I’m not sure I understand the question so I’ll cover both of what I think the answers could be. The rod is steel all thread and the solution is water and a couple cups of arm and hammer washing powder.
I don’t know about the amps administered from a battery charger but typically they’re not high. If you were doing this with a car battery you would probably have the same success a but with less voltage it might take longer. Leaving a charger attached to a car battery would probably be a good way around it though. Someone who’s tried this feel free to chime in.
that tank looks amazing, i was going to use muratic acid, but this looks a lot safer and the results are fantastic. i know i can't use stainless steel, but is galvanized safe?
I don’t know if the tank was galvanized or not but given the amount of corrosion inside I highly doubt it. The sacrificial rod I used may have had some galvanized coating on it but again it was all thread so I doubt that as well. I would avoid galvanized rod for the sacrificial element but someone else more knowledgeable might chime in here.
The key for me was a pressure washer in the beginning and then to keep cleaning the rod off - the last few times with a pressure washer. Patience - I probably repeated this process 5 or 6 times before I was done. I wish I had a video of what I began with. This process will dislodge rust and attract it to the anode. It will not replace pitted or damaged metal so a tank re-conditioner may be needed depending on the amount of damage/rust found after. Good Luck!
@@ccathey3934 I assume I will out grow the one gallon plastic tank at some point. So a tank install is my future. Not to soon need to finish welding in the trunk. Out of two tanks one was holding 10 gallons of some vintage cologne, 1990s I believe, the other was dry. Good odds one will work. I have used rocks in motorcycle and mower tanks with success to remove the varnish. I would think I need a vibrating compactor to get the same action on a 20 gallon tank.
@@67VentWindow Good luck - there are lots of methods out there that work. I did not use abrasive media on mine because it wasn't needed - I started with dish soap and pressure washing and that cut the varnish pretty well. I know some will not be as lucky.
I’m not well-versed in the science but the rust is displaced from the surface it’s on and travels to the sacrificial rod. Making it a magnet for rust of sorts but I don’t think it magnetized the rod.
@@ccathey3934 white vinegar it takes many many days just to get surface rust off if you did it within just a few hours that's very surprising. This acid literally is the real deal and I'm telling you it will eat that rust right before your eyes and it doesn't take hours it just dissolves it within seconds not minutes you can watch the rust be eating up on contact
@@TIHIS after that acid treatment the steel is way more prone to rust again, because the ability to accumulate oxygen atoms again in the surface of the steel is enhanced. electrolysis is a good and soft procedure in the long run
How tall are you? He' showing you his way of doing it! If you like another way of doing it, go watch those videos. I would bet good money that all that criticized the video are shorter than 5'6" In case you don't get it, short men are A$$holes! I believe you are both!
this only works if you have a rectangular fuel tank in the cab (Trucks) ..if you have flat (horizontal fuel tanks ....as most CARS do ...THIS VIDEO DOES NOT APPLY!!..so needless to say Your Video Subject Title of "Old school trick to clean a rusted out gas tank." is very, very MISLEADING!!
What is it with you people. He' showing you his way of doing it! If you like another way of doing it, go watch those videos. I would bet good money that all that criticized the video are shorter than 5'6" In case you don't get it, short men are A$$holes!
I did this to my engine block as well, hung the block in a plastic 200ltr drum, a sacrificial anoide from rio bar, and washing powder, cleaned it perfect, machine shop was impressed 👌
Hmmm interesting chemistry tank cleaning. I’m not sure if I am that patient. I have used muriatic acid on my old rv fuel tank but after it was clean bare metal I used the por tank clean to prevent flash rust then por fuel tank sealer, and coated the entire interior and por claims it will never rust again.
Great video and it sure looks like an excellent way to get the rust out, but I have some questions. 1.What were the proportions of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda Detergent Booster did you use per gallon ? 2. Would a length of carbon steel pipe work in place of the All Thread Rod ? 3. Do you know if this method would remove any old varnished gas along with the rust too ?
It’s been a while but I remember a cup or so for for ten gallons of water, I don’t believe the solution was super important . don’t know that the rod is super critical either, as long as it’s conductive and NOT stainless. I don’t think the solution was intended for degreasing or cleaning, just to facilitate the process of electrolysis. I did use dish soap and a pressure washer before I started the de-rusting with pretty good results. Thanks for watching!
@@warrenpeas If you mean only vinegar and not the electrolysis process, I think so. I have not used vinegar for rust removal but believe it works. I know there are lots of YT videos on it. I would not use vinegar in the electrolysis process - simply because I have no idea what it would do. It would also take a large amount (my tank was 19 gallons). Thanks for watching!
Looking for a way to do the inside of a 40 gal propane tank,,looks like this will work fairly well,,heck of a lot less expensive than 40 gal or vinegar
Cost wise it would be fairly effective since you only fill the tank with solution once . That’s a larger tank than I am used to but the principal still the same if it’s Steel and Rusty this process will take that rust off. Coding the tank afterwards would probably be a good idea, I used marvels mystery oil and I’m not sure that’s the best -there are several coatings out there. Frankly I was worried that coatings wouldn’t stay adhered ,flake off and plug up my fuel filter. thanks for watching!
Yes, DO NOT use any stainless, as the electrolysis will produce (I thinK) hexavalent chromium, which is ~really~ bad for you. Remember the Erin Brokovich movie? The poor guy that was cleaning those PG&E ponds was wading through that stuff.
HMmmm - all the rust is gone - but - no mention of anything further. Bare steel lightly coated wit WD-40 or Mystery Oil only stays protected until the gasoline dissolves it and carries it away. The rusting will start again as soon as atmospheric humidity condenses inside the tank. You probably should have at least mentioned in more detail what follows next.
You can get special fuel tank paint that goes inside the tank after you have cleaned it out. You basically slosh it inside and then pour out the excess
That’s correct. I would expect it to last at least as long as it did - which is about 50 years. I’ll risk it. As mentioned below or elsewhere in this comment section, there are several products available to coat your tank with. Feel free. I chose not to mainly due to poor experience with what’s out there now. Last time I coded the tank after this the coding didn’t stick and made a bigger mess than it was worth. I’m not sure if that was application error or just a poor product but it left an impression on me that I haven’t shaken. I’m not concerned with coating tanks anymore. Thanks for watching!
This was a section of 3/8" all thread STEEL rod. DO NOT USE STAINLESS FOR YOUR SACRIFICIAL ROD!!!! The pvc cap I drilled out kept the end from touching and grounding out. The rubber hose does the same at the top. THANKS FOR WATCHING!!!
@@jayvalentin018 the end cap was a pvc plastic pipe cap that was drilled out to slip the all thread. I then sandwiched it between two nuts on the end of the all thread. The cupped part was facing out and covered the rod end and nut. Worked great!
I wish that we could have seen the inside before you did all of this. It'd help me to know what you started with. Anyway ... Thanks for showing how to do this. I've been cited by the damned CODE ENFORCEMENT in my city for having a vehicle that has tags that are expired. Someone (probably one of my god-damned neighbors) called them, so I've got to get it running and get it inspected by the upcoming Court Date. So, I thank you for showing how to siphon the gas. I sure hope that I can figure it out and get my vehicle inspected by the date they gave me.
Wish we would have gotten some "before" shots as well. It was one of those things that Cam was doing, then thought, "maybe I should record this". For the record it was pretty rusted, but still had metal left. Sorry to hear about your code enforcement issue. Hope you get it to pass inspection in time!!!
throw a cup or so of Arm & Hammer "household cleaner & laundry booster - super washing soda" (common - find it near laundry soap in walmart or amazon)... it should be cheap and easy to find.
I highly doubt it but i suppose it is possible. I would search for a shop specializing in restorations, they would be experienced in saving hard to find or obsolete parts. Fuel tanks will always be the Achilles heel of older vehicles. Restoration of fuel tanks is a difficult process, and the aftermarket has stepped up to SOME of the supply need. To be fair, I got lucky with a solid tank that had non-structural surface rust on the interior. Results vary with the amount of damage done/rust involved. THANKS FOR WATCHING!!!
Thanks! I'm doing this to a 64 vette tank. Quick question, since you had the electrode coming out the side of the tank, there was still part of the tank that wouldn't have been filed with the solution since it was higher then the inlet you used. How did that come out? Did you flip it or deal with that rust in a different way?
The angle of the tank and the volume of liquid inside the tank are about the only way you can guarantee that it is completely coated with the cleaning solution/“reached” by the electrolysis .The top of my tank wasn’t bad so I didn’t worry as much about it but it wasn’t completely full to the point that it was coming out of the top fill.
I think rebar would probably be good. The only thing you have to make sure of is that you’re able to isolate it from the surface you are cleaning. A rubber cap of some type or a rubber sleeve would probably do fine. Don’t use anything you care about because the process eats your rod.
Well Doc, thanks for spending that entire 6 whole minutes of additional time watching it. We greatly appreciate your viewership. Please like and subscribe so we can attempt to waste more of your time! Have a great day and keep spreading that positive joy throughout the world!! Peace and God be with you my friend!
