What steps should be taken to maintain a fuel oil tank? Mine is more than 31 years old.
Is it a good idea to put in any kind of additive for disolving sludge and water ?
I have heard some say yes, add in a disolver just prior to taking an oil delivery and others say, not to use a disolver unless the tank has been treated since it was new.
TNX
Vince Long Island, in New York
i would check for rust when the oil level is low, assuming a steel tank your near its design life.
trying to dissolve crud may move it to your furnace clogging it and worse open leaks in rust
If your oil tank has been touching a wall for 31 years, just call someone to get it replaced. If not, put in something like ComStar Super Heat '8 in 1' or Hot '4 in 1' treatment. The person who told you not to treat it with anything is seriously misinformed.
At that age, I'd be looking for a new tank.
You missed the boat. A couple years ago NY gave a Tax rebate of several hundred dollars to replace home fuel-oil tanks. You should check to see if the state repeated it-- or if NYC has a similar plan. [do you pay city income tax out there, or is that just Manhattan?]
I don't think my tank was much over 20-25 yrs old, and it got treated with "Hot"(Heat?) every time it was filled. [at least for the 16 yrs that I lived here- The delivery guy puts it in] It still had several inches of sludge in the bottom of the tank when I cut it apart. It also had some thin spots along the bottom.
The cost of paying for a cleanup if your tank ruptures should convince you to catch this before it becomes a major hassle.
Jim
Why? I know of tanks that exceed 50 years and have caused no problems. While it may be a good idea to check it out, to replace it just because of age seems like overkill to me.
Around here home insurance companies will not renew nor provide insurance for houses that have oil tanks 25 years old or older.
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