Industrial tanks are used for liquid storage in a wide range of industries, in both above ground and underground settings. Every now and then, it’s necessary to inspect these tanks and clean them to ensure proper protection against corrosion and other forms of deterioration. 

By keeping tanks clean, you can ensure greater safety standards at your facility. These tanks can hold all types of chemicals and materials, including acids, petroleum, paint, food or just about anything else you can think of. Over time, there’s a tendency for sludge to build up in the bottom, or for the materials themselves to eat away at the inside of the tank. Staying on top of regular cleaning and inspections allows you to reduce the amount of time and money you’d have to dedicate toward unscheduled maintenance and repairs.

Some of the circumstances in which you’re most likely to need to invest in storage tank cleaning include:

  • Upcoming inspections: If you have an inspection coming up, either by industrial testing agencies or simply your own internal inspections, cleaning the tank can ensure it is prepared for inspectors. The tanks need to be removed from service and fully cleaned before an inspector can enter to analyze its condition.

  • Tank issues: If you’ve had any noticeable issues with your tank recently, such as mechanical failures, you’ll likely need to take the tank out of service to make the necessary repairs. Depending on the issue, this could involve fully emptying and cleaning the tank and removing all vapors before it’s safe for repair teams to enter and do the necessary work. The goal must be to create a safe environment for whoever will be entering the storage tank, whether it’s your own staff or an outsourced repair and inspection company.

  • Changing products: If you will be changing the products you store in the tank, then you will almost certainly want to clean out the tank thoroughly before putting in the new product. One example of a situation in which this is particularly important is if you’re switching from an unrefined to a refined product, such as going from crude oil to gasoline. Thorough cleaning is necessary for removing all of the residue and impurities that might otherwise be left behind by the crude oil, otherwise it could contaminate the gasoline that will be stored in the tank.

It is important to plan ahead for tank cleaning and to work with a company that does this type of work regularly, because there are issues that can arise during the process. It can be difficult to know the true conditions of the tank until the tank is emptied. In addition, activities in adjacent areas could potentially affect the conditions of the space, as could weather conditions.

Ecoserv specializes in this sort of work. We are happy to answer any questions you have about industrial tank cleaning, and to provide you with more information about the services we offer. Feel free to give us a call or fill out a form for more information.