Cleaning out a sludgy fuel tank?? How?

[jj]

Masonry lime, or even just portland cement, mixed with the muriatic acid will neutralize the acid as well. But, as pointed out above, this process will generate heat and CO2 gas. Afterwards, though the residue is not really hazardous, the cement will even harden, just throw it in the trash like floor sweepings.

 

[abh3]

What about sodium hydroxide a.k.a. lye? I've used Red Devil to clean tractor fuel tanks but now the local hardware doesn't carry it any longer, citing dopeheads using it to make methamphetamine... I've seen lye online though, any drawbacks to lye other than it showing you where the pinholes are? My method was to let the Red Devil work overnight, drain, then clean with the steam cleaner, seriously messy and stinky but it worked. My problem is a 1"+ layer of goo on the bottom of the tank more than rust...

 

[frodobaggins]

What about sodium hydroxide a.k.a. lye? I've used Red Devil to clean tractor fuel tanks but now the local hardware doesn't carry it any longer, citing dopeheads using it to make methamphetamine... I've seen lye online though, any drawbacks to lye other than it showing you where the pinholes are? My method was to let the Red Devil work overnight, drain, then clean with the steam cleaner, seriously messy and stinky but it worked. My problem is a 1"+ layer of goo on the bottom of the tank more than rust...

Drain cleaner is usually lye. Check label.