Design flaw in 2\" ventalarms?

kevin coppinger_4

is this just the (Red) Scully va or is it the OEM (blue) brand and the (silver) King brands too? kpc

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chapchap70_2

Design flaw in 2\" ventalarms?

Hi,

I am a heating oil delivery driver on Long Island. I believe that a couple of years ago, the code was 1 1/4" vents for 2" fills on oil tanks. Now I believe it is 2" fills and vents. I think the code has gone back and forth so I could be wrong, it might be 1 1/4" vents again.

Anyway, I have come across quite a few newer 2" vents that seem to be blocked. It is to the point where I don't even like seeing them. The 1 1/4" vents seem to work better. Sometimes when I fill a brand new tank with a 2" ventalarm, it starts out seeming blocked and I think the air pushes a float mechanism or something and it pops making the blockage go away. This does not always happen and I have to fill these tanks slowly. This is a pain when you have to fill 1000 gallon tanks slowly and you are pressed for time. It is like filling a tank with a 1/4" vent.

One day I came across an outside tank with a combo gauge that seemed blocked. I stuck a screwdriver into the ventalarm via the gauge and popped what I thought was a float type device that was stuck. I was then able to fill the tank normally. This is why I think there may be a design flaw.

Most of the time on twin tanks, there is not a combo gauge/ventalarm so when I have had access to them, all I could think to do was smack the ventalarm with the handle of my screwdriver which hasn't worked. (I don't want to hit it too hard.) I just had one the other day where the house is not even finished yet.

Does anyone else know of this problem and is there something I can tell the service dept. and any plumbers I come across to do before installing ventalarms?

Thanks

chapchap70_2

Not sure

I have not seen too many since most of the tanks are either in the basement or in the ground where I have no access to them. The couple I have seen appear to be blue. (OEM)