Can you clean a Specter water can of gas?
- Thread starter HelloKitty65
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I would try adding a couple of pints of isopropyl alcohol and filling with water. Alcohol is azotropic with water and readily combines with gasoline. I’m leaning toward painting tired but you could give this a try.
I’d use them to carry fuel (spray paint them if necessary).., it’s WAY too dangerous to chance ingesting gasoline-related chemicals.
FWIW...
I rounded up what I have. Petrol sceptors are PE-HD (polyethylene- high density) triangle 2, diesel sceptors are HDPE triangle 2 (high density polyethylene) and the water sceptor is unlabelled but from the website is low-density polyethylene.
HDPEs have higher chemical resistance and higher melting temps than LDPE, therefore LDPE is not suitable for more caustic chemicals like fuels.
Water, no identifyiong markings RE: materials (The Scepter side designates it as LDPE)
Diesel MFC top petrol MFC bottom
Petrol (gasoline) Polyethylene, high density (HDPE)
Diesel HDPE
I rounded up what I have. Petrol sceptors are PE-HD (polyethylene- high density) triangle 2, diesel sceptors are HDPE triangle 2 (high density polyethylene) and the water sceptor is unlabelled but from the website is low-density polyethylene.
HDPEs have higher chemical resistance and higher melting temps than LDPE, therefore LDPE is not suitable for more caustic chemicals like fuels.
Water, no identifyiong markings RE: materials (The Scepter side designates it as LDPE)
Diesel MFC top petrol MFC bottom
Petrol (gasoline) Polyethylene, high density (HDPE)
Diesel HDPE
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Is there any difference between PE-HD and HDPE? Sounds like they are the same just said in a different order.
Same same
Grain of salt as source is wiki, but yeah just different ways of saying the same thing.
High-density polyethylene - Wikipedia
And moar plastics nerding out :
Differences Between HDPE Plastic And Polyethylene Plastic - Sciencing
Polyethylene is the world's most common plastic. It finds innumerable applications in everything from bottles and jugs to shopping bags and children's toys. It owes its surprising versatility to its properties and molecular structure. There are different kinds of polyethylene available; two of...
sciencing.com
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I wouldn't personally try to re-use a water can that had gasoline in it. It's just not worth the risk of chemical contamination. Especially since Scepter water cans are available from a variety of sources (ebay, various threads on ih8mud, etc.).
If anybody needs Scepter cans, I make occasional runs up to Canada and buy MFC's and MWC's to sell back here. Sales thread is here:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/scepter-fuel-and-water-cans-for-sale-or.751819/
If anybody needs Scepter cans, I make occasional runs up to Canada and buy MFC's and MWC's to sell back here. Sales thread is here:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/scepter-fuel-and-water-cans-for-sale-or.751819/
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For the amount of time you'll spend not being able to clean it out I'd just buy a new one. Then use the tainted can for used motor oil transport or something like that. Label accordingly of course.
Bulk alchohol in a weed sprayer, a brief wait, then a hot water pressure washer (hotsie as they are called in industry) - shooting TSP (trisodium phosphate) - initially & then a scrub before a final hot water blast.
That’s the process for how food prep equipment is made clean when a TIG welder I know sees his work prepped from raw materials covered in dirty weld residue, fly dust & spark powder, -all the chemicals or whatever it was seeing during fab- is cleaned off & shinkwrapped to ship to buyer.
IDK if that would work, but we’ve all eaten food from factories/processors that have custom equip that went through the above.
I know they generally use SS for bodies, but there’s alot of delrin pieces based on how much scrap plate they have too.
@ Linus , what is the connection of cleaning a TIG welded SS has to do with plastic contaminated from gasoline ?
Chemicals are completely different .
And so are the reactions of the elements involved .
Chemicals are completely different .
And so are the reactions of the elements involved .
@renago - raw materials coming in are routinely treated in anti-corrosion or any similar unknown agents.
TIG welding burns the chrome out of welds - not much, but a little - and you want to wear a respirator while TIG’ing to avoid the “tan boogers”.
TSP is a universally industrial petro-cleaning chemical & sanitizer, from food to the beer industry, even homebrewers all know of TSP.
In strong enough ratios, I‘ve used it to even clean burnt peanut oil off the outside of my turkey deep-fryer pot & burner stand from when the initial turkey spatters wildly while you settle it in the pot ( burner off for these few moments).
For us to have gotten this far in without mention of TSP is like talking cars without tires.
It would at least be an attempt, us homebrewers use TSP routinely on plastics, it’s not a metal-only cleaner like some caustics.
TIG welding burns the chrome out of welds - not much, but a little - and you want to wear a respirator while TIG’ing to avoid the “tan boogers”.
TSP is a universally industrial petro-cleaning chemical & sanitizer, from food to the beer industry, even homebrewers all know of TSP.
In strong enough ratios, I‘ve used it to even clean burnt peanut oil off the outside of my turkey deep-fryer pot & burner stand from when the initial turkey spatters wildly while you settle it in the pot ( burner off for these few moments).
For us to have gotten this far in without mention of TSP is like talking cars without tires.
It would at least be an attempt, us homebrewers use TSP routinely on plastics, it’s not a metal-only cleaner like some caustics.
TSP is an excellent degreaser ,maybe one of the best , and removes some oxides from metals , but I don't see any chance in removing hydrocarbons once these have contaminated polimerized plastics .
However for the cost of a new tank I would not go through the hassel of drinking water with aromatics of gasoline .
However for the cost of a new tank I would not go through the hassel of drinking water with aromatics of gasoline .
Dude.
Suggestion.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Besides, what do you think plastic is made of? (I make the stuff - nonene)
-If we’re really trying to avoid cancer, SS/SS lined containers are king.
1st world problems, I swear.......
HelloKitty65
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- #35
Well, as the OP'er, I've been filling the can with water, letting it sit for months, dumping it, and repeating. Not sure if there's much left. Could run a sample through a mass spec, but I'll probably just pour a tall glass.
I wouldn't be trying if the original contact time weren't minimal. But I will proceed to try all ideas if necessary. I think instead of isopropal alcohol l'll try ethanol, but not from a source like Fireball. That taste would be worse than gasoline.
I wouldn't be trying if the original contact time weren't minimal. But I will proceed to try all ideas if necessary. I think instead of isopropal alcohol l'll try ethanol, but not from a source like Fireball. That taste would be worse than gasoline.
HelloKitty65
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Update: Two and a half years later, I detect _zero taste and zero odor_. Mission accomplished. The can says "Property of US Government" on it. I'm calling it, this is "Close enough for goverment work".
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I don’t generally drink the water - more utility water than thist-water - but I have done the same with iodine concentrate containers (20g PE drums).
But on a hot day / out of my waterbottle water, I been known to drink some.
I don’t detect any trace of the iodine smell/taste left, and that stuff is skunk-stink brown syrup when my buddy’s dad get a drum for the dairy farm that they cut to a <10% solution for cow udders.
IMO there’s worse stuff in a can of Coke or water from an old garden hose - than the trace left behind if push comes to shove / working with what you got.
Glad it worked, sometimes we just gotta work with what we have.
We all die of something
HelloKitty65
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On the other hand, not smelling or tasting things is a sign of Covid, which would be a slight plus in this one case.
Seriously folks, Covid's no joke, get the poke.
Seriously folks, Covid's no joke, get the poke.