The Ins and Outs of Tank Cleaning

The other morning I was cleaning out the last tanks of the season, which involves clambering into the stainless steel tank barefoot by worming through an 18" opening, and then water-blasting and scrubbing the walls, seams, fittings and ceiling of the tank.

 

It's boring but satisfying work. (By the way, that's not me in the photo at left.  This is Linda Baehr, assistant winemaker at Peachy Canyon.)   With a water rifle in hand, one's imagination runs toward Star Wars scenarios, so I was gunning down my enemies with the pressure washer.  And then for some reason, I began thinking about how other winepeeps get in and out of a tank. I had good reason to consider this because while I was cleaning, Dan came by and wanted to ask me something, so he turned the noisy powerwasher off. We had a brief conversation and when he left, I started scrubbing the wet walls with a long-handled brush. When I next picked up the powerwasher, nothing came out but a thin stream.  He'd left without turning the powerwasher back on!

 

This meant I had to sit on my butt in the wet puddle in front of the door (our tanks are slightly tilted toward the doors), grab the triangular strut over the door, slide halfway out, flop into the puddle on my side/elbow, and then twist onto my belly and slither the rest of the way out butt first, flailing blindly for the ground or a stepstool with my frozen bare feet.  Find solid ground.  Turn the PW on. Slither and twist back in and resume cleaning. When it comes to going 'in and out', I guess I am a corkscrew:  in on the belly, twist to the left, grunt-lift butt in, scramble to feet. Reverse to exit.

Other winemakers have more elegant entry/exits ...

 

Roy Piper at Seven Stones in Napa says he will, "Go in and out the same way...on my belly, head first. Slide in. get shirt all wet on the way out."

 

Linda Baehr at Peachy Canyon in Paso Robles (pictured above)  says, "Generally in and out on my back, but different situations can change that.  I can hear the jokes coming now."

 

Tyler Thomas in Sonoma says, "The beauty of open tops, jump in and out. Though if going through a door I do my best "how low can you go" limbo to keep my clothes dry...can be very tricky and invariably I at least one entire forearm wet."

 

Guess I need to work on my technique ...

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