Fuel oil leg replacement-Any tips?

I will be replacing the legs on my home heating oil tank. It's 275 gallons and located in my basement. The legs are rusted badly, one missing the bottom 2". The tank is leaning on a cast iron soil pipe against a wall. Is there an easy way to do this? A verbal quote from a contractor was "about $200". Here are my plans: Make 1 or 2 jacks out of angle iron, all-thread, nuts and bolts to attach to the leg brackets. The leg brackets already have 2 holes in each. Wait until it is 1/4 full. Shut off the heater, close the valve on the tank. Jack up the tank. Remove old rusty legs.(I hope they come out easily) Install new legs. Legs on valve end 1" shorter than the other end.

Any other ideas or suggestions? Thanks, MikeH

Reply to
Mike H
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For 200 pay a contractor it could fall killing someone. The tank weighs

100lb 70 gal of fuel apx 550lb, 650 lb could cause alot of damage falling. Wait till it has less fuel.
Reply to
m Ransley

Sounds like you have a problem with something other than the legs. Unless your's is different, those legs are made from thick black iron pipe. If there is any rust on them, it's probably just surface rust. If the tank is leaning, it's probably the brackets going bad (bending and about to snap next time you get a load).

If you INSIST on changing the legs (thinking that will solve the problem):

Spray the legs with penitrating oil. Get them good and wet. Then be careful when you do it.

I can remember doing it one time and one of the brackets broke off the tank completely when we tried to get the leg off. That's a good sign you need a new tank...

Reply to
Red Neckerson

There is an product at my local steel store, Capitol Metals in Tempe AZ. that is Boxed channel. The channel has holes every 1/2" or so and they will nest inside of each other. Might be easier than the angle iron. Better check to see that your connection to the furnace/boiler is flexible enough for what you have in mind.

Reply to
SQLit

That is it, pay the man. Think of what happens if something goes wrong. An oil spill could be a real problem($$).

Reply to
John Hines

I think someone put the wrong type in because they are surely rusted at the bottom of 3 legs, one not even touching the concrete floor. I will be sure to put black iron in when I change them.

I am going to wait to spray them with penetrating oil because I am concerned that the oil may help the rusted portion of the legs become weaker.

The brackets look ok, are not bent at all. The tank is painted.

I would get a new tank, but with the cost of oil rising so fast I may decide to switch to another fuel. I guess if a bracket does come off though I will be buying a new tank. Thanks, MikeH

Reply to
Mike H

It's copper, I am hoping that it is flexible enough. It's holding ok so far I am hoping it will go back up. I do have a flaring tool handy if it needs a new end on it or if I have to repair some of the line.

I am thinking of using 1/4" thick angle iron and 1/2" all-thread for the jacks. The oil weighs allot. I may have to let the oil level go down more. Someone else mentioned it would be about 650 lbs at 1/4 full. Thanks, MikeH

Reply to
Mike H

I'm not there to see, but what came to mind to me was to buy some pressure treated lumber, and custom build yourself a support frame of some kind under the tank. I've never done this, and I'm just thinking out loud.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Christopher A. Young

How about some 3" PVC coated Kindorf or B-Line channel, and 2 of the biggest mother f-in pipe straps ever seen by mankind? =:-)

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com

Reply to
HaHaHa

How old is the tank? If it's old enough for the legs to have rusted away, I'd be concerned about what condition the rest of the tank is in. It's more common for these to fail from leaks from water rusting away the inside of the tank, rather than the legs. Most likely, the whole thing should be replaced.

Reply to
Chet Hayes

The tank is 35 years old and is in the basement. The floor gets wet a few times every year. So I am hoping that since it's inside there would be little or no condensation to help rust the inside of the tank.

I have seen some tubs that are designed to fit under the tank and hold about

20 gallons. It's for slow leaks I suppose. I'll probably put one of those under it. MikeH
Reply to
Mike H

I have the same problem so I pan to weld up a strong frame to lift the tank with bottle jacks, build a second frame that bolts on to predrilled holes .

Reply to
cabinetrod

If the leg has rusted the whole tank should be replaced before IT rusts through and dumps fuel everywhere. Up here tanks must be replaced every 15 to 25 years depending on the tank construction. Some insurance companys will not cover (new policy) a house with a tank over 10 years old

Reply to
Clare Snyder

Can’t you just add legs without taking the other ones off?? Like supports right next to the legs?

Reply to
terry

Probably, but like Clare said, if the legs are rusted to the point of failure, the tank itself likely isn't far behind. I would think most tanks fail before the legs. Do you really want to push your luck?

Reply to
trader_4

I wonder about that, the legs are more likely to be exposed to corrosive conditions (e.g. water on the floor, condensation in humid cool basements, etc).

The interior of the tank will be well lubricated by the FO, and may be constructed from more durable materials than the legs.

Reply to
Scott Lurndal

IDK, plenty of fuel tanks fail, rusting from the inside out, sitting in basements, etc. Water condensation goes to the bottom.

Reply to
trader_4

On Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at 5:13:09 PM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote: n the floor, condensation in humid cool basements, etc).

In the 90s I had a job removing old fuel tanks. All of them had some water in the bottom. (Old fuel can be taken to a recycler and back then you got about 4 cents a gallon. Water with a little oil cost more like a dollar a gallon to dispose of.) There were a few old ones that hadn't rusted through but a very large percentage had. A couple looked like someone took a shotgun to them - these were underground tanks.

Reply to
TimR

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