How do you clean a fuel storage tank?

[Glowplug]

I am going to be acquiring a 200-gallon steel fuel storage tank very soon. It has been used to store off-road diesel for farm equipment. This is exactly what I would use it for. . .to store diesel for my tractor and mower. The previous owner has taken excellent care of it and it looks new. He emptied it and scrubed out the inside with a rag on a long stick and a flashlight. It has a hand pump with it. I will plan to replace the filter element prior to use. Question is, do I need to do anything else to clean it out before refilling? Is there a single "RIGHT" way to clean out a fuel storage tank? Thanks!

 

[sixdogs]

It is probably clean enough. Look in with a flashlight when it's dark outside and you will see any crud. I would probably leave alone.
If you want to clean it you can get a rag and stick and after that put some clean fuel in and roll around and then dump empty till you are happy.

I use a double filter arrangement with a water filter and a separate regular filter and this has worked for me for decades. I add Stanadyne fuel treatment. In thousands of hours of use of many tractors I have never even had to remove an injector.

Oh...yours is probably 300 gallon. Not many 200's around.

 

[Glowplug]

It is probably clean enough. Look in with a flashlight when it's dark outside and you will see any crud. I would probably leave alone.
If you want to clean it you can get a rag and stick and after that put some clean fuel in and roll around and then dump empty till you are happy.

I use a double filter arrangement with a water filter and a separate regular filter and this has worked for me for decades. I add Stanadyne fuel treatment. In thousands of hours of use of many tractors I have never even had to remove an injector.

Oh...yours is probably 300 gallon. Not many 200's around.

Thanks for the info. That's probably what I'll do.
I know what you mean that most tanks are 300 gal but this appears much smaller than the other tanks I've seen. It has about a 3-foot diameter and is approximately 4-feet long.

 

[m7040]

Sounds like a 200 gallon tank which is what I have also. Mine has a handpump mounted on top and works fine. Hurts the pocketbook to fill it up

 

[Glowplug]

Sounds like a 200 gallon tank which is what I have also. Mine has a handpump mounted on top and works fine. Hurts the pocketbook to fill it up

Yeah I calculated its volume. It's right at 200 gallons. Got it basically setup. It's got a handpump. Bought new filter and got a vented lockable fuel cap. I do want to wipe it out once more with the ol' rag-on-a-stick method and probably pump a little diesel through the pump before using. I may eventually get a DC powered fuel pump. But I'm basically ready to go! Now all I gotta do is find the $900 to fill 'er up!!

Then I'll have to construct a 10-foot tall fence topped with razor wire; install a security system with motion sensors and laser trips; and buy a guard dog!!

 

[LBrown59]

Yeah I calculated its volume. It's right at 200 gallons. Got it basically setup. It's got a handpump. Bought new filter and got a vented lockable fuel cap. I do want to wipe it out once more with the ol' rag-on-a-stick method and probably pump a little diesel through the pump before using.
1* I may eventually get a DC powered fuel pump. But I'm basically ready to go! Now all I gotta do is find the $900 to fill 'er up!!
2*Then I'll have to construct a 10-foot tall fence topped with razor wire; install a security system with motion sensors and laser trips; and buy a guard dog!!

1*Northern tool has all the Elect. pump you need for $99.
2*I just put mine inside where it's out of sight - out of mind.

 

[Glowplug]

I AM SICK OF THIS HAND PUMP!!!!!
Okay, so I was getting this tank ready to go. I had levelled out a nice spot for it beside my barn with the trusty tractor. Using my loader with pallet forks I gently layed it down with the skids on some 2x4's I had placed there. Then I scrubbed it out again with a rag on a stick. I was going to put a few gallons of diesel in and pump it out to help clean it. So I had to deal with that old hand pump. That's when the ship hit the fan!! First of all, this old hand pump has about 2 mil. of some sort of unidentifiable corroded gunk all over it! When pumping it, it sounds like someone is repeatedly clubbing a baby seal! I lubed it all up but the baby seal keeps suffering. And the threads for the suction pipe are so worn that the whole suction pipe fell into the tank!! Needless to say that was a sinking feeling. I had to go buy a long steel rod to "fish" it out! So I screwed it back on very firmly. It was on there good this time. After a few more clubs to the baby seal it had worked itself loose again!! After I had put in a few gallons of diesel to help clean it out I could never get any suction on the pump! It would never prime. I think I may go ahead and bite the bullet and order an electric pump from Northern Tool. It's already been in my shopping cart for days. Now all I need to do is push [CHECKOUT]!

 

[LBrown59]

Now all I need to do is push [CHECKOUT]!

Do it to relieve grief aggravation frustration and disgust.

 

[LBrown59]

I AM SICK OF THIS HAND PUMP!!!!!
Okay, so I was getting this tank ready to go. I had levelled out a nice spot for it beside my barn with the trusty tractor. Using my loader with pallet forks I gently layed it down with the skids on some 2x4's I had placed there. Then I scrubbed it out again with a rag on a stick. I was going to put a few gallons of diesel in and pump it out to help clean it. So I had to deal with that old hand pump. That's when the ship hit the fan!! First of all, this old hand pump has about 2 mil. of some sort of unidentifiable corroded gunk all over it! When pumping it, it sounds like someone is repeatedly clubbing a baby seal! I lubed it all up but the baby seal keeps suffering. And the threads for the suction pipe are so worn that the whole suction pipe fell into the tank!! Needless to say that was a sinking feeling. I had to go buy a long steel rod to "fish" it out! So I screwed it back on very firmly. It was on there good this time. After a few more clubs to the baby seal it had worked itself loose again!! After I had put in a few gallons of diesel to help clean it out I could never get any suction on the pump! It would never prime. I think I may go ahead and bite the bullet and order an electric pump from Northern Tool. It's already been in my shopping cart for days. Now all I need to do is push [CHECKOUT]!

GOT that Pump YET ???????????????????

 

[SPYDERLK]

Pressure washer. Wave a turbo nozzle around at the bottom inside for a while. The sides and top dont need any special attention-any sediment will be on the bottom.
larry