Gas tank cleaning question

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N0rt0nelectr@

N0rt0nelectr@

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At one time if you needed to clean out a gas tank you took it to a radiator shop and they would dip it in their tank of some caustic solution. Now days with the advent of plastic radiators that option has gone away. I have an Interstate tank that had been Kreemed in it's past. I tried to run it but the Kreem dissolved and the tank started to leak. There is a place in Ft. Worth that does the cleaning but won't do motorcycle gas tanks, some bad experience with a customer I'm sure.
So I have been on line looking and came across Fuel Tank Lining Service in Ft. Lauderdale. I have spoken to them and they claim that they can do it without damaging the paint. My question is has anyone in the group ever use their service and what is your take on them?

Thanks for your insight.
John in Texas
 
Acetone also dissolves fiberglass resin. In fact most any chemical that'll get the Kreem out will probably be dangerous to the tank too.
 
Is it a fiberglass tank? That's going to really limit your options. If you get the Kreem out, I'd reseal it with the POR15 kit.
 
Check Out GTL Advantage.

gastanklining.com

They coated my fiberglass Interstate tank and did a good job. Didn't need to remove an old coating, but they do that as well. It appeared to me that motorcycle tanks were their main business.
 
Why are we off on fiberglass tanks? Op never said he had a fiberglass tank. If he has a steel tank there are chemicals to remove it. Acetone is probably a bit more user friendly and I would try it first. If it doesn't work as someone suggested MEK should if it can be obtained. If the tank is leaking he will have to use some sort of sealer. I've had good luck with POR15. Did a tank almost 20 years ago and its had e10 gas in it everyday since with no breakdown. I've also done tanks with Caswell and Bill Hirsch sealers. Both have worked well but I found the Caswell was a bit thick and was hard to get an even coat. The Bill Hirsch was very thin and hard to built up a thicker layer.
 
I assumed the OP had a fiberglass tank because I've never heard of anyone using Kreem on a steel tank.
I have Bill Hirsch's stuff in my steel 74 Roadster tank. No rust in 20 years.
 
First, it is a steel Interstate tank and I have tried acetone. The Kreem was put in years ago and the tank was never used after that. With a 6.5 gal tank getting all the Kreem out is tough especially over the tunnel and inside top.
Is gastanklining.com out of Ft. Lauderdale? If so what do you think of them and their service? If I go this route I will give a full report to the forum.
Thank you all for your input on my dilemma. It would be nice if the company that make the replacement Roadster tanks did Interstate ones too.
Cheers
John in Texas
 
I suggest you Google cleaning petrol tanks and do a DI Y using a battery , sacrificial lode ( a bar of metal) and water with swimming pool cleaner.
You'll be suprised what comes out.
 
I use the following procedure to clean all old coatings from the tank prior to applying my choice of sealer, Caswell Dragon’s Blood (I like the idea of the red colour, as it would be easy to spot if there is ever an issue in the future)
Bear in mind that just the fumes will strip paint though, so you’ll need to respray the outside of the tank after.

I have done quite a few tanks now (steel and aluminium), and it works every time:
I use 2.5 litres neat Dichloromethane (also known as methylene chloride) together with a handful of plasterboard (drywall) screws.
Be sure to count how many screws are going in - you can then make sure you have the same number when you tip them out after!!!
You can buy this on eBay, and it’s the good stuff that they took out of Nitromoors (and other brands) paint stripper a few years back.

Seal up well (I use a cork bung) and shake vigorously, turning the tank regularly to agitate different areas of the tank.
Leave overnight in a well ventilated area.
Return the next day and do the same shaking procedure again (the fumes will have worked their magic overnight)

Tip the Dichloromethane back into the can (you can reuse it again and again if you filter out the contaminants (I use muslin cloth as a filter))
Rinse with lots of soap and water.
Then stick a hosepipe in the top and let it run for a while (I additionally agitate the water with an airline, and it lifts any final bits of the tank sealer as well as makes sure there is no paint stripper left anywhere inside)

Then, as a final clean (and to get the water out), swill around plenty of acetone in the tank - you can then apply your replacement tank seal, or treat with anti-rust treatment (or whatever else you plan to do)

I’m sure plenty have their own process, but this is what works for me.


EDIT: by the way, my choice in chemicals was prescribed by Caswell themselves when they advised me on how to remove a Caswell coating from my tank that had been previously applied by one of their recommended experts here in the UK.
He had not done the mandatory prep work, and we believe there was still petrol residue that had not been cleaned out properly.

The same method and mixture also works with the milky white coating that was popular in the 70s and 80s so that’s what I’ve stuck with,
 
Last edited:
I had no liner to remove & luckily no leaks to patch, so acetone & the electrolysis saved the day for me.
 
N0rt0nelectr@ said:
Is gastanklining.com out of Ft. Lauderdale? If so what do you think of them and their service? If I go this route I will give a full report to the forum.
Cheers
John in Texas
Click to expand...
GTL Advantage (gastanklining.com) is in Los Angeles. I think they did a good job. I haven't put many miles on it yet, but visually the job looked superb, both in terms of the internal coating and in protecting my paint job. Service was good too, but I had to wait because they were very busy when I used them late last year.
 
gtiller said:
I use the following procedure to clean all old coatings from the tank prior to applying my choice of sealer, Caswell Dragon’s Blood (I like the idea of the red colour, as it would be easy to spot if there is ever an issue in the future)
Bear in mind that just the fumes will strip paint though, so you’ll need to respray the outside of the tank after.

I have done quite a few tanks now (steel and aluminium), and it works every time:
I use 2.5 litres neat Dichloromethane (also known as methylene chloride) together with a handful of plasterboard (drywall) screws.
Be sure to count how many screws are going in - you can then make sure you have the same number when you tip them out after!!!
You can buy this on eBay, and it’s the good stuff that they took out of Nitromoors (and other brands) paint stripper a few years back.

Seal up well (I use a cork bung) and shake vigorously, turning the tank regularly to agitate different areas of the tank.
Leave overnight in a well ventilated area.
Return the next day and do the same shaking procedure again (the fumes will have worked their magic overnight)

Tip the Dichloromethane back into the can (you can reuse it again and again if you filter out the contaminants (I use muslin cloth as a filter))
Rinse with lots of soap and water.
Then stick a hosepipe in the top and let it run for a while (I additionally agitate the water with an airline, and it lifts any final bits of the tank sealer as well as makes sure there is no paint stripper left anywhere inside)

Then, as a final clean (and to get the water out), swill around plenty of acetone in the tank - you can then apply your replacement tank seal, or treat with anti-rust treatment (or whatever else you plan to do)

I’m sure plenty have their own process, but this is what works for me.


EDIT: by the way, my choice in chemicals was prescribed by Caswell themselves when they advised me on how to remove a Caswell coating from my tank that had been previously applied by one of their recommended experts here in the UK.
He had not done the mandatory prep work, and we believe there was still petrol residue that had not been cleaned out properly.

The same method and mixture also works with the milky white coating that was popular in the 70s and 80s so that’s what I’ve stuck with,
Click to expand...

Grant, The EPA banned consumer sales of all products containing methylene Chloride in March, 2019, so the "man on the street" can't buy it, or products that contain it. It's still available for industrial use, by businesses. You have to fill out a form to buy it, though. Have you purchased any in the past 18 months? If so, where?
Charlie K
 
htown16 said:
Is it a fiberglass tank? That's going to really limit your options. If you get the Kreem out, I'd reseal it with the POR15 kit.
Click to expand...

Any recommendations on cleaning out an old fiberglass Roadster tank? I'd say it's sat indoors unused for at least 10 years. Also need to clean out a steel Roadster tank that has sat outside for an unknown number of years? The paint is faded, but the tank/cap/petcocks look OK from the outside.

Have you done many reseals using POR15?

Charlie K
 
@chaztuna the three places I use here in the UK are:


You have to register with them, and depending on what you are purchasing you’ll need to sign an online declaration form which describes how you will be using and storing your purchase.

I used to buy from Darrant Chemicals (Darrant Distribution Ltd) but they went out of business last year.

You can also buy most of the things you’d need from paint suppliers too - although their price markup is usually astronomical!
 
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