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Dual oil tank line issues

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Denien
Denien Member Posts: 1
in Oil Heating

Hi everyone, hoping to get some advice. Thanks in advance!

I have two 275-gallon oil tanks for my hot water boiler. Over the last couple of seasons, I’ve had an issue where the tanks drain at different rates after light summer use. One tank barely drains at all.

The tanks aren’t connected except for the line going to the furnace (see image). Each tank has its own fill pipe. The line from the problem tank has a loop in it before the T (see image). The furnace company cleaned the line and loop last winter, so I’m assuming there’s sludge at the bottom of the tank blocking the line. They’re coming back tomorrow to try to clear it.

My question is: why does the line have a loop in it? Should I have this loop removed, or does it serve a specific purpose?

IMG_1877.jpeg

Comments

  • HydronicMike
    HydronicMike Member Posts: 253

    You got a lot wrong there. Double firomatics in each tank, compression fittings.

    The loop is 'supposed' to be to provide expansion and contraction.

    The reality is those tanks are very old and should be replaced, especially if there’s that much crap in them they keep plugging.
    I’d have to guess the firomatics weren’t closing (probably from sludge) and they added a second valve to each tank.

    As a hack, they could switch the lines to draw from the tops of the tanks, leaving the line about 4” from the bottom. But again, those tanks are very old.

    HVACNUT
  • leonz
    leonz Member Posts: 1,765

    Air bubble removal. It might be better to have a tiger loop tied into both tanks fed from the top of both tanks as the sludge will only plug the lines again.

    You may as well ask them if they have an oil filtration cart to filter the oil in both tanks and break up the sludge.

    You should buy a JUG of HEET or DIESEL 9-1-1 to treat your oil after every delivery.

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 19,642

    Nothing wrong with having the loop in the oil line its not an issue. If the tanks are indeed old your sludge guess is probably correct.

    While it is true that compression fittings are not allowed on oil lines any longer if the tanks are old that is grandfathered.

    Having double valves on the tanks is not an issue. I do not think the valves nearest the tank are the fusible valves but the valves are a non issue to your problem.

    Have the oil company clear the line and treat the tanks with "hot" fuel oil treatment. and keep your eye on it occasionally. The tanks will equalize.

  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 7,244

    Unfortunately, the expansion loop is the only thing right.

    I've never seen double Firomatic valves off a tank like that. Compression fittings are not acceptable. Flare. How old are the tanks? Seeing the supply come out of the side rather than the bottom tells me they're old. Everything below the supply tappings is sludge and water.

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 19,642

    Compression fittings were used all the time in the old days. People liked them because they didn't have to (or didn't know how) to flare.

    Even when I started in 73 we flared everything.

    Compression held up fine if put together and left alone. A lot of the old burners even came with compression nozzle lines. They leaked if repeatedly taken apart

    They haven't been outlawed forever, maybe 30 years ago.

    I am not so sure the valves closest to the tank are fusible they look different. Maybe they are I know they say Firomatic on them, but something tells me they are not fusible. I think I ran into those in the distant past.

    I think the second valves were added because the first valves are not fusible.

    The OP posts because his tanks won't equalize. A simple problem.

    I don't see why he should be told "everything is wrong, "put on a tiger loop" "filter the tank" "double firomatics" "replace the tanks" "repipe the compression" and everything else.

    Just fix the problem

    SuperTech
  • HydronicMike
    HydronicMike Member Posts: 253

    @EBEBRATT-Ed They won’t equalize because of the sludge. Those tanks are probably loaded with them. It’s only going to get worse.

    Cleaning the tank is not advisable. The sludge is most likely what’s keeping the tank from leaking. Spending money to have someone come out to clear line lines (over and over) is not money well spent, not to mention risking a breakdown, which will cost the OP more money. Putting in additives at this point is a waste of money.

    It’s not bad advice to recommend replacement of 40-50 year old tank. Bigger costs if it starts leaking.

    It’s not bad advice to point out compression fittings are against code. There’s no such thing as being 'grandfathered in'. The fact that they may be taking the oil lines on or off to try to fix their clogged lines means touching those compression fittings, which means there is an increased chance of an oil leak or a vacuum leak-more problems.

    I like fixing things rather than replacing. But anything other than replacing and doing it right is throwing good money after bad. And it’s going to need to be done sooner than later anyway.

    HVACNUT
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 7,244

    @EBEBRATT-Ed , I think we'd be doing a disservice if they weren't mentioned.

    If nothing else were to be done after clearing the lines, I'd recommend shutting off the system before every delivery. And waiting an hour after delivery to turn back on. That's a fix too. Let the sludge settle.

    I understand @Denien wrote in with a simple question, but its impossible to ignore what the picture is showing. "What's wrong in this photo?" is a better headline than "Dual oil tank line issues". I count five things not all wrong, but not exactly right in the photo. A few could lead to serious problems. And the loop isn't one of them. It would be in his best interest to consider all the options.

    HydronicMike
  • alexiv
    alexiv Member Posts: 3
    edited December 21

    were you able to sort this out? You can tell the pros from the DIY folks pretty quickly. Safety is clearly a big concern, which is good to see. It’s the kind of issue you don’t want to guess on. Same energy as finally calling the Chevron customer service number instead of winging it. Good warnings and solid advice. Definitely worth paying attention to.

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 19,642

    @HVACNUT & @HydronicMike

    I understand what you are saying. Blowing out the line and putting some treatment will probably get him to next summer.

    This will give the OP time to get some quotes and save up some $$$. If the tanks were leaking it would be a totally different issue.

    No sign of leakage at all.

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