Cleaning aquariums with a power washer

[Rhodophyta]

I have two old 75's I picked up from Craig's List and they have super tacky painted backgrounds, a cracked glass panel on each, and chipped plastic frames. I am going to try using a powerhead to wash off the dirt, paint, and old silicone off the tanks and rebuild them completely. replacing the glass if the price is right, or just making one good tank out of two. Has anyone tried this? I am going to use my son's professional pressure washer. It can make holes through concrete and I for fun cut down a small tree with it and pressure washed the stump into pulp. I will use a different tip from that one! With care I may be able to avoid blowing up the tanks and shooting high speed shards of glass around.

[Rhodophyta]

I hope to do this next Sunday. Anyone close enough to come watch? Any advice in advance?

[8BALL_99]

Or you could just use a Razorblade?

[scrombussquared]

I recommend against using the pressure washer. You're in effect using 100 pounds of explosive where 1 pound will do. Use a razor blade and good old fashioned elbow grease. As for rebuilding the tanks- definitely order a new piece of glass and reseal the whole tank.

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13666663#post13666663 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scrombussquared
I recommend against using the pressure washer. You're in effect using 100 pounds of explosive where 1 pound will do. Use a razor blade and good old fashioned elbow grease. As for rebuilding the tanks- definitely order a new piece of glass and reseal the whole tank.

While as you say one pound of explosive will do, but if anything goes wrong on the video tape, it might deter others from this crazy exercise.

[biecacka]

Any advice in advance?
dont use a power washer! might be too much pressure on the tank :)

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13676976#post13676976 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by biecacka
Any advice in advance?
dont use a power washer! might be too much pressure on the tank :) We are going to start with the power washer. whether we do one end of one tank or completely dissassemble both tanks with the power washer remains to be seen. I bought a stand, so I am hoping to retrieve enough parts to reassemble at least one complete tank.

[8BALL_99]

I just don't see any reason to use a pressure washer. Its VERY easy to remove silicone from glass with a razor blade. A pressure washer would be more trouble.. Even more so if your trying to use it to disassemble the tanks. Say the washer does remove the silicone with out breaking the glass. One spraying inside a box will get water everywhere. Two Once the silicone is removed the tank will fall apart.. So any panels standing up will get blasted over and break. I mean if you want to just break the tanks there are easier ways. If you want to save the glass there are much easier ways also..

[MrGoodKat00]

If you power wash you run the chance of stripping the silicone out.

[Ryeseedboy]

Like he is just doing this to explode the tanks.

I.E. "If you are close enough you can come and watch"

LOLOL

[hahnmeister]

I have used pressure washers on loose glass tank lids before (1/8"-3/16" plate glass)... I just put them on the concrete and let it rip. I never have broke/cracked anything, and the hot water seems to scrub off the deposits very fast. It wont remove silicone though... for that you need a razor/chemicals.

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13679002#post13679002 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrGoodKat00
If you power wash you run the chance of stripping the silicone out. I absolutely hope you are right. From the thick glass and style of frames, my guess is these tanks were built some time in the '70's or 80's. The silicone in them has probably had its day. Each tank already has one broken glass panel, so the intention is to strip out as much silicone with the power washer as turns out to be possible, and remove the rest with r.b & e.g. I need enough pieces to put together one good tank. If all goes perfectly, I could cut a new end from the cracked front and only need a new front glass to have two tanks. Anyone close enough to come watch? Sunday afternoon, Nov. 9.

[hahnmeister]

Its a pressure washer, not a sand blaster...

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13681587#post13681587 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
Its a pressure washer, not a sand blaster... I was thinking of using the paint stripper tip, but if all it does is wash out the dirt, loose silicone, and loose paint on the back, we are ahead. Sand blasters, M-80's and C-4 are not options.

[james37128]

so what happend?

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13710489#post13710489 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by james37128
so what happend? It's raining and possibly will snow here today, so it's rescheduled for this Tuesday afternoon. Hope to see some of you.

[DodgeDude99]

pressure washers do an ok job of getting most of the crud off, but still have to do some hand scrubbing.

my washer puts out 3100psi.

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13714711#post13714711 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DodgeDude99
pressure washers do an ok job of getting most of the crud off, but still have to do some hand scrubbing.

my washer puts out 3100psi. My son's pressure washer has different tips that are each more aggressive. The most aggressive one will cut down a tree, grind a tree stump, or drill a hole in concrete or stone. We will start with the next-to-mildest.

[1628mna]

tell me when those trees fall, ill be thereLOL

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13716610#post13716610 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 1628mna
tell me when those trees fall, ill be thereLOL I did use it this summer to cut down a small 4" diameter tree, obliterate its stump, and "lower" some other trees' roots that were sticking up in the lawn. My son used it earlier to write on some concrete that we were going to break up. It definitely will do it. Cutting down the tree with water is fun, but it won't replace the saw any time soon.