tank cleanin

[Bootlegger]

 Sometime back Marvin Denny posted a formula for cleanin the inside of a fuel tank.
 I am lookin for this formula, or one that will not attack the silicon fuel line in a sealed clunk tank..

  Got any suggestions/ ideas?
 O, the clunk is also sintered bronze.
Thanks

[Brett Buck]

When I construct tanks, I alternate between a 50/50 mix of acetone and lacquer thinner, and a 50/50 mix of soapy water and alcohol. I usually do 3 cycles, shaking vigorously. The final flush with fuel.

    If it's an old tank where you suspect rust, and you think you have to use it (like it is buried in the fuselage), you can use a plumbing "rust dissolver" solution. Not like naval jelly, this stuff mixes with water and you allow it to soak. Get it at the hardware store. Flush it with water/alcohol, then fuel or WD-40 and then fuel, to displace the water.

   One trick that used to work was to leave the tank full of fuel over the winter, but I haven't done that in a long time and have had no issues. Leaking while sitting there for months can be a far bigger problem.

    Brett

[Sean McEntee]

  I've always used the fuel method that Brett mentioned.

  If I haven't run the motor in over a month, I'll fill the tank full and cap it off to sit overnight. The next day I'll remove some fuel,  shake the tank up really good to loosen up any remaining "sludge" and remove the rest.

[frank williams]

Spray some carburetor cleaner into the vents.  Shake periodically for about and hour or so and then rinse with alcohol.

[Peter Grabenstein]

First fill up my (metal) tank with WD 40 and let it sit for a day   to get all the goo lose  .
After I flush them with "Brake Cleaner" from Car Partz,
and again a small amount of WD 40,just to cover inside walls (thin layer).
During this process I do not smoke.
Afterall, allways check for air bubbles (leaks) under water.
Works for me since decades  .

Peter  

 

[Randy Cuberly]

I use Carb cleaner and then alcohol like Frank mentioned above.  It works very well and should not damage the tubing.

I dropped a piece of thin walled silcone tubing in some Carb cleaner and left it there for a couple of hours earlier today and it was undamaged when I removed it and washed it off.

Randy Cuberly