Oil guy only fills tank halfway, says he hears the whistle

[noname]

The last two times the oil guy has delivered oil, we tell them to fill the tank. When they leave I notice the tank is half full on the gauge. Our HV AC guy on his maintenance call said the float is working normally. In fact I popped the top off the gauge and manually pulled up the float and it rea lly sounds just half full. The HVAC guy says the "whistle" the oil guy hea rs is what makes him stop filling. What else could be wrong here? Can we have the oil guy ignore the "whistle" and keep filling till the pressure se nsor stops it (like a gas station) ?

[Retired]

When was the last time the "whistle" fitting on top of the tank was cleaned ? It may be gunked up and closing/stopping prematurely.

Based on what happened recently to ours, the whistle normally stops when the oil level reaches the whistle, and there is no more air to create the sound.

Also, I don't think the delivery truck's hose valve has an auto shutoff, like a gas station. Our guy would not put any oil in until the whistle was cleaned (by them at no charge).

[clare]

You don't want him ignoring the whistle. You want the filler and filler vent fixed so it works properly. You (likely) will not have any luck convincing the driver to ignore the whistle because if he causes an overflow/leak/mess HE is responsible and could very well loose his job.

[Stormin Mormon]

oil, we tell them to fill the tank. When they leave I notice the tank is half full on the gauge. Our HVAC guy on his maintenance call said the float is working normally. In fact I popped the top off the gauge and manually pulled up the float and it really sounds just half full. The HVAC guy says the "whistle" the oil guy hears is what makes him stop filling. What else could be wrong here? Can we have the oil guy ignore the "whistle" and keep filling till the pressure sensor stops it (like a gas station) ?

The little experience I have with oil.... the whistle means that the tank is sealed. The air has to go out some where. The whistle means that the system is intact. If there was a big hole some where, the air would escape there, and no whistle. The whistle is a GOOD thing.

Well, one man's understanding anyway.

I don't know how they know if it's full. But some one on this usenet list will tell you.

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .

. .

[Retired]

The whistle fitting sits right on top of the tank as part of the small vent line that goes up the side of the house. When filling the tank, the air being displaced by the incoming oil causes it to "whistle". When the oil level reaches the fitting, there is no more air, so no more whistle, so stop pumping.

One trouble is the fitting can, over the years, get gunked up and needs cleaning. Takes about 20 minutes and 2 big pipe wrenches to remove it for cleaning.

[Stormin Mormon]

One vote agreeing with ignorant Stormy. Thanks.

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .

. .

[Ed Pawlowski]

Sounds simple enough. No tank, no whistle. How do some delivery guy manage to pump 200 gallons into a basement where the tank has been removed? Maybe they assume it is not working and wait for the auto shut-off.

[Stormin Mormon]

Who takes out a tank, and leaves the fill pipe, hollow and waiting for a disaster? Cap on the indoor end is a good idea, as also with fill the pipe with Great Stuff, or equivilant. Or remove the fill pipe entirely.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Seems like most every year you hear about one. Owner converts to gas and never notifies the oil company.

[Stormin Mormon]

I'll admit, I've never seen a headline:

"HOMEOWNER CONVERTS TO GAS. REMOVES FILL PIPE. OIL COMPANY DELIVERS FUEL TO CORRECT HOUSE AND BYPASSES HOUSE WITH GAS FURNACE. NO ONE INJURED. DETAILS ON PAGE 5B."

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .

. .

[clare]

You also here of the driver fighting to remove the loc-tited cap, and turning the turned down filler pipe back up to fill the non-existant tank - - -

[Stormin Mormon]

Might been on this list. I remember reading of a driver who was frustrated for a moment by all the cement that was in the fill tube. Took a while to chisel out the cement so he could make his delivery.

Wonder if that one whistled?