Oil Tank Leak

Mijola

I have a very large and very old oil tank in my basement. I think it is 250 gallons. Down near the bottom of the tank it looks very rusty and I noticed several drips of oil coming from there. What can be done to repair this leak??? Is there some kind of patch I can use???? I was going to screw a piece of sheet metal into the tank to stop the leak. Any suggestions?????

Mijola

Oil Tank Leak

I have a very large and very old oil tank in my basement. I think it is 250 gallons. Down near the bottom of the tank it looks very rusty and I noticed several drips of oil coming from there. What can be done to repair this leak??? Is there some kind of patch I can use???? I was going to screw a piece of sheet metal into the tank to stop the leak. Any suggestions?????

Biged

oil tanlk leak

Get it replaced! the cost of replacing it is a lot less than the environmental Hazmat co. charge to clean up an oil spill. many contractors including myself do not repair oil tanks with anything on the market because of liability issues.

ed wallace

oil tank leak

do not screw anything into the oil tank call your oil co have them look at it

RoosterBoy

holy cow never never screw anything into the bottom of a tank or chew bubble gum and stick it at the bottom you cannot pee into a Mr. coffee and expect to get tasters choice. get it replaced fast do not refill it and if I was you I would not put that old oil into your new tank have them pump it out or use it fast but just get a new tank installed use the find a pro here to help you

if you have a oil tank leek it can cost you $250,000 clean up so get it fixed

thanks

Guy_5

leak

Please use my experience on this- DON"T TOUCH THAT OIL BOOGER hanging from the tank. I did that when I was about 17 and spent a bit of humbling time on the basement floor like the little Dutch boy with his finger in the dike, waiting for help to arrive.
Have that tank replaced- everyone will sleep better when you do.

DaveGateway

The sluge on the bottom

is probably the only thing keeping the rust together. Call oil company immediately and stop any delivery. The weight/force of a fill might rupture the tank. Call a contractor or oil company to get a saftey tank and use up as much oil as you can in the mean time.

Mijola

Fiberglass worked

I patched the hole with fiberglass so all is well.

Ex Maine Doug

Please note!

This oil tank message is not from the Maine doug that has used the lower case doug for 4 years here. My tank is new.

Maine doug

RoosterBoy

no it's not good you should have someone replace that tank for you. when you have it filled you will be in big trouble trust me it will cost you $250,000 clean up plus you have to smell oil in your house for a good month or so

but anyway don't say we did not warn you if I was you a leak would tell me that the tank is done and I need a new one

good luck

David_5

Why did you post the question?

I don't remember seeing anyone say to patch, let alone use fiberglass. Fools rest easy.

David

oil-2-4-6-gas

.

take a gallon of water and pour it on the floor,see how far it goes --now multiply that x 200 thats what can be on your floor after a fill -

Ken D.

Tank

Any repair would be strictly temporary.The metal is fatigued. The tank bottom is thin from corrosion, so there are plenty of potential leaks including catastrophic ones. To fool around with it is to invite trouble. If you tried to screw something into it, there might not be anything to screw into and you would just make the leak worse. Do it right the first time and replace the tank. Its time. The enviromental hazard is real and too expensive. I strongly advise a new double wall tank.(Some municipalities require nothing less.) This reduces the chances of oil leaking out to near zero. Anything to reduce that likelihood is a plus.

Leo

Is it worth the risk?

Working for an oil company if I was doing service in your home I would notify the office to suspend deliveries. This is nothing to fool with and I check tanks. Does your company offer tank protection, you may have it and not even know it. Like anything else tanks do not last forever. If you were to have a spill your homeowners doesn't necessarily cover it either.

Do the right thing,
Leo

Ken_8

275

If the tank is more than 1/3 full, put the biggest coffee can you can, under the leak. Make a small "volcano" of speedi-dri around the coffee can.

Try and clear a nearby location and install a new tank while the old one is still present. Pipe up the new tank oil line(s), the fill and vent lines through the wall and pump the remaining oil from old to new tank.

If the tank is less than 1/3 full, after cutting the fill and vent pipes, you maye be able to "CAREFULLY" slide the old tank over 30" or so to allow the new tank to occupy the same space as the existing leaker. At 1/3 full, the tank would weigh about 800 pounds (200 a leg).

Make all the connections using all new pipe for vent and fill (make sure a tank gage and fill alarm device are used on the vent pipe. Make sure a new Firomatic valve with a capped flare fitting is installed on the bottom tap (or better yet, new DT bushing for a dip tube supply and return - always use a two pipe setup when possible) and THEN pump the oil over to the new tank.

Just don't suck up all the sludge from the tank bottom of the old tank!

Keeping Murphy's law always at the fore, a drip an hour or an oz a week is not a panic situation. But why mess around with any threat that is imminent? You know it ain'y gettin' ay better!

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Constantin

I second that call...

... I love my Roth double-walled tanks. Easy to install, inherently leak-proof, built-in leak detector, etc. Put them in and forget about them... your grandkids will probably rip them out when we find better ways to heat our homes.

m dewolfe

fiberglass patch

most likely came from the same home depot that sold him the 75 cent plug for his waterheater. hint hint