TR2/3/3A Cleaning a gas tank with muriatic acid....

[karls59tr]

...how long do you let it sit before it does it's work?...I diluted a 4 litre jug ...4 parts water to 1 part acid....took safety precautions.

 

[DornTRoriginal]

I bought a Eastwood gas tank cleaning and sealing kit and the instructions say to use a diluted muriatic solution3 ozs. MA to 60 ozs. water to make 1/2 gallon of 20:1 water to MA solution. "slosh" on all internal surfaces (approx. 5 to 10 minutes) repeat until all rust is gone. I have decided not to use the sealer since my tank looks pretty good.

 

[poolboy]

Was this for rust treatment ?

 

[Brinkerhoff]

With a muriatic acid solution you'll need to fill the tank completely to the lip for it to work properly and let it sit for at least a few full days , flush and repeat with a slightly stronger solution. Just sloshing it around will cause rust to acclerate where it is not completely immersed as it will be exposed to air. Remember it's FeO2 , rust needs oxygen. immersing it allows the acid to reverse the loose bond the rust has with the steel. Always wear a charcoal filtered mask around muriatic acid and have a hose ready to rinse for safety.

 

[tdskip]

Unlike phosphoric acid, doesn't this acid require aggressive neutralization?

 

[karls59tr]

With a muriatic acid solution you'll need to fill the tank completely to the lip for it to work properly and let it sit for at least a few full days , flush and repeat with a slightly stronger solution. Just sloshing it around will cause rust to acclerate where it is not completely immersed as it will be exposed to air. Remember it's FeO2 , rust needs oxygen. immersing it allows the acid to reverse the loose bond the rust has with the steel. Always wear a charcoal filtered mask around muriatic acid and have a hose ready to rinse for safety.

That's good to know. I hadn't filled the tank completely. It's actually a layer of"varnish"?...not so much rust I'm trying to deal with.Not sure if the acid will deal with this but we'll see.Wonder how many of those small baking soda boxes I'm going to need to neutralize the tank. Would it be a good idea to pressure wash inside the tank after this process and dry with compressed air?

 

[Brinkerhoff]

I've been using less aggressive chemicals like Evapo Rust for gas tanks ( I did an MGA and a TC tank last ) for this reason but I think that repeated filling and rinsing of the tank with fresh water should neutralize the acid not to mention that you need to thoroughly rinse all the rust out of the tank . I've used Johnson's tank liner with great results on a freshly cleaned tank.

 

[Brinkerhoff]

MEK solvent will soften varnish in the tank. Follow the safety concerns for a highly flammable solvent. Rinsing the tank with MEK once its been rinsed will prep and dry the inner surface perfectly for a liquid tank liner - like Johnsons.