Alternative to acid cleaner?

Discussion in 'Tanker, Bulk and Dump Trucking Forum' started by Lazer, Oct 30, 2020.

  1. Lazer

    Lazer Road Train Member

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    Hey all, what’s a poor mans alternative to the acid for exterior cleaning of fuel tanks, and other alum/stainless tanks?
    Here is W Texas the water is soooo hard and full of minerals, everything has a dingy grey after power washing. Any ideas would be grateful.
     
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  3. Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    Citrus may take some of the discoloration out and won’t make it bright white like acid. I think pricing for that at the truck wash is about the same as acid though.
     
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  4. RockinChair

    RockinChair Road Train Member

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    Maybe try CLR or vinegar?
     
  5. Lazer

    Lazer Road Train Member

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    Was thinking that, have a whole 9200 gal trailer that’s dingy has all heck.
    Has anybody tried automatic dishwasher tabs dissolved in water?
     
  6. RockinChair

    RockinChair Road Train Member

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    Back when I used to haul fuel one of our senior drivers used jeweler's rouge and a high-speed buffer on his trailer. It looked really really good, but I doubt you want to spend that kind of time on yours.
     
  7. 650cat425

    650cat425 Road Train Member

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    The tanks on the Mrs's truck get acid about twice a year. The rest of the time, i spray them with Simple Green and let it soak for a while, then scrub some with the wash brush and rinse slowly with the pressure washer. They stay looking pretty nice just doing that every week or two.
     
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  8. SmallPackage

    SmallPackage Road Train Member

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    The elderly ‘22 Alcoa lock ring tube types on my old Diamond T were acid washed and polished years ago by some guy my uncle paid. They were not removed from the truck for years. When I took them off 2 years ago the unwashed acid had eaten the aluminum on the rear inners. No way i’d do that again.
    34455015-CC6F-4CC9-8579-895A4F2B9678.jpeg
    382A02F1-65D0-4BA1-AC1C-B3F0DCF120A2.jpeg
     
  9. wis bang

    wis bang Road Train Member

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    That's not acid damage, Caustic/lye [base] solutions eat aluminum like that.

    Aluminum brightener usually has hydrofluoric acid sometimes mixed with Nitric acid.
     
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  10. SmallPackage

    SmallPackage Road Train Member

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    Any thoughts on were it might of come from? Could the guy have used some homemade witches brew? It has been a mystery to me because there was bluish-green in color spots everywhere streaked in like it had been sprayed on or carried there by moisture. Also another crazy thing is and I can get a pic later if needed is the aluminum bead flange is jacking and peeling in layers between the tire and wheel lip like a piece of corregated cardboard. These wheels are 1951’s but are forged and it’s odd how they seperated in layers like that. It happened very slowly and may still be.
    As far as I know no chemicals could have gotten to it were it was parked except maybe some airbourne fertilizer vapors for a short term.
     
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  11. wis bang

    wis bang Road Train Member

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    Many cleaners are caustic based [sodium hypochlorite/potassium hypochlorite] and will eat aluminum. Who knows what solutions were used over the years.

    Tankers are often in cleaning racks that use caustic as a cleaning solution and are driven thru puddles of dubious concentrations

    Perhaps the guy was a regular at the Streakin Beacon...
     
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  12. SmallPackage

    SmallPackage Road Train Member

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    D442D697-BF87-493E-B031-8D6EC703A4F8.jpeg
    C9A994E3-9952-4D65-A57A-65E113F925A5.jpeg
    This is what I was discribing. It seems that only one out of 6 is doing it like this in 3 different spots. On the bottom pic that one spot looks like it is cracked through but that is just a hammer mark from a tire man with a bad aim.
    I figure the chemical must have gotten in between the wheel and tire bead and tube flap somehow. Tire coulda been flat at that time. Who knows.
     
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