Home Heating Oil Tanks
To use home heating oil, it is necessary to have the proper storage tank. When you are purchasing property, carefully examine it for evidence of any old, abandoned, or buried home heating oil tanks. You will be required to correct any problems with old tanks by law. Home heating oil is a petroleum distillate product, and can pose an environmental threat to the earth; and care must be taken to avoid leaks.
In the US, home heating oil is mostly used for heating in northeastern states. It was a change from messy coal heat in the 1920′s, replacing coal furnaces and bins quickly. The home heating oil tanks became an industry. Steel tanks last about 15 to 20 years before encountering problems from moisture and age. The piping and filler pipes are likely places for leak to occur. Spillage can happen from delivery messes, and rarely a tank may burst. Corrosive soil for buried tanks, and sloppy installation causing dents can lead to rust and corrosion problems. Water that gets into the bottom of the tank can also cause rust.
If you use home heating oil, the tank and pipes should be inspected annually for leaks and water accumulation. If you have an old tank either above or below ground on property you purchase, it should be inspected and approved, or removed prior to your purchase. It is essential to prevent oil leaks, as they are difficult to clean up, can spread through the ground, and contaminate water supplies. Consider the situation to be hazardous and provide regular inspections to avoid environmental problems.
The home heating oil tanks are the main part of your home oil heating system. Besides being hazardous, leaks are expensive when you lose oil contents. Most home heating oil tanks are the standard basement 275 gallon size and are made of corrosion resistant materials. Underground tanks are larger, running 550 to 1000 gallons, which is helping them become popular. Leaks are rare and preventable. Some steel tanks are coated and double bottomed so they never leak. There are also fiberglass tanks, and combination plastic with steel jacket tanks.
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[...] when homeowners welcomed a change away from messy coal heating. Oil could be stored in home heating oil tanks, contained, inside the basement or garage, or outside in tanks or buried in tanks. There was no [...]