Leaking oil tank valve...

[The Natural Philosopher]

On cutting the grass yesterday I noted a faint whiff of diesel around the tank, and inspection showed that it was gently damp with diesel at the outflow..

Now the arrangement I have there is not ideal...out of the tank there is a tap and filter that goes on to a T piece that connects to two 10mm compression joints, that feed the Aga and the boiler via long and hard to bleed runs...

The WHOLE AREA of this appears to be wet, which suggests that the tap itself is leaking as it is the highest point..

Is that a reasonable assumption? Or does diesel creep 'uphill'?

Now I have no issue with replacing anything or everything, BUT I have a real problem as to how to stop the oil gushing out of the tank if I pull the tap and filter assembly off, and how I stop the oil draining out of the feed pipes likewise...

Fast and furious with a bung and a bucket? :-)

Freeze spray on the pipes?

All ideas gratefully received..

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember The Natural Philosopher saying something like:

No easy answer if you want to fix it now. All you can do is either transfer to another container (like a 1000L IBC) or wait until the tank's nearly empty.

Hardly.

You won't freeze kerosene unless you're on an Antarctic base.

[Adrian Brentnall]

I know it's not diy - but when we had our tank replaced a couple of houses ago, the guys that did it came along with a new tank (to replace the leaking one) and a 'spare tank' which they used to store the oil while they swapped the old one for the new one.

They had a little electric-driven pump, which they used to do the 'empty leaking tank into spare tank' followed by the 'pump back from spare tank into new tank' thing.

Depending on the space that you've got available you could possibly cut out the need for a spare tank by installing a replacement near to the old one but not in quite the same place ..?

My brother had a similar thing, in his case there was a batch of faulty tanks on his new housing estate. All got very 'emotional' - and the council's environmental health people got involved - ISTR that it involved large amounts of 'contaminated' soil being lorried away - so it's probably one of those things that you need to fix sooner rather than later (and, maybe, discreetly ??)

HTH Adrian Suffolk UK ======return email munged================= take out the papers and the trash to reply

[The Natural Philosopher]

Its a new tank - four years old..

Its not leaking badly..one drip or so since yesterday..

Having spilt a gallon or two of diesel there and elsewhere over the last few years, I can report that whilst it kills plants for a few months, it soon dissipates..mostly upwards I'd say.

[Pete C]

I'd dig the worst of any contaminated soil out first so the diesel doesn't go further down.

For the tap etc why not spray with degreaser, pressure wash or hose off, dry off with a cloth, and then feel round the joints for oil coming out, or tie kitchen paper round and see where the oil appears on it. If the leak is before the tap then some rags could be tied round to soak up the oil while some sort of containment is arranged and fixed to the tank. I'd then wait til the tank is nearly empty, jack it up and fix the tap.

The feed pipes shouldn't drain if you can block or isolate them at the other end.

cheers, Pete.

[Michael Chare]

Is the leak from the shaft of the tap/valve? If so does the valve have a collar which you can tighten to prevent the leak?

Can you undo the collar and then wind PTF round the shaft before replacing the collar?

If not, and if there is only the occasional drip, it may be the case or wating until you have used all the oil.

[The Natural Philosopher]

yes I think so..

I am not sure...will check..

Mmm.dunno. A bit nervous about tape inside an oil line..could end up in bad places..

I think that may, sadly, be the case...

[Michael Chare]

You said there was a filter after the tap.

I have cured a leak on my mains water stop c*ck using this method. - Though the odd bit of tape in the water would not have been a problem.

You reminded me that I have to fix a small leak on the valve of my tank gauge.