The Home Machinist!

I need to move my 330 gallon home heating oil tank across the basement. The move is about 30 feet.

Right now, there's 150 gallons of oil, so we're looking at 900 pounds of oil and a 300 pound tank. Me and 20 of my closest friends could pick it up and move it, but since I don't have that many friends, we're going to have to use brains and not brawn on this one.

I don't have a dolly big enough, nor casters strong enough for that kind of load, although I could move my 40"x48" trailer into the basement and maybe use that, but I digress.

Moving it full is probably not worth the risk to life, limb and risking the possible oil spill.

The tank is a standard 330 gallon "upright" tank, which means that it's not upright, but just laying down on the smaller side instead of being on the flat side. It would be nice if they could stand them up on end and have them take up less space - I mean, there's seven feet of ceiling height, why not use it?

Options seem to be:
pump the oil into three 55-gallon drums
move the tank
pump the oil from the 55-gallon drums back into the tank
Drums can be had for $30-$50 each and I can sell them when I'm done and get most of my money back.

Buy a new 330 gallon tank
install in the new location
pump from the old tank to the new tank
Advantage - I get a new tank (the old one's about 30 years old, but it's still solid)
Disadvantage - tank costs about $500.

In either case, I need a pump.
I thought about this one:
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?i ... 6&catname=
but it says "not for flammable liquids" although it says it can be used for waste oil. Guess it's just a question as to what point is it flammable (or as George Carlin would have said "either it flams or it doesn't").

Also, they sell catch pans to go under the tank and as long as I'm moving it, now would be a good time to spring for one of those.

Any suggestions for pumps and comments/suggestions on the move?

Steve

get a new tank after 30 years if you a in a area with any humidity it has rust in the bottom inside on leak droping 300 gallons on the ground would cost you 1200 dallors all by it self plus clean up cost. murphys law says near empty tanks dont leak.

as to pumps stove oil does not have a high flash point so you may have several options even a flap pump hooked to a drill will get it done.

If you must pump the tank dry, you might consider a barrel pump from Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/barrel-pump-45743.html
They work just fine, but are not a work of art. I added a small motor to one I use to transfer oil from 55 gallon drums to my storage tank. It can transfer 55 gallons in just a few minutes.

Harold

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Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.

I don't know how you tank, or support is built, but what about using pipe for rollers. I just move my 1200lb mill across the garage with just my gal and I. I I pushed it by hand, while she move the pipes to the front. It moved easily.
Just a thought.

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Pat P in the Great NW.

The tank sits on 4 pipe legs. Looks just like this one:


The barrel pump looks like a good choice. I can probably mount it directly to the top of the tank if I move tank-to-tank.

Steve

If it looks like the pic you could rent/borrow a pallet truck build cradles of 4 X 4 wood for each fork and move it that way.
It sorta eliminates the possiblity of installing the catch pan.
In reality I gotta agree with Hammermill, 500 bucks is a lotta cash but it'll seem dirt cheap as soon as the one you move springs a leak, and my money says it will.

If ours was any indication, they rust out from the inside. Ours did, at about 30 years age, and the outside looked fine. Lucky for us, I caught it while it was still just seeping, and our oil supplier sent out a transfer truck to pump the 150 or so gallons out of the old one and into the new one.

If it leaks inside your cellar you'll never get rid of the stink.

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Pete in NJ

Ya, if they go, they go at a thin spot on the bottom end, where the tank is welded, or at the very bottom where the water may lay for years, unnoticed. I bought several salvaged round tanks like yours, and got 3 to get one good one. The leg brackets are nototious for getting a small crack from the tank 'walking' when getting filled and corrosion working on the stressed metal. My Granpa had two tanks together, and got rid of them when he went to gas heat. His other earlier house had a coal furnace 'Octopuss', in it, and I got in trouble playing with it all the time, in the summer. It took weeks to get clean, as I smashed the coal lumps to find plant 'things' in the coal bin.

Yours may be Ok, Only a good checkout can tell, and that means clean and MT. Lotta work, and spilled oil will stink near forever. So how much is the $500 worth to ya?

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Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

The answer for draining is pressure. It's safe. Remove filter and stuff and cap other pipes introduce air pressure and everything can flow to another filter to recapture your oil. This will also flush the tank somewhat, of gook.

That would work, or suck a vacuum on the new tank, run a hose over to the old one, crack a valve and suck it into the new one.
James

Pressure may work. It's not like I'm pumping up 20 feet.

Steve

Steve, looks like you're pretty firmly entrenched in moving that 30 yr. old leak just waiting to happen.
My guess is the move should trigger it.