Mobile Detailers: Have You ever used a 55 gallon drum as a water tank?

[imported_fivestardetail]

Anyone ever done this? Please share your thoughts on this. I have a bunch and thought about just using one of these instead of buying a tank. Would this work?



Thanks Alot

[DaGonz]

There would be problems with a 55 gallon drum.



Problem 1. What was in the drum prior? If it was a hazardous material, that would raise more than a few eyebrows, especially with police and fire officials. There could be trace amounts of the material still in the drum, and if it is an acid or a base it can damage a vehicle finish.



Problem 2: a 55 gallon drum is unbaffled. When you come to a stop, the force of the water in the drum will make the vehicle and/or trailer move forward (physics.. for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.



55 gallons of dihydrogen monoxide (aka H2O ) weighs 456 pounds. Having this slosh around in the back of a truck or trailer unbaffled would make me nervous.

[Mobilejay]

I have a 275 gallon tank with no baffles. Its kind of funny when I used to use a lot of water in there(150 gallons) when I would stop, it looked like someone was having sex in my van. LOL it was rockin. Now I only keep 50 gallons and use ONR.

[SShine]

There would eb problems with a 55 gallon drum.



Problem 1. What was in the drum prior? If it was a hazardous material, that would raise more than a few eyebrows, especially with police and fire officials. There could be trace amounts of the material still in the drum, and if it an acid or a base can damage a vehicle finish.



Problem 2: a 55 gallon drum is unbaffled. When you come to a stop, the force of the water in the drum will make the vehicle and/or trailer move forward (physics.. for every action, there is an equal and oppsite reaction.



55 gallons of dihydrogen monoxide (aka H2O ) weighs 456 pounds. Having this slosh around in the back of a truck or trailer unbaffled would make me nervous.

my 50 gallon tank has no baffles.

[Envious Eric]

I just bought a 16gal tank with a spout since I use ONR specifically...



today was the first time using it...WORKED PERFECTLY



I only filled it up with about 8 gallons since I was only doing 5 cars...I drive a xterra and never noticed any rocking...

[MX823]

I have used a 55 gallon drum before. It wasn`t for detailing, but used it when I was racing motocross to clean the bike in between motos.



Water seems to be scarce at the tracks, so hauling your own water made sense. I would fill up at home before making the trek to the track. I usually would have it tied down in the upright position in the back of the truck. When needed I tip on its side (cautiously....).



Just make sure you have the caps (the blue 55 drum had two). You can craft one of the caps to accept a valve with an on/off lever or just fill it up enough so that bottom cap stays in place and remove the top cap to snake the hose into the tank.



Just a quick tip for those that have never siphoned before. You want to ensure the hose has all the water removed before you begin to place into the drum. Once in place grab the end that connects to your pressure washer and take a pull..... you will hear the water coming..... pinch the end once you have flow and then connect.

[GlossyTundra]

I dont think there would be much problem with using a 55gal drum as a water tank. Make sure it`s clean and that it has a tight cap on it. Also, try to lay it on it`s side as much as possible, that should limit top-heavy swaying.



Me, i`m using a 200gal water tank for my needs.