cleaning fuel tank to make fresh water tank

grantgoold · August 07, 2007, 09:30:47 AM

I have access to a very nice fuel tank with mounts and connectors ready to go. I would like feedback on the pros and cons to cleaning a diesel fuel tank (50 gallon) and making it my fresh water tank. I am prepared to clean, steam....scrub...

Your thoughts.

Grant

TomCat · August 07, 2007, 09:36:15 AM

Hey Grant,

If I recall, this was covered extensively about a month or so ago, and deemed by most as a bad idea.

Jay
87 SaftLiner

white-eagle · August 07, 2007, 09:58:55 AM

i think you are asking the wrong board. i'd check with the families board of director's. i know my wife wouldn't even consider drinking out of it. in our case also, 50gal wouldn't be enough for some of the dry camping we've done

'Course, it could be a really slick idea. (sorry, i couldn't help myself)

superpickle · August 07, 2007, 10:00:22 AM

Yup, BAD idea, You never get it all out once there has been Fuel in it.. It gets into the metal..

Go for a Dedicated Plastic tank..
Paul..

kyle4501 · August 07, 2007, 10:26:24 AM

Is the tank stainless, alum or ? ? ?

In the last thread, I don't think passivation was mentioned. ALL metals are processed with some form of lubrication. When we made tanks for the commercial food industry, there was no special designation for the sheet metal stock we used. When the fabrication work was done, we passivated the tanks & all was good.

I suppose that if you had the tank properly passivated it would be as tho nothing had ever been in it. Then it would be suitable for showering & flushing the toilet at a minimum.

I don't like the idea of unknown water sources while traveling, so I buy bottled water in gallon jugs (- It's cheaper than the filter maintenance for me).

ymmv

TomC · August 07, 2007, 04:48:48 PM

Personally- go with a plastic tank. Steel or iron will rust, aluminum will corrode, stainless is just plainly expensive. You can have the plastic made to your specs also. I have a 130gal fresh water, 85gal gray water, 45 gal black water-all of which I'd do the same size again-maybe go to a 160gal fresh and 100gal gray, keep with the 45 gal black water. I didn't have the room for any bigger. Good LUck, TomC

kyle4501 · August 07, 2007, 06:08:13 PM

If the former fuel tank is free, that would make the plastic tanks expensive - relatively speaking.

Alum can last a long, long, long time. That's where passivation comes in handy. It may have already been passivated.

Access to a free tank would be worth the gamble for me - as long as it ain't for drinking water.

Austin · August 07, 2007, 06:11:43 PM

no no no bad idea