Help me rehab this grimy trough I inherited

[Texarkana]

The previous owners of our farm left behind a perfectly good Rubbermaid 100 gallon trough. The catch is it was overflowing with putrid green sludge for months between when they moved out and we moved in (and who knows how long before that, they didn’t exactly maintain things around here).

I didn’t think it would be a big deal to get it cleaned up. I thought some bleach, soap, a good scrub brush, and bada bing bada boom it would be good as new. Boy was I wrong.

It has a measureable amout of light colored “sludge” build up on the lower half of it and nothing will help loosen it. Not a great picture, but it will give you an idea:

I’ve tried bleach, Dawn, betadine, and vinegar. I’ve tried scrub brushes, metal brushes, steel wool, even a power drill with stiff scrub brush attachment. I’ve tried soaking it. I’ve tried letting it dry out completely. I’ve tried sun. I’ve tried shade. I dumped it months and months ago yet I’m still fighting to get it clean! It’s become a sad hobby.

I don’t want to just use it as is because the sludge discolors the water and is just gross. I’m ready to give up, but I thought I’d ask if anyone has any brilliant ideas. It’s a perfectly good trough so it seems like a shame to get rid of it. Surely there is something that will remove the grime!

[Garythesquirrel]

I would try a pressure washer.

[Texarkana]

@Garythesquirrel

I would try a pressure washer.

Great idea! We have one and I never thought to try it on this.

[2DogsFarm]

The “sludge” might be from well water high in iron (like mine). The water line that runs to the barn hydrant does not get treated like my house supply.
Your sludge looks similar to the trough I have - 50gal food grade barrel.
It creates scale that Does.Not.Come.Off.

Does not bother the horses at all, in fact they prefer that over the buckets in their stalls.
On the rare occasion when I dump, scrub & refill the barrel, they’ll drink the puddle of dumped water before the crystal clear in the barrel.

[Texarkana]

@2DogsFarm

The “sludge” might be from well water high in iron (like mine). The water line that runs to the barn hydrant does not get treated like my house supply.
Your sludge looks similar to the trough I have - 50gal food grade barrel.
It creates scale that Does.Not.Come.Off.

Does not bother the horses at all, in fact they prefer that over the buckets in their stalls.
On the rare occasion when I dump, scrub & refill the barrel, they’ll drink the puddle of dumped water before the crystal clear in the barrel.

I agree it is likely mineral deposits, but I don’t think it’s iron. We have very low iron in our well (for once!). I don’t have the problem in any of my other troughs, but they are also scrubbed regularly.

It does come off, but not in large enough amounts to make any progress because it is so incredibly thick on the trough. When it comes off it looks like paste:

When I fill the trough, the water becomes white and cloudy. The water is clear in my other troughs filled from the same hydrant. I haven’t had the horses taste test from the grimy trough They probably would love it because… horses. Ha!

[2DogsFarm]

If you leave it for a day or so, does the water clear?
Or remain cloudy?
If the horses will drink it then

[ClassyJumper]

I wonder if you could some sort of coffee machine descaler? Looks like maybe a build up of lime/calcium.

[Christa_P]

I agree it looks like calcium buildup. How much and how strong was the vinegar you used? I would get a couple of gallons, dump them in straight and let it soak. It might take a couple of treatments.

[Simkie]

You might try an actual descaling acid treatment. Like this stuff:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-Aqua-Mix-1-lb-Sulfamic-Acid-Crystals-050231/300176044

[beowulf]

How long are you leaving it to soak?

What a perfectly good trough!! I like you, would be thrilled with this “inheritance” (especially after how much of a PITA former occupants were) and would likely also go to heroic measures to make it usable.

[NancyM]

“Cleaning” vinegar is a stronger solution than regular vinegar. Did you use “cleaning” vinegar?

[Ergots]

Use a jug of CLR cleaner. How about a pumice stone?

[luvmyhackney]

Looks like Calcium build up. Muriatic acid will clean it right up, but please use all the safety gear with it… its no joke to mess with and can be dangerous. Lowes and Home Depot sell it under the name Klean Strip and it can be found in the pool section sometimes.

Wear good gloves, long sleeves, and long pants. Plus a mask. Do not get it on your skin.

[Scarlet_Gilia]

if all else fails, I’d drill some holes in the bottom and use it as a raised bed planter.

[Warmblood1]

Straight vinegar. Spray the surface and dampen as much as you can, allow to sit for several hours, then pressure wash it.

ETA: I would be hesitant to use abrasive chemicals that may leach into the pores of the plastic and become unsafe to drink out of. Vinegar is strong enough to cut through calcium build up if applied enough and allowed to sit. The pressure washer should take care of the rest that doesn’t dissolve.

[cutter99]

Second CLR, and then a good scrubbing with baking soda.

[Texarkana]

These are great ideas!

Quoting always gets buggy on my phone, but to answer some of the questions: yes the water stays cloudy in that trough. I have let it soak with various products a pretty much every length of time. Hours, days, even an entire week. Soaking definitely has not loosened it. I used a gallon of your typical cooking vinegar applied straight and it did not help.

I have some CLR on hand so I think that and the pressure washer will be my next trial!

[clanter]

I use a 30% vinegar to clean water troughs, washes out easily (also use this for spot killing weeds)

[trubandloki]

What happens if you simply take something like a putty knife to it? Does it scrape off?

[S1969]

I’d throw it away. It’s not worth the effort.

What I’ve found with this type of situation (also on a well with heavy minerals) is that you just end up scratching the plastic which creates more ridges and cracks that collect dirt, minerals, etc. and make cleaning more difficult in the future.

It’s a shame, but I haven’t found it worth the time, and then it just creates more time consuming jobs down the line.

Fill it with soil and plant potatoes in it.