Ready for This One?? How Do You Remove Water From Oil Tank?

So I told the story a few days ago about how I got my new Fill-Rite pump in from eBay, and pumped the remaining oil out of the tank, through a hose, through a funnel, and into the house fill pipe. Worked mint & gave me enough to last until I fire the coal up.

Guess what? ..... My wife goes out there to grab the rest of the tomatoes out of the garden before they rot, and she says: HEY - you forget something over here or what?? *censored*!!!! Knew exactly what it was. Made a point to remember, and I went in the barn for something & got totally sidetracked.

Yep - left the FUNNEL in the fill pipe all night .... IN THE *censored* RAIN. Got about a half inch. Just *censored* perfect .....

I swear to God ......

Battery operated siphon, you used to be able to find them at places that sold kerosene heaters. That will get most of it out.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=&q=battery+opera ... 20&bih=886

How much rain do you think got in the tank Smitty? Is it a 275? Is it buried or inside?
I'm sure the water is sitting at the bottom of the tank under the oil, I would get 12' of clear 3/8" or 1/2" tubing and if you can put it in at the top of the tank, and get the end below the bottom, start a siphon. Easier said than done I guess, especially if there's like 1/2" of water on the bottom.

I know you'll tell us how you got out from under this one soon!!!

I changed the oil in my '76 4 door Nova once, put in 5 quarts before I saw the puddle. Forgot to put the drain plug back in

How much fuel is in the tank?

I was hoping I could dump some alcohol or something in there to absorb it ... but I've learned long ago that nothing is ever that easy.

I think I probably got 50 - 70 gallons out of the barn tank ... probably closer to 50. Could burn that up in a couple hours with the heat on ....

Might be a quart to a half gallon of water in there. Wasn't a huge funnel - was a tranny funnel with the long base found at autoparts stores.

Guess I'll just run it out & siphon off the *censored* at the bottom. Think my pump has a bigger base than what is on this tank, so can't hook that up. Can stick a hose in there & blow compressed air across the top. I'll need another set of hands to move the hose all over the bottom. Looks like the wife will have another helper job in addition to the barn roof for her vacation ....

Actually I think my neighbor has an electric pump. Even better.

Guess I'll deal with this later. Not trashing $200 worth of oil over it. Always something ......

SMITTY wrote:I was hoping I could dump some alcohol or something in there to absorb it ... but I've learned long ago that nothing is ever that easy.

I think I probably got 50 - 70 gallons out of the barn tank ... probably closer to 50. Could burn that up in a couple hours with the heat on ....

Might be a quart to a half gallon of water in there. Wasn't a huge funnel - was a tranny funnel with the long base found at autoparts stores.

Guess I'll just run it out & siphon off the *censored* at the bottom. Think my pump has a bigger base than what is on this tank, so can't hook that up. Can stick a hose in there & blow compressed air across the top. I'll need another set of hands to move the hose all over the bottom. Looks like the wife will have another helper job in addition to the barn roof for her vacation ....

Actually I think my neighbor has an electric pump. Even better.

Guess I'll deal with this later. Not trashing $200 worth of oil over it. Always something ......

Don't panic!!!!!!!!!

Water in tanks will settle to the bottom and some is almost always present from condensation that accumulates over time in tanks that are not pitched to the tap. What I would do is rig up a plastic or metal pipe with a j on the end so it draws oil from above, not suck the oil from the bottom of the tank. When the tank is almost empty you can pump the rest into some containers that you can let the oil, water and sludge settle out in for a few days, then pour off the good oil. An old tank is always going to have gook in it. It isn't practical to think you are going to get it perfect in there. Just get the worst of it out and carry on. If the tank doesn't have fill pipes screwed into it going through walls when it is almost empty you can tip it up a few inches on one end to get the sludge and water to concentrate in other end to make removal easier. Your pump and hoses will be nasty when you are done.

Generally, unless you are starting with a fairly new tank, you don't want to draw oil from the very bottom. Sometimes the service men will put an oil line through a special fitting in the top of the tank that they can control the depth of the pick up tube to stop service calls in the middle of the night where the contents of a tank is particularly nasty. If the pick up tube is say 6 inches up you won't get all the nasty stuff in your filter and nozzle.

EDIT:My method was based on the presumption that he wanted to transfer the barn tank oil to the house tank.

If your tank is a 275 with the outlet on the bottom you can just disconnect the oil line to the burner and drain into a container. You could also disconnect the line on the burner that connects the pump to the nozzle and direct it into a can. Start the burner and watch the oil. A mix of oil and water that goes through the pump has a much more foamy distinctive appearance. Once it seems clear stop. You might have to push the safety switch a few times. Have done this many times in the past.

A little bit of water mixed right might even give more heat. Years ago there was a company that installed water injection on oil burners and were paid with a percentage of the oil saved.

Tanks today have the outlet on the bottom to allow water to enter the oil line and not sit in the tank. Rarely is there a problem with small amounts of water.

Turn boiler switch off . Connect hose on bleeder ( boiler pump) then place other end in clear container.. Set temp so furnace will lite. Open bleeder (7/16 wrench) and turn on switch and closed bleeder once you get clean flow of fuel. Problem solved. OR franco.b post will work as well...

Wiz wrote:Turn boiler switch off . Connect hose on bleeder ( boiler pump) then place other end in clear container.. Set temp so furnace will lite. Open bleeder (7/16 wrench) and turn on switch and closed bleeder once you get clean flow of fuel. Problem solved. OR franco.b post will work as well...

Yours is quicker and better. Should have thought of it. Also less dangerous.

Thanks for the tips guys.

I think I'm just gonna let it sit until the oil tank runs out. I remember when I removed the outlet from the tank to seal a nagging leak up a few years back, there was at least 3/4" of sludge on the bottom. I'm thinking the water is just going to sit on top of this crap, so I'll worry about it later. Either way, in it's location, I can guarantee that water will just mix with whatever is already in there. Like I said in another post, I'm shocked it hasn't blown out yet. Got to be 30 years old minimum, and in no less than 75% humidity 24/7 - constantly.

ALso like mentioned in the other post, the outlet pipe is about an inch above the bottom, so I doubt any water is going to even make it to the filter.

SMITTY wrote:Got to be 30 years old minimum, and in no less than 75% humidity 24/7 - constantly.

I think you should bid that tank farewell once the fuel is out of it. A fuel spill in the basement is NOT something you want to deal with. Burn what fuel remains, get the tank outside, saw the top off, have an after hours fire to burn out the sludge...use the remaining shell for a coal bin.

Like-new tanks come up for sale often as people switch to NG.

Wiz wrote:Turn boiler switch off . Connect hose on bleeder ( boiler pump) then place other end in clear container.. Set temp so furnace will lite. Open bleeder (7/16 wrench) and turn on switch and closed bleeder once you get clean flow of fuel. Problem solved. OR franco.b post will work as well...

I would not run water through the pump.

SMITTY wrote:I'm shocked it hasn't blown out yet. Got to be 30 years old minimum, and in no less than 75% humidity 24/7 - constantly.

you don't need a oil spill,where would the frog live

Wiz wrote:Turn boiler switch off . Connect hose on bleeder ( boiler pump) then place other end in clear container.. Set temp so furnace will lite. Open bleeder (7/16 wrench) and turn on switch and closed bleeder once you get clean flow of fuel. Problem solved. OR franco.b post will work as well...

burner oil pumps need the oil to lubricate them,water, not so good. and it will take forever, plus you have to jump out the cad cell. the water will mostly separate in a few days, like othesr said, if tank valve is on very bottom, remove filter and drain off water. Add some fuel oil treatment later, as the water does not totally separate, and some moisture will remain in your oil, and contaminate tank and fuel system.