasture with his tractor. My buddy explained he had put kerosene & some log chains inside the tank, and was rolling it around with the front loader to clean sediment out & knock off any rust. Must have worked, the tank was still in use years later.

 

[CFDWheeler]

That sounds like it would be the most fun!!

 

[Lil Foot]

Again, getting a pressure washer inside this tank to effectively clean it will be very difficult due to only have 2 small holes in the top of the tank. They are about 3" in diameter...

The pressure washer we had at work had a steerable spray tip- probably 270 degrees of range. Something like that would probably work to clean the tank through a couple of 3" openings.

 

[CFDWheeler]

The pressure washer we had at work had a steerable spray tip- probably 270 degrees of range. Something like that would probably work to clean the tank through a couple of 3" openings.

Come to think of it, I think I have one of those adjustable tips. I may give that a try as a start, among some of the other ideas mentioned here.

At the moment, I am unsure if the tank has a drain on the bottom, due to it's current location, (in a barn that has fallen over). When I get the time, I need to literally take the tank out THROUGH the side of the barn. It should be easier than it sounds, but is not very high on my priority list right now due to the season. Anyways, I am hoping there is a drain in the tank to make this chore easier.

Thank you all for the suggestions. Feel free to chime in with any additional ideas....