The Ford Barn

tilen · 02-23-2013, 04:07 PM

can you use a shop vac on a dry gas tank still on car that has been dry for years although I can still smell gas good idea or bad idea

ursus · 02-23-2013, 04:14 PM

Get a very long hose.

Pete · 02-23-2013, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tilen

can you use a shop vac on a dry gas tank still on car that has been dry for years although I can still smell gas good idea or bad idea

BAD IDEA!
Shop vacs create a lot of static electricity.

luckyal · 02-23-2013, 05:54 PM

Bad, bad, bad idea. Long hose won't help. The explosion will happen in the vacuum not in the tank !
A

Pete · 02-23-2013, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timothy Kelly

That's why it was suggested that a long hose be used..... The tank and operator will be inside the garage and shielded from the blast as the vacuum cleaner will be outside.

Burning fumes in a hose will travel approximately 16000 ft per second.
I doubt you could drop the hose before it bit you.

tudoor · 02-23-2013, 07:05 PM

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Use boiling hot water and Dawn dish soap to get rid of the gas smell. Wash and rinse at least two times then blow out with compressed air. Then if you really want to be safe add some dry ice in tank to dissipate all air with co2. That's is the safest way.

Growley bear · 02-23-2013, 08:20 PM

Bad idea!!
Remember that oxygen is needed to have combustion (EXPLOSION)
An old dry tank is just as likely to blow as any other.
I dont know if you are cleaning the tank or repairing it. The voice of experience says to remove the tank from the vehicle and take it to a shop and have it hot tanked.
A gas tank washed with a steam cleaner and a caustic cleaning solution for a couple of hours, rinsed for a couple more hours and having no gas smell will still explode. Don't ask me how I know, I have a scar in my right eyebrow to prove it. Please be careful.
Chet

jkeesey · 02-23-2013, 09:21 PM

if your trying to suck something out of the tank use a half inch or so round hose and blow compressed air accross the outside face of it. The vacuum created is enough to suck out small debris.

luckyal · 02-23-2013, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timothy Kelly

That's why it was suggested that a long hose be used..... The tank and operator will be inside the garage and shielded from the blast as the vacuum cleaner will be outside.

possibly a long extension cord is what you meany to say, either way it is dumb, dumb, dumb.It allows your relatives to share in your estate before they should have. Al

BILL WILLIAMSON · 02-24-2013, 01:05 AM

AND REMEMBER, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE, HERE!!!!!!!!
If you gonna' VACUUM it, be sure to have your FUNERAL plan & your TAXES paid up & whatever checks that you said were, "IN THE MAIL", really IN THE MAIL! Bill W.

tilen · 02-24-2013, 08:57 AM

I can see that is a bad idea and it is a good time to learn how to remove and clean and seal the tank in a safe non explosive way besides why have a car if you cant drive it.....Thanks for the great advice

Mitch//pa · 02-24-2013, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timothy Kelly

My comment wasn't serious....

I thought the bit about "shielded from the blast" would give it away....

Who in their right mind would take any risk of creating a blast....unless doing so was the principal objective of the effort?

Since my skill at drafting tongue in cheek comments is rather poor, I'll avoid them in the future.

i got it yesterday hah

jrelliott · 02-24-2013, 10:47 AM

Had some enterprising kids in Phoenix that thought they could speed up the process of siphoning gas from a vehicle by using a vaccum cleaner. Bad results as they ended up getting seriously burned. Gas and sparks cause violent reactions. Hope they learned a valuable lesson.

Allanw · 02-24-2013, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrelliott

Had some enterprising kids in Phoenix that thought they could speed up the process of siphoning gas from a vehicle by using a vaccum cleaner. Bad results as they ended up getting seriously burned. Gas and sparks cause violent reactions. Hope they learned a valuable lesson.

We had a physics teacher at high school do that..... You'd think he'd have known better! He was OK, but the Vacuum Cleaner wasn't so flash.

BILL WILLIAMSON · 02-24-2013, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timothy Kelly

My comment wasn't serious....

I thought the bit about "shielded from the blast" would give it away....

Who in their right mind would take any risk of creating a blast....unless doing so was the principal objective of the effort?

Since my skill at drafting tongue in cheek comments is rather poor, I'll avoid them in the future.

Tim, DON'T avoid "tongue in cheek" humor, I get a kick out of them. Also they're better than my size 13 boot in my mouth! Bill W.

02-23-2013, 04:07 PM	#1
tilen Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: missiouri Posts: 12	safty first can you use a shop vac on a dry gas tank still on car that has been dry for years although I can still smell gas good idea or bad idea

02-23-2013, 04:14 PM	#2
ursus Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,375	Re: safty first Get a very long hose.

02-23-2013, 05:54 PM	#4
luckyal Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: wherever I am today, whatzit matter Posts: 431	Re: safty first Bad, bad, bad idea. Long hose won't help. The explosion will happen in the vacuum not in the tank ! A

02-23-2013, 07:05 PM	#6
tudoor Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 62	Re: safty first Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Use boiling hot water and Dawn dish soap to get rid of the gas smell. Wash and rinse at least two times then blow out with compressed air. Then if you really want to be safe add some dry ice in tank to dissipate all air with co2. That's is the safest way.

02-23-2013, 08:20 PM	#7
Growley bear Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 777	Re: safty first Bad idea!! Remember that oxygen is needed to have combustion (EXPLOSION) An old dry tank is just as likely to blow as any other. I dont know if you are cleaning the tank or repairing it. The voice of experience says to remove the tank from the vehicle and take it to a shop and have it hot tanked. A gas tank washed with a steam cleaner and a caustic cleaning solution for a couple of hours, rinsed for a couple more hours and having no gas smell will still explode. Don't ask me how I know, I have a scar in my right eyebrow to prove it. Please be careful. Chet

02-23-2013, 09:21 PM	#8
jkeesey Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Glenmoore Pa Posts: 1,644	Re: safty first if your trying to suck something out of the tank use a half inch or so round hose and blow compressed air accross the outside face of it. The vacuum created is enough to suck out small debris.

02-24-2013, 01:05 AM	#10
BILL WILLIAMSON Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: FRESNO, CA Posts: 12,560	Re: safty first AND REMEMBER, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE, HERE!!!!!!!! If you gonna' VACUUM it, be sure to have your FUNERAL plan & your TAXES paid up & whatever checks that you said were, "IN THE MAIL", really IN THE MAIL! Bill W. __________________ "THE ASSISTANT GURU OF STUFF"

02-24-2013, 08:57 AM	#11
tilen Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: missiouri Posts: 12	Re: safty first I can see that is a bad idea and it is a good time to learn how to remove and clean and seal the tank in a safe non explosive way besides why have a car if you cant drive it.....Thanks for the great advice

02-24-2013, 10:47 AM	#13
jrelliott Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Pine, AZ Posts: 794	Re: safty first Had some enterprising kids in Phoenix that thought they could speed up the process of siphoning gas from a vehicle by using a vaccum cleaner. Bad results as they ended up getting seriously burned. Gas and sparks cause violent reactions. Hope they learned a valuable lesson.