Clean out tanks?

G'day,
I would imagine that the best thing with the LR fuel tank would be to parially fill it and run it for a while. Check and change the filter after a few hundred klicks. Cut the filter open to see how much rubbish is in there. If the tank has been sealed there should not be any solid bits, but maybe some moisture. I use a CAV filter with glass bowl on the bottom so I can see moisture. I also use a DE-BUG unit before the filter to kill any algae in the diesel.
With the water tank, I would suggest you half fill it with clean water and a good dose of BiCarb Soda. Drive around for a week or so to slosh it all around. Drain it out, flush it out and fill with clean water and drive around for another week and then taste the water. If it's okay, no worries.
MY opinion only.
Cheers,
Roachie

Hi Synergist,
I agree with what roachie advised you about the water tank,However your long range tank in my humble opion should have a drain plug/bolt I would seek this out with a with a buket in hand drain and inspect the contents if it has signs of crud&junk I would flush the tank with clean fuel a couple of times until no rubbish comes out, then I would initialy change my filters from the tank to the engine,drive it around for a week or so then change the filters again,some might say this is going over board but way up the dramas if you are unlucky,depending how long it has been I would blow out the feed line from the tank to filter aswell.
All The Best In Health And Wealth
Jeff

we had a heap of problems with algea in diesel in fuel tanks earthmoving gear and cleaned it out with caustic soda. just remember to wash it out well.worked a treat.i don't think it would be advisable in a water tank.

Evening Synergist.

I have a 200L SS water tank under a troopie where the second factory fitted tank would normaly be.

Before embarking on a trip I tip in a couple of cups of bleach (Non foaming/detergent type) nearly fill it with water and drive around for awhile over a few bumps and around a corner or two.

Let it stand over night, drain it, fill it straight away (no flush) and I defy anybody to tell the difference between the water in that tank mixed with the residue of the bleach mix flush and the stuff Yarra Valley Water pumps through my tap.

Even smells the same - slightly of chlorine. This disappears over a day or two and there is no discernable taste.

Also no one, including myself and family have ever had a sick moment from it.

The first year after I had the tank made I had all sorts of problems with smell and taste in the water and thought it was from the tank. One of the cures I tried was to fill it with a packet of pool chlorine added (enough to treat a 30,000L pool), all to no avail because it was eventually identified as nothing to do with the tank.

It was lousy, stinking, rotten 20c piece of plastic crap (supposedly food grade) pipe between the pump and the outlet. ( Sh_t! I spent some time and effort solving that one)

Anyway the reason I am tell you this and any others interested, is that I discussed the pool chlorine thing with the tank fabricator and he stated categorically that as it was made from surgical stainless steel, it would not retain any smell from water carried chemicals including chorline. In this instance his advice was 100% correct. (note I stipulated in this instance)

So, if it was me, I would just give your SS water tank a hose flush out, tip in some bleach, fill it up, leave it for a day or so, drain it and check what comes out.

If it is full of algae etc. (I doubt it, but you never know) repeat the process until it flushes clean. Then fill it and after a day or so give it the taste test. Give you a tip here mate, test it on the wife, because if she passes it, then you are on home plate.

As to the Fuel tank, I will leave that to the experienced 'experts' on this forum.

Regards

Ken Robinson