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Ed Pawlowski[_2_] Ed Pawlowski[_2_] is offline
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Default How to clean out compressor tank


"mshaffer" wrote in message
...
Hi, I just bought a large air tank on ebay to use with my air
compressor. The guy said I should wash it out though before I use it.
I'm kinda worried about what kind of chemicals might be in it since it
came from an industrialized area. Is there anything I can use to
totally clean it out? Should I just use normal dish soap or is there
something better?

Here is the tank:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Thanks,
Michael


There should be NO chemicals in it. Air tanks hold air (and moisture) and
nothing should have ever been in it. There may be rust inside.
There may be some oil residue if the tank was downstream of a crappy
compressor with no separator. If you want to clean that out, any detergent
that cuts oil will work.

How old is the tank? Is there an inspection tag on it? In some states (and
insurance companies) the air tanks have to be inspected every two years to
insure the integrity of the metal. In MA, where I work, the tanks will also
have a state tag on them. After the initial state inspection, the insurance
company can inspect them. In the old days, the inspector used to look
inside and tap around it. Today, they use an ultrasound device.