My electrolytic derusting went horribly wrong

[nedfunnell]

I tried derusting my tank electrolytically twice, and had it go bad both times. I sealed up the holes on the bottom with a sheet of plastic and a bead of silicone caulk. I thought this would work great. The first time I tried, this let go after a few hours and all my solution gushed out and I came back to find the inside of my tank wet with solution. Great, more rust. I figured that it was probably because I didn't let the caulk cure enough. I tried again, letting the caulk cure for about a week. The same thing happened. Can anyone who's done this before shed some light on good methods to seal up the bottom of the tank?

[steves]

I think you want to submerge the tank, not seal it.

[tejasandre]

Just go with por 15.

[Kreylyn]

I tried derusting my tank electrolytically twice, and had it go bad both times. I sealed up the holes on the bottom with a sheet of plastic and a bead of silicone caulk. I thought this would work great. The first time I tried, this let go after a few hours and all my solution gushed out and I came back to find the inside of my tank wet with solution. Great, more rust. I figured that it was probably because I didn't let the caulk cure enough. I tried again, letting the caulk cure for about a week. The same thing happened. Can anyone who's done this before shed some light on good methods to seal up the bottom of the tank?

Put the petcock and fuel sensor back in it. The process won't hurt them.

Krey

[Wild-Bill]

Drill out the plastic so you can bolt it in place. Re-caulk, bolt the plastic lightly in place, let the caulk cure overnight and then tighten down the bolts before filling the tank.

Or just re-install the petcock and fuel level sensor. I've heard from several sources that it's a bad idea but never heard from anyone who actually had a problem from doing this.
Maybe the warnings are another urban myth?

[diesel]

I did the process with the petcock and fuel sensor in place . fill the tank all the way to the top. i did my tank twice and had good results. i will probably do it one more time before i seal it. If your tank is not painted or you plan on repainting or something , you can submerge the whole tank in a big plastic container.

[hardlydangerous]

POR 15

to seal the tank I used a piece of rubber inner tube and coule pieces of flat 1/8 metal

[nedfunnell]

Howdy yall,

Thanks for the advice. I was originally paranoid about leaving the petcock and fuel sensor in place, but now it seems like a viable option. I will see about doing that this week. I do have the POR-15 sealant, but I ordered it alone because I figured I could use the electrolytic process to de-rust and call it good. Hardlydangerous, could you describe your method a bit more? I'm not sure I'm envisioning it right.

Thanks again!

[mstngsrule68]

he's probably talking about using the tube for a gasket, then the sheet metal to seal it.

[hardlydangerous]

yeah the rubber is used for the gaskets to seal the holes.
the POR 15 is the best product and best tank repair system ...end of story.
it makes it stronger and actually less vibrations and resonating after as well.
Ive repaired tanks that were so rusted you could litterally see through the metal is was so full of pin holes and could easily poke your finger through the rust.
go on line and check out the instructions for repairing using the POR 15 its very simple and very little mess.

[Scout]

My best solution for this issue would be to buy a new tank...? New tank, anyone? Anyone...?