Trans fluid barrel cleaning

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I have a transmission fluid barrel( 55 gal. drum) that I want to clean out. I've got it soaking, full of water and a good blob of dish soap and 2 cups of baking soda. It's been soaking a week now and I was going to empty it and then give it a good burn out. Don't want to create a toxic smoke cloud, well.....not one that's too bad....... . Am I on the right track for detoxifying the barrel or does anyone, that has real experience in this area, have a best method??? Please, no guessing or mother's, brother's, sister's, step-cousin's husband said anecdotes. Thanks for the help! Bert200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:You say transmission fluid barrel.But exactly what transmission fluid???? There are at least 5 or 6 different types.All of them are probably something like a mineral oil type formulation with some type of additives. At one point some used whale oil, that was banned, the more expensive ones might have something like jojoba oil, some type of rust and corrosion additive. They are engineered to have particular properties, like a flash point, etc. I would start by looking at the barrel for the name of the mix. Then you can look on the Web for the cleaning procedure for that particular one. But in general they can be cleaned by soap and water. If new oil, less dangerous than used oil. That can have heavy metals. Some might have some type of glycol additives. In general you don't want to have pets lick it or pour any on the lawn. But not particularly dangerous stuff. I don't know that you have to burn it out afterward. Maybe a good alcohol scrub after a couple good soap / hot water cleanings, if you are really concerned. What is the final use going to be????
Reply:I'll admit I use acetone to clean up oil frequently. However, sticking your head in a barrel you are cleaning with acetone should be an interesting experience. Even more so if you smoke. This idea might need a bit of a rethink here..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Acohol cleaning kit:A: Long armsB. Stick w/ ragC. No Smoking signDo not drive or operate heavy machinery at the same time.
Reply:Too bad you already filled it with water, now you have a lot  of oily water to deal with. You need a little mechanical action to free the oil. I'd put a couple gallons of hot water with some cleaner (pick your poison... zep, super clean, tide, simple green, etc) and put the bungs in and the roll it around a while. Pour out the cleaner through some oil absorbance pads into a bucket. Leave a pad floating in the bucket until it picks up all the oils. Discharge or evaporate the couple gallons of oil free cleaner (or save for another cleanup). As for the burn out... your on your own
Reply:Drain, towel dry, place at top of hill, add a couple buckets clean sand (playground sand  is cheap) and a couple gallons of simple green or similar NON-FLAMMABLE cleaner.  Cap and push - repeat as necessary. Works great for pony bbl's of grease.When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives.
Reply:Next one I do I think I'll try tumbling with kitty litter. Should be a cinch to wash out once you get the bulk of the liquid and residue. Last one I did I used a ton of tide. Like forhire said, oily water. Dumped that out and the next day after the water soaked in and away there was this big oily patch."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Keep in mind if you do all this kitty litter, sand, water whatever, you are in fact potentially creating more of a toxic dump scenario to be disposed of. All of the transmission fluids are treated as controlled substances and usually can not be legally put in normal garbage.You should think how to dispose of whatever cleaning wastes there will be. You will never know exactly what is in the fluids because they won't tell you. It may vary a great deal by type. Probably more the additives than anything else and there might be a fair amount of them. It is known some might contain some forms of glycols, probably as anti-foaming agents. Transmission fluids are listed as potentially dangerous to pets and childern if injested. I do know grass don't like to grow after it gets a good dose. I would be super careful disposing of cleaning fluids. Maybe best to try to evaporate most of the water off it. Try to put the rest in a hazardous day collection.
Reply:Thanks for the replies guys. It was a pretty clean, dry barrel to start. I just wanted to get any residue off before burning. Didn't want a toxic cloud. Whale oil. Hmm. Learn something new every day! Interesting. I've got them full and have rolled them around to agitate. They aren't cut open yet. Was thinking maybe a future smoker project, hence the burn out. Good plan on soaking up the floating oil. Maybe I'll suck out some of the water and plasma open the top, soak up the residue off the surface and empty and then burn. Then they are ready to go for when I get time to do a smoker. Thanks again!Bert200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:If there is no free liquid, probably the best way is to use detergent soap and a rag (at least in my opinion.) THEN wash off with water. Brake clean also... just make sure it evaporates before you fire it
Reply:or you could just buy a food grade barrel. they sell around here for 20-25 bucks. my brother in law builds smokers out of them for friends. i don't have one....go figure....never liked the sucker anyway.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:Originally Posted by jbmprodsor you could just buy a food grade barrel. they sell around here for 20-25 bucks. my brother in law builds smokers out of them for friends. i don't have one....go figure....never liked the sucker anyway.