003A fuel tank question

[Ray Cook]

Good evening, everyone.

I'm preparing the fuel tank for the Caswell epoxy treatment. I think I have it sufficiently degreased inside, but I still have white spots in there I can see. I'm guessing this is residual algae. Before I go on to acid etching and such, what will get rid of the white crap? Thanks in advance!

 

[Chainbreaker]

What size & shape are the white spots you are seeing... pin head, pencil eraser, or larger? Round or irregular?

It could be algae or perhaps pitting of interior tank metal. Biodiesel will interact & attack various metals. I seem to recall tin lead is on the list among other metals that Biodiesel doesn't play well with.

When I cleaned out my -002a tanks I first soaked with purple power cleaner overnight, rinsed and then ran some other household cleaners. After that I used my 4000 psi pressure washer with one of those rotating tip heads (used for cleaning patio's/decks etc.) inside the tank opening & angled it around. It blasted the inside fairly well. I then poured some acetone in it & shook it around to remove anything missed and also remove any water moisture.

In another one of my fuel tanks I put in some abrasive fill sand and strapped the tank to my rear tractor tire & drove around for 15 - 30 minutes so it would scrub the inside to remove any crud & then used cleaners. Both, methods worked quite well.

I had some other brand tank coating (Red Kote I think) but didn't use it after I read the fine print on it saying; from memory... it was not intended for use in diesel tanks due to difficulty in 100% paraffin removal and the coating could come off & do damage to fuel system components.

However, its now been about 4 yrs and the inside of the tanks need a full scrub treatment again . I'm thinking this time I going to do the tank coating anyway despite the mfg's CYA warning and just make sure I do a very thorough job.

 

[Light in the Dark]

All things being equal... I would dump the steel tank and work up something aluminum in its place with custom mounting. Like this for example:

5 Gallon 12x8x12 Aluminum Tank

Product Number: 11018Tank Dimensions: 12"L x 8"W x 12"H Tank Footprint: 15"L x 8" W Tank Overall Height W/CAP: 14"Tank Thickness: 1/8"Material Grade: 5052 Mill AluminumApprox Weight: 10 lbsTank Baffles: NOFill Cap: Based on SelectionVent: CapDraw: 3/8" NPT Pickup TubeReturn: 3/8" NPTDrain: 3/8...

fueltankparts.com

Will never have to mess with it again.

 

[Ray Cook]

What size & shape are the white spots you are seeing... pin head, pencil eraser, or larger? Round or irregular?
They're little bitty spots, a bit bigger than pin heads, and mostly round.
It could be algae or perhaps pitting of interior tank metal.

 

[Ray70]

I think you are fine. the tank is plated ( barely ) so you will see some discolorations from the zinc, as long as it is clean, dry and no loose rust you will be fine.
I always etched them with metal prep or phosphoric acid.
The center of the tank has a wall across it anyway so you can't access the other side very well anyway.
I have done several 003 tanks with the caswell epoxy.
I would suggest keeping everything at 70F prior to and during application. If using the clear epoxy you should be good "as-mixed" but if using one of the colored ones you may want to add a little bit of acetone Per the directions to thin in slightly to help get it through the hole faster and into the far side behind the separator wall. For some reason the colors seem thicker than the clear one.
Then just systematically tilt it one direction, let it all flow, tilt another direction and let it all flow. Continue until it really starts to thicken up good, otherwise you will wind up with a lot on the bottom.
If you have any pin holes, cover them with tape on the outside first.
Before leaving it to cure overnight, try to clean out all the threads as best as you can.

 

[glcaines]

My 003A tank was a real mess when I got my genset. I put crushed gravel inside with dawn dish detergent and shook it. I wish I had thought of putting it on a wheel and driving - that would have been much easier. I kept repeating with the dawn and gravel and got out everything I could after many drains and refills. Once I got to where the water draining was clear, I quit. The baffle made cleaning the tank very difficult. I've been using the tank with no liner for over 10 years now and it has never leaked. I bought an NOS tank in perfect condition about two years ago from someone on SS as a spare but have never used it. One thing I do is keep my tank virtually completely full up to the cap so that moist air never gets in until I run it and have to vent the tank. I also run my genset regularly for both PM reasons and sometimes frequent utility power failures.