Fuel in Tank/ FIRST POST

[Windy Meadow]

Awesome Site by the way!...I got a 275 gallon steel tank that I don't store fuel in anymore and I was thinking about using it for hauling water..( The tank is empty) Is it possible to get all excess fuel out of it ?? I'm guessing the inside walls are saturated.. Is burning a opinion??

 

[jedstivers]

Just rinse it a few times and use it. Put some Dawn in if you'd like but after a few tanks it should be fine.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Awesome Site by the way!...I got a 275 gallon steel tank that I don't store fuel in anymore and I was thinking about using it for hauling water..( The tank is empty) Is it possible to get all excess fuel out of it ?? I'm guessing the inside walls are saturated.. Is burning a opinion??

Good Lord what ever you do don't try and burn you just created a bomb.

 

[tom4018]

Awesome Site by the way!...I got a 275 gallon steel tank that I don't store fuel in anymore and I was thinking about using it for hauling water..( The tank is empty) Is it possible to get all excess fuel out of it ?? I'm guessing the inside walls are saturated.. Is burning a opinion??

Good Lord what ever you do don't try and burn you just created a bomb.

Agreed. Are you planning on hauling water for livestock to drink? I think how clean you need to get it depends on what you are doing with the water. Some detergents will clean it fairly good. Even a mild acid will help.

 

[Windy Meadow]

Yes it's going be for livestock... I was thinking about burning the excess fuel off the walls of the tank but I guess that's a bad idea LOL.. So all I gotta do is rinse the tank out a few times and it will be safe for the cattle??

 

[Dave]

Years ago a couple guys got killed in my area. They tossed a match into an empty barrel which had been used to store gas. Stick a hose in and let it run for a while.

 

[bbirder]

I think the cows will let you know if it's rinsed clean! :2cents:

 

[cross_7]

When I was a kid we had a trash pit(6' diameter x deep).
It had a grate to burn trash, but the wind was blowing hard so dropped several feed sack down in the hole(not on the grate)
I couldn't get them to burn so poured a little gasoline to help it some
I swear to this day it wasn't much, but I lit the match and dropped her in the hole.
The last thing I remember was the huge fireball hitting me in the face.
When I came to I was flat on my back and the first thing I saw was the tree's were on fire, they were evergreen's but them sob's were on FIRE
It blew the siding off the south side of the house, broke the kitchen window.
We did get the fire put out and didn't lose anything.
I was scorched pretty good, nothing serious but I wasn't allowed to burn trash anymore.

 

[John SD]

My biggest concern would be if the tank was at some point used for leaded gasoline, I would not use it for a water tank for livestock.

Steel tanks are heavy, hard to manhandle, and they corrode depending on your water quality. The small fitting on a fuel tank will make you cuss how long it takes to empty the tank. :bang:

If the tank is still usable as a fuel tank, I would suggest you put an ad in a trader paper or take the tank to a consignment auction and you might get $100 - $150 to use toward purchase of a poly water tank with a 2" drain valve and hose designed for the purpose.

When it comes to jobs that get real old real fast, IMO hauling water is at the very top of the list! I did that for 3 summers in the peak of our last drought. Had a 1500 gal tank in my old 1961 Chevy truck. Sometimes made 3 trips a day to get water from a potable water system, 34 miles round trip. Needless to say, did not get much else done. Water cost wasn't so bad. Fuel and time was another thing. Never want to do it again, and am set up now so don't have to.

Don't know what kind of rig you're planning to haul with or distance involved. A good HD 3/4 or 1 ton pickup can easily handle a 400 -450 gal tank. Half ton probably should go with 250 - 300. I also had a 500 gal poly tank that worked good on my flatbed trailer. Neighbor had a 1200 but it was a little heavy for his trailer.

Welcome to CT! :banana:

 

[chippie]

^ best answer yet!

 

[Limomike]

I agree.. John hit the nail on the head. good answer

 

[greybeard]

WindyM:
You can pick up a used 'plastic' 250-330 gallon "tote" tank just about any town for $100 or less, and every one I ever saw came with a 2" gate valve with 2" threads on the output side already installed--6" opening on top and threaded cap. Bought one to use for a sprayer tank last year and it came with a metal cage around it. Down side is how clean they are inside from their previous user--laws here (If I was correctly informed) require they be cleaned before resale, but ya just never know. ASK, when inquiring at a dealer;what was inside before. Some have had only food grade contents in them. If you aren't familiar with them, and I don't know your location, these are what they look like:
http://houston.craigslist.org/for/3811421782.html
http://houston.craigslist.org/for/3847481880.html
http://houston.craigslist.org/for/3837811517.html
They are also kinda tall.