Cleaning stainless water tank

Post by **ash_on_mtb** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:28 pm

I've dragged out of my shed, an old custom built water tank from my last truck. It sat up behind the rear seats, with cutouts for the wheel arches. Anyway, its sat disused for quite a while now, and I'm putting it back into service. Short of washing out the spiders, what can I do to clean it out?? Its got a very small amount of scale that I can see in it, but was wondering if there is anything I can do to give it a bit of a clean before I take a punt on using it for drinking water...?!

cheers,

Post by **-Scott-** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:30 pm

Post by **super jeep** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:37 pm

use some milton bottle sterilizer to make sure it,s got rid of the nastys before drinking from it.
can you get into it or are you wanting a chemical that will clean on it's own

Post by **ash_on_mtb** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 9:09 pm

chemical I guess, can't get access to clean or inspect. I just don't really know whats in there but it doesn't seem to be too bad, in terms of what washed out. Just a little scale, some cobwebs, that sort of thing.

CLR - isn't that the sort of gear that strips oils stains from concrete? Do I really want to be drinking that...!?

Post by **-Scott-** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 9:22 pm

ash_on_mtb wrote:CLR - isn't that the sort of gear that strips oils stains from concrete? Do I really want to be drinking that...!?

Calcium - Lime - Rust remover. Recommended for coffee pots, amongst other things.

Check the instructions before you buy it?

Post by **super jeep** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:12 pm

i agree with -scott- they recomend clr for shower heads coffee pots so must be safe to a certain extent but once cleaned use the milton sterilizer just to be sure.

Post by **bru21** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:52 pm

I would use a cap full of HCL, then rinse it out. But thats me. Any acid will clean scale - vinegar etc. To sterilize use sodium metabisulphate - not with the acid it will froth.

Post by **want33s** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:59 pm

Bru-21 hit it with Vinegar..

.. Totally natural and harmless.

I'd swill some vinegar round it then rinse with HOT water if possible.

Post by **krusty182** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 1:18 am

I'd be using some "keg and line cleaner" from your local home brewing shop. It's designed to clean and sanitize stainless steel and leave it safe for human consumption.
Cheers

Post by **high n mighty** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:14 am

Steradent

Post by **Patroler** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 6:08 pm

1, Hot water
2, Diverwash vc24
3, Hot water
4, Diversheen 5
5, Hot water

obviously hot water rinses, vc24 is a light slightly basic detergent and divosheen 5 is an acid sanitizer for killing bugs - available from johnsondiversey.

or just give it a good hot soapy rinse (flushing out all traces of soap) and use some baby bottle sanitizer.

And after all that give it a squirt of ethanol - will kill bugs and taste good too (bottle of smirnoff should do)

Post by **ash_on_mtb** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 9:14 pm

Thats the tank, made up a little back rest for it and a bit of ghetto strapping and we'll see how we go for a while. Could do with a bit of a tidy up, but you get the picture. Now just need a little inline pump for it...

Post by **matthewK** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:49 pm

hi pressure water or steamer of som sort

Post by **flylux** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:30 pm

I was helping a guy fit some stainless steel handrails at work the other day and he would use this liquid stuff to clean the welds off after welding it. He wore chemical gloves because he said if it gets in a cut in your hand it will eat your bone away!!!

Post by **Deleted User** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 5:05 am

Bi - Carb Soda ???

Post by **ash_on_mtb** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 5:48 am

did a run with bi carb soda, didn't see much come out which mean a) its pretty clean, or B) its in need of some more horsepower.

I think I'll just run water through it a few times before we start drinking from it... Not sure I want to run the risk of being eaten from the inside out...?! I'd love to run the steamer in there, but can't get access through the top of the tank. Now just need a little low power pump to get the water to the rear tailgate on a momentary switch - pond supplies you reckon??

Post by **KiwiBacon** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 7:40 am

flylux wrote:I was helping a guy fit some stainless steel handrails at work the other day and he would use this liquid stuff to clean the welds off after welding it. He wore chemical gloves because he said if it gets in a cut in your hand it will eat your bone away!!!

That's "pickling paste" It's basically nitric and sulphuric acid in a gel base so it stays put.

Yes very nasty stuff. But cleans stainless welds up so well. As well as the aesthetics of it, it eats out any unprotected steel and stops the weld area from rusting.

Post by **RO8M** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:24 am

KiwiBacon wrote:
flylux wrote:I was helping a guy fit some stainless steel handrails at work the other day and he would use this liquid stuff to clean the welds off after welding it. He wore chemical gloves because he said if it gets in a cut in your hand it will eat your bone away!!!
That's "pickling paste" It's basically nitric and sulphuric acid in a gel base so it stays put.

Yes very nasty stuff. But cleans stainless welds up so well. As well as the aesthetics of it, it eats out any unprotected steel and stops the weld area from rusting.

This. ^^

In the food industry, we have to specify (yep, i'm a draftee) all food contact welds to be cleaned and passivated, the workshop uses the pickling paste as per above, plus other stuff i think... Not too sure, I don't spend enough time down in the shop.

Post by **Patroler** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 12:05 pm

RO8M wrote:
KiwiBacon wrote:
flylux wrote:I was helping a guy fit some stainless steel handrails at work the other day and he would use this liquid stuff to clean the welds off after welding it. He wore chemical gloves because he said if it gets in a cut in your hand it will eat your bone away!!!
That's "pickling paste" It's basically nitric and sulphuric acid in a gel base so it stays put.

Yes very nasty stuff. But cleans stainless welds up so well. As well as the aesthetics of it, it eats out any unprotected steel and stops the weld area from rusting.
This. ^^

In the food industry, we have to specify (yep, i'm a draftee) all food contact welds to be cleaned and passivated, the workshop uses the pickling paste as per above, plus other stuff i think... Not too sure, I don't spend enough time down in the shop.

Yea i'm in the food industry also (which is why i said about the diverwash/diversheen combo which is something we use (with micro swabs to back up effectiveness) to automatically CIP wash - basically flush without mechanically scrubbing for products like caramel, batter, chocolate.) for most other manual cleaning we'd use 70% ethanol in a spray bottle - 70% was shown as the ideal ratio in which the ethanol can break through the cell wall of the microorganism.

As far as food welds go you're right but all the backs of the welds would ideally be purged with argon (if you welded a s/s tube for instance)
And then after it was all pickled, that nasty stuff would be well and truly rinsed off and the assy would be given a squirt with ethanol.

As far as the water tank goes id use ht soapy water (dishwashing liquid) flush all remaining soap residue then hit it with some baby bottle or home brew sanitizer - shouldn't be too bad if its only had water in it though.

Post by **MAVRK-4** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 6:41 pm

I use a product called Tank-Cleen from any Caravan supplies store, worked a treat on my stainlesss tank with no dramas at all.

Have also been recommended the Vinegar and Bi-Carb.

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Cleaning stainless water tank

Cleaning stainless water tank

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