ETanking in January

W Williams said:
Is there that much of a gain running an Etank as opposed to Evaporust and similar products?
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W,

I have not used "Evaporust and similar products". Therefore, I am not able to answer your question. Btw, what do you mean by "that much of a gain"? financial, time, end result, other?

IMO, electrolysis is very good. The answer may be very much dependent on the number of pieces you do as well as other non-tangible factors.
 
WallyF said:
Btw, what do you mean by "that much of a gain"? financial, time, end result, other?
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I have not cleaned CI pots and pans but have used Evaporust extensively. It is environmentally safe and can be disposed of easily when it is no longer functional. No rubber gloves, nothing hazardous, and it's around 30$ a gallon. If the product you are de-rusting can be fully submerged, on badly rusted components take less than day soaking to be free of rust.

I submerged an old 1920's Evinrude inboard engine that was seized and after a couple days, it freed up and I rebuilt it.
 
I've run mine with overnight lows in the mid teens. By morning it was only pulling a couple Amps but the electrolyte was still well above freezing. Snow is the big show stopper for me. It's not fun anymore when there's a bunch of snow getting on and into everything.
 
W Williams said:
I have not cleaned CI pots and pans but have used Evaporust extensively. It is environmentally safe and can be disposed of easily when it is no longer functional. No rubber gloves, nothing hazardous, and it's around 30$ a gallon. If the product you are de-rusting can be fully submerged, on badly rusted components take less than day soaking to be free of rust.

I submerged an old 1920's Evinrude inboard engine that was seized and after a couple days, it freed up and I rebuilt it.
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I checked out the website. Specifically includes CI are something it will "clean". Anyone have experience with this product?
 
WallyF said:
I checked out the website. Specifically includes CI are something it will "clean". Anyone have experience with this product?
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Yes, and it does work. Is it as cost-effective for rust removal of a number of pans as electrolysis? Not exactly. It does, however, appear to be an effective "final touches" solution for residual black stains where rust was once active. With a little creative thinking, it can be applied without totally submerging the piece.
 
W Williams said:
It is environmentally safe and can be disposed of easily when it is no longer functional. No rubber gloves, nothing hazardous...
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This could also describe your typical e-tank.

I've read of people having good results using Evaporust but considering it would take a few gallons to do larger pieces, only removes rust and has a limited lifespan you would be $$$ ahead setting up an etank.

In regards to using lye or e-tanks when the temps drop I hang bucket heaters in both of mine so I can heat the water if needed. I use 30 and 55 gallon plastic drums for both my tanks so would caution people from getting their water too hot if using flimsier totes or other containers. Even if I'm not going to use my tanks during the winter I will hang the heaters in them and just let them freeze solid. When I'm ready to use them again I just plug the heaters in and have them thawed rather quickly.
 
I know you can leave CI in a lye bath basically indefinitely, but can you leave it in a bath that will freeze over? Will it cause any possible cracking to the iron?
 
GTurner said:
I know you can leave CI in a lye bath basically indefinitely, but can you leave it in a bath that will freeze over? Will it cause any possible cracking to the iron?
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I left a couple skillets hanging in my lye tank one winter when it froze solid with no issues.
 
Ed Grabski said:
Nice looking tank.
I like the Channel and Threaded rod.
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Thank you Ed.

This tank is 44 gal and an upgrade from the 30 gal tank I used for 1 1/2 years. The credit for much of what you see, including the channel, threaded 1/4 inch rod, and steel strips welded to my lawn mower blades is my next door neighbor. Now I can suspend and completely submerge #10 and larger skillets and get 360 degree coverage. The benefit is shorter time in the tank and the ability to easily adjust the height. He also made a 1/8 inch version of the threaded "J" hook. Best part, he didn't charge me for any of it.

---------- Post added at 12:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:09 AM ----------
Jeff S. said:
This could also describe your typical e-tank.

I've read of people having good results using Evaporust but considering it would take a few gallons to do larger pieces, only removes rust and has a limited lifespan you would be $$$ ahead setting up an etank.

In regards to using lye or e-tanks when the temps drop I hang bucket heaters in both of mine so I can heat the water if needed. I use 30 and 55 gallon plastic drums for both my tanks so would caution people from getting their water too hot if using flimsier totes or other containers. Even if I'm not going to use my tanks during the winter I will hang the heaters in them and just let them freeze solid. When I'm ready to use them again I just plug the heaters in and have them thawed rather quickly.
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Hey Jeff,

What kind of bucket heaters? Think I want to try them. Any pictures or other information?
 
WallyF said:
Hey Jeff,

What kind of bucket heaters? Think I want to try them. Any pictures or other information?
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Google "bucket heater" and you will see ones with the long heating element with a perforated metal shield around it. I've used the same one in my lye tank for several years with no damage to the heating element from the lye.
 
I have a 19 gallon container for a 10 gallon e-tank. Would a fish heater or bucket heater work better?

I've been meaning to get a fish tank heater for it, but if the bucket heater is better, I'm all in.

Also, if you know, which one pulls the most electricity?

The lye tank is only about 16x24x12 (wxlxh) with 7-8 inches high of fluid.
 
An issue that I have solved for temps that we have during our winters in the cold north.

I used to run two tanks, 55 gal. lye tank, 55 gal. E-tank, summers. But due to the extreme cold temps we have (-22 deg) at times in the winters I had to make some changes because iron does not clean itself and it just piles up. All this is done in an unheated barn, but it works.

35 - 40 gal. stainless steel maple syrup drum is the new lye and E-tank all in one (2 years going). Cleans, strips and removes rust all in one tank. The stainless steel is wrapped to keep in the heat that is generated during the cleaning process. When it is really cold 2 skillets will produce more heat than one. The top also gets a loose cover to help keep in some heat.

Enjoy.
 
GTurner said:
Would a fish heater or bucket heater work better?
Also, if you know, which one pulls the most electricity?

The lye tank is only about 16x24x12 (wxlxh) with 7-8 inches high of fluid.
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I'm unfamiliar with the fish tank heaters so not sure how well it would work.
The bucket heater would probably use more electricity since most are 1000 watt.
I believe the bucket heater needs to be submerged deeper than your tank allows to avoid overheating the element.
 
Jeffrey R. said:
35 - 40 gal. stainless steel maple syrup drum is the new lye and E-tank all in one (2 years going). Cleans, strips and removes rust all in one tank. The stainless steel is wrapped to keep in the heat that is generated during the cleaning process. When it is really cold 2 skillets will produce more heat than one. The top also gets a loose cover to help keep in some heat.

Enjoy.
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How is it an all in one? Do you have the electrolyte solution in the lye solution?
 
GTurner said:
How is it an all in one? Do you have the electrolyte solution in the lye solution?
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Safety First.

The lye is the electrolyte solution. But not the same amounts of lye as I would use in my dedicated lye tank as it is not needed. In the summer I start a new dedicated only lye tank. It keeps things moving. I am also looking for another stainless steel drum.

I have been running my E-tank with lye since I first set it up in 2013 - 14, back then I was using a 55 gal. blue barrel. Two years ago I went with the 35 - 40 gal. stainless steel maple syrup drum as the new lye and E-tank all in one due to the cold as the main reason
 
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