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Cleaning Fuel Tank....best way

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Old 06-25-2012 | 09:41 AM
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Default Cleaning Fuel Tank....best way

I need to get some fuel out and clean the tank up. I want to eliminate last years fuel and gunk in the tank as causing my problem.

What is the best way to go about it so I dont create a fire ball?
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Old 06-25-2012 | 10:11 AM
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train hamsters on rebreathers and send them in with brushes and wait for them to finish then rinse it out... Seriously though, the plus side of ethanol gas is that it really cleans the crap out of aluminum tanks. I don't know if your tank can be removed or not but you might be ok to go if you can get the old gas out and any gunk by lifting the trailer tongue and sucking it out with a fuel safe pump through the sender hole. If your tank is really bad, I have no idea. you would have to make special pressure washer tips that angle up so you can get to all the corners etc... can be done but what a pain. i'm sure others will chime in
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Old 06-25-2012 | 10:19 AM
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It cant be removed with out cutting a hole in the floor. I want to remove the fuel in tank to eliminate that as a cause and clean out any debris also.
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Old 06-25-2012 | 12:39 PM
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My boat was never sold and left for 8 years. I unhooked the fuel lines from the pumps and pressurized the tanks from the vent and they siphoned out. You won't get it all out this way, but I got the majority out of both sides.
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Old 06-25-2012 | 01:09 PM
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about how much pressure are we talking 10 psi or 50 psi?

I would hate to put my tank on the roof of my house.
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Old 06-25-2012 | 01:57 PM
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he is just saying to put some pressure on the vent hose and a longer piece of tubing from the tank pickup to a barrel/ whatever on the ground. You will only need a few psi 3mbe at most to move the fuel.
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Old 06-25-2012 | 04:56 PM
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I did 90 psi lol. I had to run the line out the drain plug hole to keep the siphon flowing.
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Old 06-25-2012 | 06:36 PM
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That was my plan to make sure none ends up in the boat. What size hose will fit through there?

So you just use the pressure to start the flow, once it siphons you can stop, that makes sense.

I am a firefighter and this seems like a no brainer to me although I have read posts where people are using a wet/dry vac to clean any debris or loose material out of the tank. They go through the sender hole.

I would think that fumes through an electric motor would result in boom. I have read several though stating that is how they did it.
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