Fibreglass Tank Cleaning

[boleropilot]

g'day youse mob - the Drifter is getting closer to getting airborne, now I'm making sure I'm ticking ALL the boxes..

 

the top tank has sat empty (3 years plus - I know, I know) but the bottom tank has about 5 litres of two stroke mix in it

 

anybody with experience in this area got some advice of what I should do after draining that old fuel out? I will be replacing all the fuel lines and fuel filters, plus taking the fuel pumps apart to check for issues...I'm just worried about any possible residue in both tanks

 

cheers

 

BP

 

 

[onetrack]

Carburettor and Throttle Body cleaner works well on cleaning up the gum, varnish, and other nasty deposits, associated with old fuel remnants.

 

 

[boleropilot]

thanks onetrack, the top tank should be ok and I should be able to remove the drain cock on the lower tank then spray the carb cleaner through the hole....

 

BP

 

 

[boleropilot]

come to think of it, I can remove the outlet hose from the top tank and spray 'liberally' in there as well...

 

 

[Downunder]

Don't get the overspray on anthing else.... especially your screen.

 

 

[boleropilot]

ok, thanks m8 - screen is off so I'll move it well away

 

BP

 

 

[cscotthendry]

Carburettor and Throttle Body cleaner works well on cleaning up the gum, varnish, and other nasty deposits, associated with old fuel remnants.

onetrack: Is that stuff safe in a fibreglass tank?

 

 

[onetrack]

cscotthendry - Ahhhh. Very good point. Carburettor and Throttle Body cleaners do vary in their constituents, according to the brand/manufacturer.

 

The ones I have seen that list the constituents, state that they contain varying levels of acetone, xylol and toluene. All of these are known to be fairly strong solvents, that can attack the gel coat of fibreglass.

 

I will have to qualify my statement by saying that anyone contemplating the use of Carburettor and Throttle Body cleaner on fibreglass, is well advised to do a test of the product somewhere on the exterior of the fibreglass, to determine how aggressively it attacks the gelcoat. I have had varying reports from a number of friends and associates - some who say it has little effect, and others who say it is highly undesirable to use it on fibreglass. This may be due to the different brands used.

 

My technique for cleaning items with C&TB cleaner is to spray the item with a modest amount of the cleaner, then blow the item down with compressed air.

 

However, I must confess, I have never tried to clean fibreglass with C&TB cleaner - normally only diecast items and metal and rubber lines.

 

However, if the C&TB cleaner isn't left to linger on the fibreglass, and is rapidly blown off with air, I would imagine there would be little damage to the gelcoat.

 

Only a test run with the C&TB cleaner would provide the answer as regards any gelcoat damage.

 

 

[SDQDI]

Would it not be a safer option to just give it a good rinse with a fair amount of premium unleaded?

 

 

[boleropilot]

yeah SQ, reckon I'll do that and check the result very carefully...

 

BP

 

 

[onetrack]

The problems with regards to stale fuel that has been allowed to evaporate is that the old fuel often leaves brown and white residues, as well as sticky gums and varnish.

 

Ordinary unleaded petrol won't remove these deposits, that's why C&TB cleaner was invented. You need a solvent to remove the fuel tank residues, and to clean out the lines, or you'll end up with a fuel blockage down the track.

 

The secret is to find a C&TB cleaner that has the right mix of solvents that will remove fuel residue without seriously dissolving the fibreglass gelcoat.

 

The other angle is to ensure that excessive amounts of the fuel solvent doesn't stay in contact with the gelcoat for an extended period of time, whereby it would certainly damage the gelcoat.

 

Another couple of alternatives to C&TB cleaner would be straight ethanol or alcohol - but some C&TB cleaners probably already have a % of ethanol or alcohol in them.

 

Do not use methanol in any form, this will definitely destroy the gelcoat. Avoid any C&TB cleaner that indicates the product contains methanol.

 

MSDS sheets will generally provide the list of ingredients in a product, if they're not listed on the product container.

 

Another alternative product to try, would be the citrus oil cleaners, such as Oomph - available from Bunnings. Citrus oil cleaners contain terpenes, which are an organic solvent, and they are very effective at cleaning up gummy, sticky deposits.

 

Residual terpenes pose no problem with fuel contamination or combustion, they will burn easily and readily - and in fact, experiments have been carried out using pure terpenes as fuels, with highly satisfactory results.

 

 

[facthunter]

I would be scared as hell at removing some of the surface of the inner part of the tank. Fibres can clog filters and have done that before with glass tanks. Nev

 

 

[onetrack]

Here are some MSDS's on the various C&TB cleaners. The manufacturers are coy on the precise percentages of the individual ingredients, indicating that they may possibly vary from batch to batch.

 

Nulon C&TB cleaner - On page 2, the list says the product contains toluene to the order of 30-60%, acetone to the order of 10-30%, and methanol to the order of 10-30%.

 

I would avoid using this product on fibreglass.

 

http://jr.chemwatch.net/CWWS/MaterialService.svc/GetMsdsByOldExternalUrl?&mode=SAP&passop=checkpass&user=nulon&pwd=MSDS000&cwno=51693&msdsformat=GHS&db=own&onlyfirst=1

 

MotorOne (M1) C&TB cleaner - On page 1, the list says the product contains toluene to the order of 30-60%, alcohol to the order of 10-30%, and acetone to the order of 30-60%.

 

This appears to be a milder C&TB cleaner with no methanol.

 

http://www.motorone.com/assets/MSDS/Service-Solutions/NIX1T-M1-CARBURETTOR-THROTTLE-BODY-CLEANER.pdf

 

CRC C&TB cleaner - On page 2, the list says this product is 80-90% acetone, 5-10% carbon dioxide, and a small percentage of other hydrocarbon chemicals that include toluene up to 3%.

 

So, this product is nearly all acetone with minor amounts of other hydrocarbon solvents.

 

http://docs.crcindustries.com/msds/5078.pdf

 

Zenox C&TB cleaner - On page 2, the list says this product is 20 to 40% acetone, 20 to 40% toluene, 20 to 30% butane, 10 to 30% methanol, and under 10% propane. Propane is more than likely the propellant.

 

This product would be undesirable to use on fibreglass.

 

http://www.zenox.com.au/update/New_sds_21_2_17/CARBIE AEROSOL.pdf

 

CRC Clean-R-Carb - On page 2, the list says this product contains 30-60% MEK (methyl ethyl ketone), 30-60% toluene, and 10-30% LPG (usually propane and butane, with propane in the largest amount).

 

As this product contains MEK, a common and well-known fibreglass solvent, DO NOT use this product on fibreglass tanks.

 

https://www.crcindustries.com.au/assets/files/msds/CRC CLEAN R CARB 5081 GHS.pdf

 

I cannot find any MSDS on the Supercheap (SCA) brand of C&TB cleaner, so I have no idea what it contains.

 

I have some cans of this in my shop and it doesn't even tell you the ingredients on the can - all of which, is of concern from a safety and use angle.

 

Be very aware that all of the above are highly volatile and hazardous products and they must only be used in well-ventilated areas, where there are no sources of ignition for drifting vapours.

 

Sources of ignition around work areas, are often not recognised - and items such as cheap power tools with sparky brushes, gas fridges, butane torches and soldering irons, battery and charger connection and disconnection, and even bench grinders, all pose a serious risk for volatile vapour ignition.

 

 

[Methusala]

I naturally drift towards suspicion when confronted with desires to make something appear "as clean as new". Fuels contain a varied cocktail of ingredients, some of which will act as natural dyes. Good quality high volume filters, monitored regularly and changed as required should keep the fuel flowing with minimal chance of contamination downstream of the filters.

 

 

[Hughesy]

g'day youse mob - the Drifter is getting closer to getting airborne, now I'm making sure I'm ticking ALL the boxes..the top tank has sat empty (3 years plus - I know, I know) but the bottom tank has about 5 litres of two stroke mix in it

 

anybody with experience in this area got some advice of what I should do after draining that old fuel out? I will be replacing all the fuel lines and fuel filters, plus taking the fuel pumps apart to check for issues...I'm just worried about any possible residue in both tanks

 

cheers

 

BP

Could you use vinegar.? I’ve used it successfully on old Porsche fuel tanks with complex baffling

Just a thought

 

 

[boleropilot]

hey thanks for all the input guys, much appreciated...just got the tank back from the fabricator with the fuel gauge sender fitted - looks brilliant, but I shooda got a firm quote = ouch says my wallet (dumbo, says me missus)

 

basically I'm leaning toward the more benign options like vinegar, citrus oil cleaners, etc. hey Hughesy, what's the deal with vinegar?

 

one other thing I saw on a forum is stuff called 'denatured alcohol' - which apparently is methylated spirits - surely that has to be on the list?

 

cheers,

 

BP

 

 

[Hughesy]

Gday bolero

 

Try soaking an old rusty tool tool over night. Brings it right back.

 

The acidic nature of vinegar gently dislodges any rust and gunk.

 

If you have an old kettle that’s blackened on the inside over time Cut a lemon up and put it in the kettle and bring it to boil for a few minutes and then have a look at how clean and pristine inside the Kettle is the lemon acid gently removes all the buildup it’s pretty much the same when you use vinegar in a tank but you may have to leave it in there for a while and slush it around

 

Cheers. Hughesy

 

 

[geoffreywh]

Lots of mentions of solvents attacking gelcoat....But I never saw a fibreglass fuel tank with gel coat on the inside!....Or on the outside for that matter....Gelcoat is far too prone to cracking to put it anywhere near fuel tanks.Unfortunately I never found, in my life as a bike mech, any solvent that would remove green evaporated fuel residue. I would lean toward the citrus types (Big Kev's goo remover!) and a large washable filter.....