Any Roth Oil Tank Downsides?

Brent H.

During my annual burner service, they found a pinhole leak in my 27 year old steel tank. Looking at replacement options, the Roth tank is only slightly more than a steel tank but has a 30 year warranty instead of 3 years. Also, no issue with warranty if any oil is pumped over from old tank.The primary business of the vendor I’m talking to is tank replacements so their trucks are equipped with a pump out/storage tank and proper filtering. New oil line will be run overhead and a tigerloop added. It’ll take up less room and shouldn’t rust through like my current steel tank. Curious if there is any downside to the Roth tanks?

Big Ed_4

Your set up will work , with a top feed set up , you need to remember to keep up on the oil treatment . You need to kill algae growth

And don't reuse the oil.. I know it is tempting

EdTheHeaterMan

Downside: I can only think of one.
Roth offers a tank gauge that is a weighted float that sits on the surface of the oil. There is a string attached to the float that pulls down on the gauge that causes the numbers on the gauge to change indicating how much oil is left in the tank.
Roth also offers a floating oil pickup tube that has a flexible tube that is connected to the top feed of the tank. There is another opening to fill the tank. When you place the gauge and the pickup tube next to each other,on the top of the tank, the force of the oil filling the tank will entangle the gauge string and the pickup tube. You will not know about this until you get to about 1/2 a tank of oil. The tangled string and tube will stop the pickup tube that is supposed to float on the surface of the oil from dropping with the oil level. You will end up with no heat and the gauge will read 1/2 tank so you know you are not out of oil.

The service tech will try to prime the burner with no success. Then go out to the tank to see how much oil you have, then go back in and try to prime it again. Then he will replace the plugged oil filter only to find that the filter cartridge is pristine like the day it was installed (Not Plugged). Then get his clogged oil line kit and try to blow out the blockage in the fuel line (that is not there) . After that he will recommend that you get a new fuel line because there must be a break in the fuel line since he can not get the fuel to draw thru the existing fuel line. Then he will remove the fitting on top of the tank for the fuel line in order to start the new fuel pipe process. When he sees that the gauge string is wrapped around the oil pickup, he will then feel so stupid for not looking at this problem 2 hours earlier. Then he will throw away the tank gauge and the floating pickup tube and install a rigid pipe to pick up the fuel from the bottom of the tank. He will then need to come up with a reason you need a new gauge (different kind) because it is not compatible with the new fuel pick up line.

The fuel line repair will be less than 1/2 the price quoted because he found the break in the fuel line pickup in the tank and you don't need the entire fuel line replaced.

Ask me How I know this?

Go ahead and ask... I dare ya'

MikeAmann

So then what is the work-around?

STEVEusaPA

No one uses floating pickup tube anymore.
Roth or similar Granby is all anyone should use.
Installed correctly, no vacuum leak, power purged, single pipe, no tiger loop needed.