oil tank removal

Norm Harvey

I'm really fed up with it here in MA. I would move at the drop of a hat except for my Wife has a HUGE Irish Catholic family (She has 16 aunts and uncles on her mothers side, and 5 on her fathers side. Each one of her aunts and uncles has a ton of kids so she has about a million cousins).

If I tried to leave, her family would hunt me down and kill me.

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r. perry

oil tank removal

I just had a new gas-fired steam boiler installed to replace the ancient oil-fired boiler and the contractor has left the oil tank in the basement, saying its removal wasn't in the price he quoted or in the contract I signed and he's absolutly correct. My fault for not reading and asking enough questions.....sooooo....can anyone advise me as to how I might try to remove it myself?? I'd like to just cut it up and haul it out in pieces but I don't know how flamable the oil residue is. I've drained it as well as I can, proping up one end to get out as much oil as possible and it seems that only some sludge is left. Any ideas/suggestions men?? THANKS!! R. Perry.

lee_7

If it will fit out of door in 1 piece, do it. Get a couple strong YOUNG men and carry out. Once outside, get out the trusty sawzall and start cutting. Make sure you have plenty of kitty litter, sawdust or oil dry to absorb the remaining sludge. Shovel out absorbant and wipe tank out. Recycling yards will take tank if cleaned out. Same procedure if it does not fit out of door easily, but be prepared to ventilate basement as the tank will stink after you open it up. The odor will stay around for a while and the misses might not like it to much.

Rich Kontny_3

An Inside Tank

Is fairly simple to remove if it is still in good condition. You can take off the legs in order to have more room and usually it will go up a stairway. This is at least a two person job and you want to plug off the bottom outlet with the properly sized plug. A nipple with a cap can break off and create a leak.

Scope out this project carefully though and find out where you are taking it before you remove it from your basement. In the Milwaukee area there are those who will do this at no charge in exchange for the tank!

Be careful as spilled oil can have lasting fuel oil smells!

r. perry

Thanks for the help men. I have to cut it up in the basement because of the remodeling job upstairs. Probably the reason the contractor squeaked out on including removal as part of the job, HA!!! Ray.

tommyoil

My guess

is that it probably has more to do with getting rid of the sludge and residual oil than getting rid of the tank. Its a PITA in some places. Here, the tank must be scraped out and totally dry when it gets to the scrapyard. The remaining sludge must also be properly disposed of. We have a waste oil tank however some communities also have a waste oil reclamation program for their residents(more for used motor oil then tank sludge). Its a sloppy job no matter what. The crud removal and disposal is most likely the issue, not so much sawzalling the tank in half. Thats the easy part. Good Luck!

Norm Harvey

In MASS you need a permit to dispose of the tank. Most all junk yards will not accept the tank without a permit. To get a permit you need a license.



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tommyoil

A little different here

While the permit for the job is necessary, the scrap yard just does a visual before they accept the tank. No paper necessary(as far as I know). Not yet at least. The sludge is another story. A paper trail is required for the permit to be satisfied.

tommyoil

Norm,where you are...

Can a homeowner pull their own permit if they wanted to perform the work? Or is the licence the fly in that ointment?

Norm Harvey

The License is needed for the permit, so a home owner would not be able apply for the permit.

The permit for removal is required so that the fire inspector can assess the site to see if the tank was leaking prior to removal.


I hear you though Tommy. It's a good thing that we need permits. That way us highly skilled and highly trained technicians can lug out an old tank, and operate a sawzall. We wouldn't want anyone taking our jobs away.


All of the recycle yards that I use require a copy of the removal permit AND they do a visual inspection. My sludge I put into a 55 gallon chemical drum which needs to be hauled away by an environmental company (for a hefty price)



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Frenchie

Rich

Why do the guys do this in exchange for the tank? For the scrap metal value or do they use the tanks for something else?

r. perry

oil tank removal...

For Rich....You write that there are people in the Milwaukie area that will haul out the tank for free. Would you mind telling me who these people are? Scrap people?? Junk collectors?? I'm in Harrisburg, PA and if I had an idea as to who might be interested in the tank..it would save me work and someone might get something they wanted.

As for the great state of Massachusetts.....it's real hysterical there with code stuff and such. I grew up there and it has been that way for ages. Truck Drivers call it (trucker slang)........"The Communist State" because of all the regulations there in Mass and nowhere else.

tommyoil

Master

Sawzall operator indeed Norm. It took years to perfect so dont underestimate the value of a mastersawzall operator. Does Mass. need a licence for that too?? Last time I mastered anything I was baiting hooks on a party boat. Care to take a crack at THAT job title? Its funny here in NJ. Homeowners can do what they want to their own homes as long as they pull permits to do it. Lots of HO's pull permits so unlicensed moonlighters can do the work. Definately NOT like the watchful eye of your great state.