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mshaffer mshaffer is offline
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Default How to clean out compressor tank

On Sep 4, 11:43*am, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote:
"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...47946127&ssPag....


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.


There is a plate that says it was inspected in 1996.. The plate is
welded on though so I don't know if it's the original. There is a big
sticker with the dealer's name where it was bought. Maybe I could call
them and see if they know what it was used for?