Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Stainless Steel Sewage Tank and sulfuric Acid?
Q. I am on a fishing vessel headed to Alaska. We have a stainless steel vented tank approximately 400 gallons. The tank holds the waste from our toilet including toilet paper and flushable baby wipes. The pump to empty the tank broke and we are trying to empty the tank though gravity out a fitting on the bottom. Is it safe to introduce sulfuric acid to dissolve the paper products in order to let the liquid flow freely out the bottom. Presently the 2" pipe fitting just plugs up with the paper products mainly the flushable wipes. Can anyone help with this mess? We checked for businesses that suck out portable toilets and there are none that we know of as it is a fairly remote town. Thanks for any help. Just want to be safe in whatever we do.
Ken Yada- Newport, Oregon, USA
January 18, 2022
A. Hi Ken. sulfuric acid is not safe to use on stainless steel; it is too corrosive. caustic soda ⇦liquid caustic soda in bulk on Amazon [affil link] (Draino, Liquid Plumber, Red Devil Lye) will be as effective or more effective at dissolving everything, while not endangering the stainless steel. Never mix acid and caustic, and wear gloves and eye protection. Safe travels and happy hunting.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
January 2022
Just want to thank you for your reply to my question. You have set up a great website. Thanks so much Ted. Simple, honest, accurate information and being able to hear it straight from a human seems rare these days. Thank you again for the information.
Fisherman - Portland, Oregon
January 31, 2022
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