Moth balls in fuel oil tank

mtfallsmikey

Penray diesel fuel conditioner in mine, but sludge is sludge. Get away from the underground tanks.

Hammer

Moth balls in fuel oil tank

One of my co-workers recently cleaned and tuned up my oil-fired, heating water boiler. The boiler is fed from an underground, steel oil tank (actually two 275 gallon tanks piped in parallel). We got on the subject of sludge in the bottom of the fuel tank and my co-worker told me that I could by a commercial product that I could dump in the tank and it would brakdown the sludge......or, he said to put a couple moth balls in the fuel tank once a year. He said that the chemicals in the moth balls attack the sludge, break it down, and in a short time the sludge will disappear. He said he saw a demonstration of it at a tech school.

I've never heard of this and was wondering if anyone knows if it works, and if so, what is the chemical makeup in moth balls that causes it to work? It sounds like an old wives tale or voodoo to me and I would like to know the science behind it before I go and drop moth balls down the tank! Thanks.

John_102

moth ball active ingredients

Moth balls are either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, I believe. Both are flammable, I think. Harmless to the tank, I'd say. Why a couple of moth balls would cut sludge is beyond me, but your wife's best dress wouldn't get chewed up if you stuffed it in there with the sludge & the mothballs. You might, however, get a few bites taken out of your hide.

Brad White_118

Of Napthalene and Neutered Moths

LOL John on your fabric care and marriage/relationship maintenance tips! To think that I was about to...

Napthalene is the Paradichlorobenzene substitute in most places, benzene being a carcinogen (viz. Leukemia). Moths do not seem to care for it either.

Interesting discussion- I wonder if the solvent aspects would loosen up sludge. Seems logical.

J.C.A._3

They also...

Fit beautifully in the oulet of the tank,especially when melted just a bit...thereby blocking the flow of oil.

Just like the mothballs in the gas tank...an old wives tale. Try some HTTP. It's a fuel additive that will work well depending on the amount of sludge...and is harmless to the fuel handling parts of your system.

Neutered moths....Brad, you jolly joker! Chris

Mitch_4

mothballs in the fuel tank was tested by

the mythbusters and actually works...