Cleaning the sediment out of the lye tank

[Valerie Johnson]

My lye tank is developing a layer of sediment in the bottom and when I place a piece in the tank the sediment gets stirred up and settles on the piece, Is there a way of filtering the sediment out of the solution, What do you do with the sediment after it has been filtered off the lye solution, I have my own septic system so I do not want to just dump it down the drain.

[Russell Ware]

I just find a nice quiet spot in the backyard, or target a specific group of weeds.

[Jeff Friend]

I think filtering will be difficult.  Here is what I have done.

Get a piece of pipe - something like 3/4-inch PVC - about 4 ft long.  Long enough that it reaches the bottom of your tank with a foot to spare.  Next, you need a piece of tubing that you can tightly fit to the pipe so there are no leaks and will reach to the floor (about 1 ft longer than the pipe).  Last thing you need is a 5-gallon bucket.

Put on your PPE (gloves, safety glasses, apron).  Long pants, long sleeve shirt, real shoes are a must.

Hold the pipe/hose so it forms a U-shape.  Fill it with water, and put your thumb over the end of the hose.  Quickly lower the pipe into your tank so the end is on the bottom.  If much water is lost before you get the pipe into the tank, you won't get a siphon to start.  Now, carefully put the end of the tube into the bucket and remove your thumb.  As the water and sediment are siphoning out, move the pipe around to "vacuum" up as much sludge as possible before the bucket fills.  Pull the pipe out of the tank to stop the siphon.

Let you bucket of sludge sit undisturbed for a few days.  You can return the lye solution back to the tank by carefully pouring it out of the bucket.  You can either solidify the sludge with kitty litter or put the bucket somewhere where the sludge can dry out and won't be a risk to animals or getting knocked over.  The residue can be put in the trash.

Jeff

[Valerie Johnson]

Hi Jeff, The siphon is a great idea, I have a spare gas siphon hose that I think I will use, As for filtering I think if I use coarse cheesecloth it should work out OK, I will siphon from the top and leave most of the sediment in the bottom and then just bury it somewhere on the back of my property, I will use one of my tractors to dig the hole so it is deep enough that I will not have to worry about an animal digging it up or getting into it, I may also put cat litter or sand into it just to solidify it for handling.

[Micah Unruh]

What about getting paint strainers for a 5 gallon bucket? Cheap with a fairly fine mesh.

[Valerie Johnson]

What about getting paint strainers for a 5 gallon bucket? Cheap with a fairly fine mesh.

Another good idea and quite easily disposed of when finished

[Jeff Friend]

I am not sure if my original post was clear, but my suggestion was to siphon out the sediment and leave the lye solution in your tank.  You can siphon out the water into several buckets and then scoop out the sediment, if that is what you'd rather do.

I would skip the filtration step.  If your tank has been allowed to sit quiescently for a few days, the water you siphon out should be relatively free of suspended solids, so filtration won't do much good.  On the other hand, if you siphon out the sludge, it will quickly blind cheese cloth or other type of filter so the water passes through very slowly.  The sludge can be a somewhat gelatinous mess, so be forewarned.

Just to let you know, I have used a lye tank for many years.  I have siphoned out sediment a few times, but have never felt that the liquid needed to be filtered.

One last thing, there is an article in the most recent issue of our newsletter, The Casting Call, on the topic of waste disposal.

Jeff