Vinegar to clean rusted tanks?

[Simon.Gardiner]

Certainly wasn't using kitchen vinegar - it was whatever's supposed to be the 'good stuff' - white vinegar?
Anyway, I've crossed vinegar off my list of useful rust removers forever.
I'd recommend citric acid (very good, very cheap and easy to get), molasses solution (the best so far but takes rather a long time!) or phosphoric as long as you don't have anything badly pitted (in my experience phosphoric doesn't get into the pits in the same way as citric does, for some reason - but phosphoric does seem to leave behind a hard phosphate coat which seems to work pretty well as an etch prime).

SG

[john.whiting]

Its a lot quicker to use something inside the tank ......bigger square nuts first,for the heavy rust,then 1/4" square nuts and short screws,then wood screws,finish up with tacks which get into all the tight spots (heavy rust in seams,2 inch nails)......Tank clean to bare metal insides in 1/2 hr,and its good exercise.

[KevinSandford]

Best stuff I've used is the deruster sold separately as part of the POR15 tank sealing process.
Tried the electrolysis method and found that to be utterly useless.

[JohnnyBeckett]

hi i have done my tanks with the POR15 3 part kit and i have been very happy with the cleaning and the sealing of the tanks

[john.whiting]

People tell me the Evaporust solution is as good as the claims.....but here its $100 for 4.0 l (a US gallon),so I wont be trying any at this time.(or any other time either)

[JohnnyBeckett]

hi if you need things that work it does not comes cheap if you want to do a good job that lasts, and i do not try and cut corners doing it i know a lot say that it is dear, POR15 is not cheap but i think it does work if you do it properly

[ianstephens]

I recently cleaned out my petrol tank (which had rust and the remains of an old tank liner in there) using Molasses which worked extremely well.

I was worried about damaging the chrome and paint work so used this method after reading an article by Allen Millyard. 2 parts molasses to 6 parts water, leave to soak in the tank for at least two weeks and then washout.

Hope this helps!

[MikeHenstock]

I'm also looking to de rust the bottom of my tank (NH). Have looked into the POR15 treatment/liner kit but am also worried about damaging the paint so considering light acid treatments (citric/vinegar/molasses etc). I don't see much mention in this or other forums of products like the one in the following pic, is there some reason why this wouldn't be suitable for treating rust inside a tank? It looks like it works quite quickly and is mild on paint.

[john.whiting]

If you do buy Evaporust,be aware some of the stuff on sale is diluted solution,not the concentrate,and so dont get cheated on price......One chemical Ive heard mentioned is methyl salicylate ,called oil of wintergreen ,said by some to be very effective , however its very poisonous to cats and dogs.(for the same reason aspirin is).

[MikeHenstock]

John, thanks for that. Subject to not getting a watered down version do you know is it likely to be effective (kill the rust / stop it contaminating the fuel after being flushed out) and not eat the good metal or the paint? Tank doesn't seem to be leaking so I don't think it needs a liner.