Diesel in Water Tank

[bargeman27m]

How can I get rid of the smell and tase of diesel after a friend put 25 gallons of red diesel in my Drinking water tank by MISTAKE?

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by bargeman27m on 07/03/2004 18:54 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[willothewisp]

By rinsing it with a detergent, endlessly, I would think. Just think how bad it would have been if it had been the other way round, perhaps that's a -cold- comfort. All the best

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[Talbot]

Have you tried adding a jabsco aqua filter - it has made an enormous difference to my taste buds, but not sure if it will deal with the diesel problem. You might have to get the tank steam cleaned if nothing else works, but I would try a good squirt of fairy liquid followed by a rather large number of hot flushes (or cold if you prefer!!!)

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[anchorhandler]

Hi there, the best way to rid yourself of that 'lovely' smell and taste is to dose your tank with sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) this is called 'super chlorinating'...the ratio of hypochlorite to water for the initial dose should be about 50:1 (50 parts per million concentration of chlorine).. if the tank is badly contaminated, you may want to increase this to 60:1. Leave the chlorinated water in the tank for a good 4/5 hours and try to agitate the tank (good excuse to go for a cruise). then flush the tank through several times until the smell of the chlorine disapears. this may take 5-6 flushes or more. Idealy,the end result should be a concentration of chlorine of no more that 0.2ppm. Not only should this remove the smell/taste of diesel but will also leave your tank bacteria free!.
You should be able to get sodium hypochlorite from most good chandlers or swimming pool suppliers.
Hope this helps.

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[VicMallows]

This sounds a real nightmare, I think I'd drain the tank, wait a few days for the diesel to settle to the bottom. Add lots of detergent (washing up liquid) and say 3 gallons boiling water. Agitate ... probably by motoring back and forth over Chichester Bar when the tide was the wrong way. Flush till I can't manage any more. Fill tank and repeat, preferably with hot water if available. Then do the Chlorine (bleach) treatment.

Vic

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[HeadMistress]

Hopefully you didn't run water after diesel got into the tank, but if you did, just cleaning the tank isn't enough...the plumbing and pump will have to be cleaned too. That can be done by putting the solution in the tank, then turning on every tap till what's coming out smells strongly of chlorine. Turn off all the taps, but leave the pump on to keep the system pressurized so that the solution remains in the plumbing.

To remove excess chlorine taste or odor which might remain after several flushes, prepare a solution of one quart white vinegar to five gallons water and allow this solution to agitate in tank for several days.

<hr width=100% size=1>Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987

 

[tcm]

diesel is lighter than water so it won't ever settle at the bottom. I wd open the tank and siphon the diesel off the top IMMEDIATELY, and not use any taps at all until taken say 40 gallons. You should be able to siphon off the 25 gallons but it will take time. This way, instead of having to de-diesel the whole system you will only be concerned with the tank.

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[Guest]

Swap tanks ?? actually its not funny ! nm

*

<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ...
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.qqbaltic.com/index.html>http://www.qqbaltic.com/index.html</A> For all those disbelievers ! /forums/images/icons/cool.gif

 

[Guest]

Turbidity Test - Diesel

One trader asked me to test diesel for 'turbidity' by :

Taking a 1 ltr sample and placing in a kitchen blender for 30 minutes at max speed. stop and see how long it took for it to clear. Then keep repeating till the diesel failed to return to clear and bright.
Now this was done in a Moulinex Pro Chef - a sophisticated bit of kit and had all the attachments you could wish for ... it was the only one I could find quickly for the test ....

Anyway - the test was a complete waste of time as we couldn't destroy the diesel as he wanted ...... But the mess in the lab was unbelievable. It was on the cieling, floors, benches, everywhere !

Anyway the point is that the blender now graces my kitchen .... but it took ages to get the smell of diesel of it .... we srubbed and scrubbed - but it actually dissipated by itself eventually .... about a year later ....


<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ...
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.qqbaltic.com/index.html>http://www.qqbaltic.com/index.html</A> For all those disbelievers ! /forums/images/icons/cool.gif

 

[davel]

I seem to remember one of the PBO experts making exactly the same mistake.
There was a report on the effectiveness of various water filters that referenced his problem.
You can get a free copy of the report <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.generalecologyeurope.com/>here </A>.

Needless to say the "best" filter that got rid the taste is also the most expensive - still it'll be cheaper that replacing the tank and will taste better than chlorinated water.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dave L.