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Oil smell - can't get rid of it

tm
tm Member Posts: 125
in THE MAIN WALL
About 1 month ago the filter housing near our tank sprung a leak in the middle of the night. It happened the day after our oil service tech came to work on our boiler(He took that filter housing apart to clean it - it was used as a sludge pot with no filter). Anyway, we woke up with many gallons of fuel oil on our basement floor. The company sent someone to clean up the mess and although they did not charge us claimed the leak was not from thier negligence but was caused by a sand hole - said our twin 50 year old tanks will be next!!

Qestions:
1. Do you think our tanks are vulneable? I can tell you that the people who owned our house before us did almost no maintenance. I got rid of the old filter housing and line and ran a new line from tanks to boiler with all new parts

2. The smell is still strong. The service guy dumped, shoveled and redumped quick-dry about 3X. After he was gone I did the same with Kitty litter. I have had the cellar window open with a fan sucking out, for the entire month 24 hours a day. I shut the fan down yesterday and closed the window. The smell is back. Any sugesstions? I dumped Simplegreen on one area of a wooden post that had oil on it - do you think I need to get rid of the post??

Comments

  • ed wallace
    ed wallace Member Posts: 1,612
    oil smell

    post has to go also any other thing that can soak up oil what you need is a product called odergon it comes as a powder or spray call your oil co.

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  • Bob_43
    Bob_43 Member Posts: 16


    After my oil company replaced a leaky oil pump, they told me to put down some baking soda. It did a pretty good job. Just sprinkle it out for a couple of days and wet vac it up.. Just my 2 cents.
  • mpc
    mpc Member Posts: 9
    OIL SMELL ON CEMENT FLOOR

    Will that help for oil smell which has seeped into cement basement floor? JA
  • lchmb
    lchmb Member Posts: 2,997
    odorgon

    Put the odorgon powder on the spill itself and let it set overnight. Clean it up and reaply another coating. Give it a couple day's and this should help to remove the odor.
  • John@Reliable_10
    John@Reliable_10 Member Posts: 99
    \"Do you think our tanks are vulneable?\" YES!

    after 50 years I think it's time to replace them both.
    As for the "smell" , once speedy dry (kitty litter) has been used and gotten the bulk of it , next use good old white powder lime. Put it down and let it sit for a day or two, swept it up and reapply until you know longer see it discolor the white lime(may take a few times). This will wick it out of the cement better than anything I have tried. Last thing to use is hot water and dish washing soap (lemon smells nice), mix a half bottle to 5 gallons of water and pure on area. Let it sit before you wet vacuum it. This may seem like allot of work but it will work to remove it vs: masking it, also will remove to stain,at very little cost.Hope this helps, John
  • Jim Burke comfort zone
    Jim Burke comfort zone Member Posts: 79
    oil odor

    Take some white vinigar in large glass and put in basement after a day or so throw it away and put fresh glass of vinigar it works great. must be white vinigar old grandmother trick
  • tm
    tm Member Posts: 125


    Thanks everyone, I will start with the lime and get rid of any wood I can find with oil stains. I guess I will go with a new tank when I run out of oil (hopefully spring!!)
This discussion has been closed.

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