Rust removal from inside gas tank

- ive used phosphoric acid solution for years as a rust removal agent, works great, dont get it on your paint or your skin...here its available in any good auto parts shop and large hardware store
 
I've even heard of people spraying soap scum remover in there to get out rust in the tank. Gotta be acid based tho...not ammonia. I don't know if this would actually work for alot of rust but maybe for light rust
 
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Hi, new the forum.

I ran across this looking into this method. I have what might be a stupid question...when hooking a battery up between the charger and the bath, is it as simple as hooking up the charger like normal and a set of cables to the electrode?

Also I have a tank that is rusted on both the inside and out. If I submerge the whole tank, I cant ground it to the tank as that will be under water. Should I just ground it else where?

Thanks in advance,
Dan
 
Just google "electrolisis rust removal" and on the first page you will find a youtube video that will show you exactly how its done...........BG
 
I was given an idea on DO THE TON forum when I had rust inside my fuel tank, I used CLR cleaner that you can buy at Home Depot. Used a Gallon, filled with water, shook the tank every so often for a week. When I poured out the CLR the rust was completely gone.
 
I had an old rusty set of exhausts for a Yamaha Virago. You can see the before and after results. Of course I polished them up but I did not have to work to get the rust off as it was pretty much gone or disbonded. It has worked great for me on tanks. I use old metal clothes hangars and basically can stick the anode almost to the back of the tank. I just have to keep reshaping it until it is not making contact with the tank. You will know when you have contact as the charger will ping on and off as you have a direct short and overload the charger. Just keep moving the anode around until you are able to isolate it from the tank. I'm about to do one now on a little 1998 honda interceptor VTR250.

electrolysis2.jpg


exhaust2.jpg
 
This is as cheap as it gets.. Made an anode rod for inside the tank from a discarded piece of threaded rod and an old fizzzzz can plastic cap. Bend the rod so when its secured to the plastic cap with 2 nuts and 2 flat washers it doesnt touch any metal surface anywhere inside the fuel tank. Fill tank with water and washing soda solution, hook up charger + to the anode and the - to outside of the tank (clean metal) and plug in the charger. Clean off the anode once a day and in a few days you will have a clean rust free tank............BG
 
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This is as cheap as it gets.. Made an anode rod for inside the tank from a discarded piece of threaded rod and an old fizzzzz can plastic cap. Bend the rod so when its secured to the plastic cap with 2 nuts and 2 flat washers it doesnt touch any metal surface anywhere inside the fuel tank. Fill tank with water and washing soda solution, hook up charger + to the anode and the - to outside of the tank (clean metal) and plug in the charger. Clean off the anode once a day and in a few days you will have a clean rust free tank............BG
 

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I had an old rusty set of exhausts for a Yamaha Virago. You can see the before and after results. Of course I polished them up but I did not have to work to get the rust off as it was pretty much gone or disbonded. It has worked great for me on tanks. I use old metal clothes hangars and basically can stick the anode almost to the back of the tank. I just have to keep reshaping it until it is not making contact with the tank. You will know when you have contact as the charger will ping on and off as you have a direct short and overload the charger. Just keep moving the anode around until you are able to isolate it from the tank. I'm about to do one now on a little 1998 honda interceptor VTR250.

electrolysis2.jpg


exhaust2.jpg

I know it works but your photos are not a very good example. If you had shown the same side in both of them it would be better. there is no way chrome will be restored from rust
 
Thanks BG,

I get the process for the most part. What I don't quite understand is doing it with a battery and a charger opposed to just a manual charger (which I don't have and are hard to find).

Like I said it seems like it would be fairly easy...I just want to make sure its hooking up a set of cables with it is all....
 
The battery keep's the charging rate steady. The voltage doesn't flutuate. therefore a better electrolisis is done.
 
About the exhaust, what did you do to keep it from rusting right up again?

Two good non-electric ways to clean a tank. Right thing to do depends on how much rust and etc of course. What I did was buy a foot of heavy chain. Put dish washing liquid in the tank then boiling water and then the chain. Shook it around for all eternity. It banged all the big rust loose. To rinse, turn a garden hose on high and stick it in the top and let the water come out the bottom. Leave it on for half hour or so. Chain should have big heavy links, but small enough to hit in the narrowest parts of the tank.

Another interesting sounding method is put gravel in it from your driveway. Duct tape towels around it and put it in the clothes dryer with the heat off.
 
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Thanks BG,

I get the process for the most part. What I don't quite understand is doing it with a battery and a charger opposed to just a manual charger (which I don't have and are hard to find).

Like I said it seems like it would be fairly easy...I just want to make sure its hooking up a set of cables with it is all....

At the time I did 2 fuel tanks I didnt know about the battery and charger combination so I used a charger that had a manual boost setting of 55amps. There was so much action inside the fuel tank some of the solution was bubbling out like something from Frankensteins lab. I'll have to try the battery / charger combo next tank cleaning as its sounds like a more controllable process. I would assume the charger hooks to the battery, then 2 cables from the battery + side to the anode (rod) and - side to the outside of the fuel tank.......BG
 
If there was too much bubbling, the fix is either a weaker solution in the tank (more % of water) or lower the voltage. If a charger is weaker than yours and doesn't make bubbling, it's because their voltage dropped because the charger couldn't supply the current. My guess is you want to keep the voltage up, so try cutting your mixture in half with water maybe. Easier than re-rigging the electronics too.
 
I am cleaning both the in and outside of a rusty tank. My process is going to be as follows (hopefully I have it right as I am starting it right after this post).

Wash tub, water, washing soda...put the whole tank in...positive attached to a hanger just in the water...negative to a hanger that is touching the tank.

-I found a manual charger half off clearanced at a Meijer (similar to a wal-mart)
 
Daniel, I suggest you use a battery along with the charger to keep the volage steady. Also, what you posted for the method will do only the outside,not so much on the inside. To get the inside, fill the tank with the solution & set up as posted here at xs650.
 
About the electrolylis method, what about a rusty tank that is welded to the frame? Will the current affect/destroy the electrical components; coils ect?
 
- welding the tank to the frame of an XS is asking for trouble...eventually the vibration will break the weld
- high chance this will happen when youre riding down the road ... you covered in gas, gas on a hot engine, electrical short ... not so sure i want to complete that picture ... theres a good reason tanks are rubber mounted
 
Daniel, I suggest you use a battery along with the charger to keep the volage steady.

I've been under the impression that if you have a manual charger, the battery really won't help much. And with most automatic chargers, you need a battery just to make it work. I use just a manual charger and the amp meter doesn't jump around if that means anything.
 
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