Removing a Heating Oil Tank

 
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davidmcbeth3
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Post by davidmcbeth3 » Wed. Jul. 22, 2015 5:18 pm

franco b wrote:
NJJoe wrote:Probably cant drain it all in one shot. I envision my coworker making multiple trips to my house to refill all sorts of containers until all 50 gallons are out. Would the top pipes be better in this scenario? I don't think I see a valve on the bottom boiler feed pipe. I think once I cut that, the oil will continue to pour out.
A siphon also has to be lower than the bottom of tank and any hose in the tank will tend to bend and float on top of the oil.

Here is a possibility in a cheap pump that uses garden hose fittings that will allow you to pump up to a larger size container like a 5 gallon. You could use it at the bottom with a piece of 1/2 inch garden hose slipped over 1/2 copper tubing, or even at the exit end of a siphon. I would think it would work with oil too and last for your job.

http://www.harborfreight.com/all-purpose-drill-wa ... 34302.html

Be sure to remove the old fill and vent on the outside when done. It has happened that oil companies have tried to fill by mistake.
Here is a possibility in a cheap pump that uses garden hose fittings that will allow you to pump up to a larger size container like a 5 gallon. You could use it at the bottom with a piece of 1/2 inch garden hose slipped over 1/2 copper tubing, or even at the exit end of a siphon. I would think it would work with oil too and last for your job.

http://www.harborfreight.com/all-purpose-drill-wa ... 34302.html

I would go this way ... using this type of pump .... I would buy 2 in case 1 craps out on ya. 50 gallons is about 400 lbs.-to heavy to move in the tank w/o killing yourself. Looks like a cheap peristaltic pump.

 
Lu47Dan
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Post by Lu47Dan » Thu. Jul. 23, 2015 11:24 am

I have removed a lot of fuel oil from tanks in basements. About twenty over the years with anywhere from no oil to full of oil. The last ones had 150 gallons of oil in both tanks. I have a cheap transfer pump from Northern Tools that I plumb into the oil supply piping and pump out the oil into drums on the or truck. I buy fairly cheap water hoses to pump the oil through and than dispose of them as fire starters later on. If there is not a valve on the oil supply line than I get a flare nut and piece of matching tubing with a ball valve with a garden hose bib on it. I place the drain pan under the connection and take it apart, install the valve assembly and than close the valve. Than I can attach the pump to the valve and start pumping. The oil drain pan catches the oil and the open valve allows the oil to flow through it without spraying. You have to be quick but it does work.
I had to do this when a friend installed a new oil fired boiler to replace the ancient one he had in his "new" house. The tanks where almost full when I did this. We did put down plastic and spread floor dry as a precaution before attempting that one. we lost about a gallon of oil into the pan while doing the installation of the new valve. The old valve was frozen in the open position. No way did we have enough drums to store 500 gallons of oil.
Once the oil is out of the tank than you can take apart the fill system or cut it apart. Most of the piping I have run across has been fairly easy to unscrew, as it is not usually installed gorilla tight to hold the oil during filling.
A SawZall with good metal cutting blades works well.
I do not scrap fuel tanks, I use them for sheet metal. I take the ends out and than cut the seam, open it up and flatten it. I can pick up old tanks for a few dollars and get quite a bit of metal out of them. :D
Dan.

 
smokerdude
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Post by smokerdude » Thu. Jul. 23, 2015 7:07 pm

two words---pig roaster


 
NJJoe
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Post by NJJoe » Thu. Jul. 23, 2015 8:58 pm

smokerdude wrote:two words---pig roaster
haha funny you mention that. My coworker is going to convert his old oil tank into a smoker! Cut it in half and install some hinges so it swings open. Then wash it thoroughly and burn the inside to get rid of the oil scent.

 
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warminmn
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Post by warminmn » Thu. Jul. 23, 2015 10:41 pm

smokerdude wrote:two words---pig roaster
I like the way you think! And you can use coal for the roasting!

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