275 oil tank condensation

Mike M

have you ever seen a 275 twin tank sweating as if it was in the rain? I mean dripping wet.. Usually right after it gets filled. Is it because the oil company is filling the trucks the night before, and parking them outside??? anyone seen this before? Kind of makes me wonder if water is collecting inside the tank as well.

STEVEusaPA

Where are the tanks? Outside, basement?
What was the temperature of the oil in the tank before delivery?
What was the temperature of the oil in the oil truck?
What was the temperature of the air outside? Inside?
Differences in temperature always cause condensation on the outside of a tank, just like what happens when you take an ice cold bottle of water out of the refrigerator on a hot day.
No water is collecting the in the tank.
Now in the summer condensation can form on the inside of an empty oil tank for similar reasons

BDR529

Yes, difference in temp will cause condensation.

Fuel companies must start running heated bodies to combat this!

Basement al iittle humid,eh?

STEVEusaPA

Basement has to be very humid.
You can't heat the oil in the truck like they do for asphalt. Just not allowed, not safe.
Draw you oil from the bottom of a properly pitched tank, add an additive once a year.

Mike M

Just got back, 5 gallons of condensate, only one of the two is sweating like this. Humidity is a concern only in summer. RH is about 25% in a heated basement. Last time they topped off, same thing, tank sweating. I was thinking they are topping off the trucks at night and filling it in the AM. They have no crossover piping over the tops of the two tanks. He got 315 gallons. I think the truck operator is pumping mainly in one side and a small amount in the other. The other tank beside it is bone dry.

BDR529

STEVEusaPA said:

Basement has to be very humid.
You can't heat the oil in the truck like they do for asphalt. Just not allowed, not safe.
Draw you oil from the bottom of a properly pitched tank, add an additive once a year.

The truck thing was a joke.

5 gallons of condensate!! is it red?

Mike M

Pictures...

Mike M

Left tank is the sweater, right tank is dry to the touch. Protective tray was full to the top with a bit of oil too, but not much.

dopey27177

Each tank should have a bottom drain to draw off the condensate.

When you have to much water in the oil white soke will exit your chimney.

The best thing to do is install water separators before the strainers and the y can be blown down periodically.

Jake

STEVEusaPA

That's not condensate, that's a leak. The tops of your tanks look wet. Did you watch the tanks as they were filling them?
If it's in the piping, needs to be fixed. If it's the tank itself, you better get new tank before catastrophic failure.

If you were getting cold oil, it would only benefit you as the oil would warm up and expand.
An oil company wouldn't top off trucks on a cold night unless either they are in a state that allows them to run with compensated meters, getting ready for bad weather, there was a huge price and they loaded before the price went up, or an allocation/logistics issue.
Same reason-3000 gallons of heating oil will shrink a little over 30 gallons when the temperature of the heating oil drops 30°.