Acid wash for trailer

S

scott_l

Member
In my other post (skunk smell) some one mentioned acid washing the trailer. I know nothing about this, who can tell me more. Let’s take the skunk smell out of the equation. I personally have an enclosed trailer with white exterior side walls/top. If it warms up one weekend in the winter I’ll wash off the trailer with basically a car soap to get some of the road grind off the trailer. Then every spring I grab purple supper clean and go to town on the trailer. It does a good job but if you stand back you can still see some streaks in the white that I have never been able to get off. Is this acid wash good to do several times a year, only once in the spring before the trailer goes into storage for the summer. Any bad “side effects” from the acid? Will it hurt any of the seals around the doors or anything like that.

Do you guys have another preferred product to clean the enclosed trailer exterior?
 
E

ezra

Well-known member
big rigs get it done all the time .
i have only had it done a few times . usually need to get a bit out of the metro to find a truck stop with a wash .
 
favoritos

favoritos

Well-known member
We have used acid wash on semis for years. We try to limit the wash and use it on just the worst sections of aluminum. We also do not like to use it on anything relatively new.
It has cleaning ability beyond pretty much everything else that you can spray and rinse. It also accelerates aging or porosity of the surfaces. Streaking is somewhat related to "how" you use the acid wash. Plan on a lot more rinse process if you do use acid. The longer it sits, the more it etches. Those areas with wash running down will be visible without a timely and thorough rinse. A bad wash/rinse will leave a terrible streaked mess.
It can be almost like a miracle on older aluminum (without deep corrosion), that just plain looks dirty. It can even remove some of the yellowing that you often see on semis.

Sorry, I can't give a good answer about the rubber seals. Semis and toy haulers use a whole different class of seals. It is rare to replace just the seals around semi trailer doors because of aging. The soft porous seals on toy haulers wear out fast. They are also easy to replace.
Bottom line, I have easy access to acid wash and still only use it for the most difficult cleaning on trucks. The last toy hauler had over 50,000 miles and was never acid washed. Hand scrubbing is hard work, but I still prefer to use those brushes before switching to acid wash. Try using soap and soft brushes first and see how it looks. I would recommend bringing your own truck brush and pail. (Use the extra soft version) Those long handles and soft bristles help make the cleaning much easier.
 
O

old abe

Well-known member
favoritos said:
We have used acid wash on semis for years. We try to limit the wash and use it on just the worst sections of aluminum. We also do not like to use it on anything relatively new.
It has cleaning ability beyond pretty much everything else that you can spray and rinse. It also accelerates aging or porosity of the surfaces. Streaking is somewhat related to "how" you use the acid wash. Plan on a lot more rinse process if you do use acid. The longer it sits, the more it etches. Those areas with wash running down will be visible without a timely and thorough rinse. A bad wash/rinse will leave a terrible streaked mess.
It can be almost like a miracle on older aluminum (without deep corrosion), that just plain looks dirty. It can even remove some of the yellowing that you often see on semis.

Sorry, I can't give a good answer about the rubber seals. Semis and toy haulers use a whole different class of seals. It is rare to replace just the seals around semi trailer doors because of aging. The soft porous seals on toy haulers wear out fast. They are also easy to replace.
Bottom line, I have easy access to acid wash and still only use it for the most difficult cleaning on trucks. The last toy hauler had over 50,000 miles and was never acid washed. Hand scrubbing is hard work, but I still prefer to use those brushes before switching to acid wash. Try using soap and soft brushes first and see how it looks. I would recommend bringing your own truck brush and pail. (Use the extra soft version) Those long handles and soft bristles help make the cleaning much easier.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with all of that!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top