Fuel oil
tanks are a leading source of oil heat problems - and the best
friend of gas and electric utilities. Homeowners are concerned
about leaking tanks and the associated high cost of cleanup,
and realtors in many areas will not recommend that anyone buy
a home with an old oil tank (especially an underground tank)
unless the seller agrees to have the tank replaced first.
If this
doesn't make a homeowner paranoid enough, consider also that
sludge and water buildup are sources of the majority of system
operating problems. It is no wonder that the oil dealers and
their customers alike consider fuel oil tanks a necessary evil.
This does
not need to be the case. Treatment with Fuel Right can make
fuel oil tanks a trouble-free and long lasting part of oil heat
systems.
To illustrate
how Fuel Right can help, let's dispel a few myths:
Myth:
Underground tanks should be replaced with aboveground tanks.
Underground tanks are not bad if properly installed and protected.
In fact, underground in a sound tank is the safest and most
convenient place to store fuel. Underground tanks do not collect
more water than above ground tanks - unless you allow water
to enter through poor pipe joints or an unsealed flush fill
fitting. Underground tanks with buried fuel lines will not allow
fuel gelling anywhere south of the Arctic circle, so they don't
need cold-weather additives even in those bitter cold snaps.
Underground
tanks do need protection against corrosion from the outside
in. Coatings are not the answer, as coatings can fail locally
and cause accelerated corrosion in those areas. Underground
steel tanks need protection from properly designed and installed
anodes. See your local cathodic protection specialist for more
details - or call us if you have questions.
Myth:
Tanks should be replaced about every 25-30 years.
This
might be true for existing tanks that have not been properly
cared for, but tanks properly treated with Fuel Right can outlast
the house they serve. With regular treatment they will not corrode
on the inside, and they will not develop sludge. If you have
a tank that already has a sludge buildup, replace it before
it starts to leak and replace it with a new tank. Treat that
new tank with Fuel Right with the very first fill and regularly
thereafter, and that should be the last time that tank needs
to be replaced.
Myth:
It is impractical to properly clean out a badly sludged fuel
tank.
Dealers who feel this way have usually tried in vain to remove
heavy sludge buildup, but have seen downstream problems continue
after cleaning - or return shortly thereafter.
Fuel Right
may be the answer. First, if you have a system with fouling
of filters, strainers, etc., try treating the tank with Fuel
Right EP first. About 75% of the time the downstream symptoms
will go away with just one treatment. If not, then treatment
alone is probably not the answer. At the very least, however,
the Fuel Right will loosen and "condition" the sludge
to make it flow more easily. If you then clean the tank with
a simple recirculating pump/filter cleaning system, much of
the sludge will be picked up and removed. What remains should
not cause further problems with regular Fuel Right treatment.
Myth:
Plastic (or plastic-lined) tanks don't need treatment because
they don't corrode.
While it may be true that these tanks don't corrode on the
inside, they can still grow sludge and have the same downstream
problems as do ordinary steel tanks. All fuel oil tanks should
be treated with Fuel Right.
Myth:
Bottom draw, single line systems are the only way to go.
This may be good advice for untreated systems, but if you use
Fuel Right different rules apply. Bottom draw has some drawbacks,
and we prefer a top-fed system with the dip tube coming to within
about an inch of the tank bottom. As for single line vs. two-line
piping, make your decision based on the hydraulic requirements
(i.e. tank location relative to the burner, etc.) - not based
on concern about filter plugging, as filters generally don't
plug with Fuel Right treatment.
There's
much more we have to say about fuel oil tanks. If you have questions
or comments, Contact Us.
