What's the best product for cleaning sludge from tank?

[cosmiccharlie]

The tank I have isn't rusty, just had gas sitting in it for a while and the bottom of the tank now has a lot of sludge and sediment in it.  What should I used to clean it out?  Muratic Acid and water?  Mineral Spirits?

[tt_four]

I would just use simple green. That's what people(and myself) use before they get to the acid stage when they're cleaning out tanks. Mineral spirits would probably work but I would just pour in some simple green and hot water, shake it up, and let it sit for an hour or two.

[cosmiccharlie]

Why didn't I think of that!?  Thanks I'll give it a try tomorrow. 

[cosmiccharlie]

Getting all the liquid out is a huge pain in the ass!  Any tips on that? 

[Big Rich]

Depending what all was used to clean the tank, you may be able to clean it out in a bath tub.

But I'm not the EPA or anything......

[cosmiccharlie]

I guess I should have clarified.  I have cleaned the tank and drained the cleaner out.  Now there is liquid remaining that collects in the low parts of the tank that will not simply drain out of the petcock hole.  So I was asking for tips on removing the remaining liquid aside from letting it evaporate.

[Jared]

Rinse it out a few times...slosh it all around... to get it dry -> Air.....that is lots of moving air- warm air would be better but moving air. It will not  evaporate out on it's own and you'll end up with rust- especially where you don't want it. Keep turning the tank over and over  to spread the water over more surface area of the tank and keep moving air over it. When you think it's dry do it for another hour- you can't see enough of the inside surface of the tank to see if it's wet- so better to be sure. Get gas in it as soon as possible after that.

Alternatively if you don't care about wasting some fuel.... drain as much water out as you can and then fill the tank with fuel completely...slosh it around really well and drain it out....do that a few times and you should have  the water out ( and maybe even put some dry gas in it on the last fill up or buy Gas with  ethanol in it.) .

[Big Rich]

Could try a bottle of water remover- just dump the bottle in and roll the tank a couple times and pour it out.

To air dry it: try a blow dryer set on it's lowest heat setting. Make a little stand out of a bent up metal coat hanger and aim it inside the filler cap.

[tt_four]

One thing I did to get the rest out was jam a towel most of the way in the filler cap hole, flip the tank upside down and shake it around a bit. The rag would rest against the top of the tank and as you shook it around it would collect the little bits of water that you can reach anywhere else. Just make sure you keep a grip on a corner of the towel so you can pull it back out.

Other than that, you can put some rubbing alcohol inside, shake it up, drain what you can, and the alcohol will help dry the rest of the tank out.

[Jared]

Rich, Dry gas is water remover ( also used  as  fuel line antifreeze ). It's alchohol...  ethanol in some brands isopropyl  in others...

Yes a hairdryer works fine.... still need to roll the tank around while drying it-it will dry faster if you can spread it out ( more surface area ).
That's how I dry the tanks when I do  the POR-15 sealant jobs.

Buddha has mentioned running car exhaust ( warmed up car ) through them too as a method for drying.

[Big Rich]

Ya, sorry Jared. I was thinking of the bottles at Autozone that are specifically called Water Remover. But you're right, it's all the same.

[Jared]

It's all good - Whatever they can do to sell more stuff at the parts store....No need to be sorry -I was bored  and posting....

[scottychop]

Anyone ever tried evapo-rust?