home heating oil tank move

[f350ca]

A bit of pressure may indicate how solid your 30 year old tank is.
Greg

[SteveM]

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.

No, actually, we're getting quotes on a new tank. I think it will be money well spent when you look at everything that can go wrong.

Steve

[stevec]

Ah, good, I'll sleep better tonight .

[Steve_in_Mich]

I wouldn't apply a vacuum to one of these tanks, it's not designed to handle it.

My first thought was maybe 3 hydraulic car jacks. Two to support a cradle under one end and the third to make the tail end portable but after considering the age of the tank I think the NEW tank option is a good choice.

The tank in this picture was 25 years old according to the previous owner. It had a half dozen gasketted sheetmetal screws in the bottom when I got from him to convert to a burn drum (thus the door cutout I added in the end).

[dirtcrasher1]

I'd thread "T's" on the pipe legs, insert a smaller pipe (the T's act like a bearing) and roll it on additional pipes.

All you need are the few materials and a bottle jack/wood.

I won't be junking my tank unless I see it weeping.....

[thomas harris]

You do not want a tank of oil in your basement. I now must tell a true story which happened in my hometown. Two adresses. Very similar. A large fuel oil order. A filler outside which was connected to the leftover pipe from a tank removal in the basement. You guessed it. They pumped a hundred gallons or so into the basement. I don't know exactly where the law suit went on it, but I can only imagine the mess, hazard and smell. Always cap off stubbed piping. Always.

[stevec]

Actually, if you were to remove your oil tank from the basement and leave the filler pipe out in the open you are an IDIOT! Plain and simple.

[steamin10]

Yep, same situation, in my Home town. Fuel delivered to the wrong house, old fill pipe, gas heat for years. Murphy was an optimist. Dont remember the details, just the people moved after the incident, they had been there some years. They couldnt get rid of the smell.

There was an uproar about the spilled fuel going out of the floor drain into the storm sewer, that entered a waterway untreated. Icch! A big deal for goment to trumpet on, yet nothing was really done. If I remember, they put dye bombs down a lot of house gutter drains, and handed out fines for those connecting rain drains, to sewer lines, illegal for many years. So how they arrived at that course of action is a mystery to me. No Home heating delivery company was charged that I know of.

[SteveM]

Always cap off stubbed piping. Always.

I'm planning on completely removing the filler and vent pipes and plugging the holes. Absolutely ZERO chance of THAT mistake happening.

My delivery man had a similar story (another oil company) where 1000 gallons was delivered instead of 500 and it ended up in a dirt crawl space. Not sure why the vent alarm didn't work.

They had to crawl in the space under the house, dig out the dirt and send it out to be incinerated.

Steve

[ken572]

Steve,

I ran across this ad you might want to check out.

http://www.heartlandamerica.com/browse/ ... 0&DL=CWH28

Ken.

[SteveM]

I ran across this ad you might want to check out...

That one pumps at 1.5 gpm, and I'll be pumping while the plumbers are here (and on the clock). I have 150 gallons.

Here's what I picked up:
http://www.harborfreight.com/barrel-pump-45743.html


At 15gmp, it will be more like 10 minutes (probably 15-20, considering I'll probably get tired).

I need to extend it so that it will reach near the bottom of the tank (keeping it off the bottom to avoid transferring sludge).

Steve

[Harold_V]

Here's what I picked up:

That's the exact model I put a motor on. It works quite well. I think you'll be favorably impressed.

Harold