Moving oil tank

shnethb

Hi, Im planning on moving my oil tank further down the garden as at the moment its just outside the back door, I have been told that I need a plummer for this, but in the spirit of the recession I want to save myself a few euros, Dose anyone know do I need a plummer or can it be done without one, My plan is to prime the pipe and attach the new extended pipe to the old one then bury it. Is this correct or will I mess everything up?

Delta Kilo

There are no major plumbing skills involved in this. Go to your local builders suppliers and tell them what you are doing and they will sort you out with everything you need. Oil line comes in 25m or 50m lengths. Expensive stuff AFAIK. Where you join the 2 pipes, you will have to put a manhole at the joint in case it ever leaks or anything. Better to be safe than going around the garden in 20 years with a shovel looking for the joint. Empty the tank before you go moving it. If it is further away from the house it will probably have to be put up higher than it was to keep the flow of oil ~ equal to what it was. Take this into consideration too. Other than that you should have no trouble but I would recommend getting a few extra pairs of hands when moving the tank because they are the most awkward yokes to move around!

John mac

as last poster.

i found emptying the thing was the hardest.
I used 2 wheelie bins,situated on a platform that i built next to the new plinth,
so they could be siphoned into the tank again.
You will need to prime the boiler after.

once the tank is empty its very easy to move around.

Sonnenblumen

4 guys would lift the tank (without draining), better to run new supply, pipe not that expensive. Last thing you want is to discover a leak!!

wreckless

you should wait till it empty enough to slide down a few scaffolding plansk off its base and sldie it along the grond to its new base and then slide it back up the timber to its new position. oil/ kerosene weighs as much as water. about a litre to a kilo. to if you have a quater full tank, thats a 1/4 of a ton weight. that sloshing around inside with 4 men trying to carry it will end in an accident.

for the piping, hopefully the plumbers before you have put the oilline in a larger black piping to help protect it in the ground. anything witha 3/4 inch diameter inside will easily alow you to feed the oiling through it and allow you to bring it out of the ground at the oil tank. the oiline can bve joined together using a 10mm straight joiner. (10mm 310 in plumbers speak). a roll of thread tape, small bit needed and there is a compound in a small tin available also for oil fittings, not really a glue , ask the hardware shop. a misconception is the thread tape is for the threads but it actually goes on the small olives when you take the nuts off the 310. slip the nut on the copper pipe, the the olive, a few laps of tape around it, a small bit of compound, insert both end into the 310 and use appropiate spanners to tighten up, do not overtighten

of course the bolier needs to be bled before you start it. you will see where the oil line enters the burner unit, a spanner can open the nut and use a dish to collect the oil untill all air has been expelled from the new line.

Sonnenblumen

wreckless wrote: »

you should wait till it empty enough to slide down a few scaffolding plansk off its base and sldie it along the grond to its new base and then slide it back up the timber to its new position. oil/ kerosene weighs as much as water. about a litre to a kilo. to if you have a quater full tank, thats a 1/4 of a ton weight. that sloshing around inside with 4 men trying to carry it will end in an accident.

What men do you know, if he cannot lift 8 stone?

starbelgrade

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

What men do you know, if he cannot lift 8 stone?

Dwarfs, perhaps.

whosedaddy?

Just spotted a minor leak in my old tank as well. :mad:

Just like the OP, given the recession I'd like to save a few quid.

How much is an oil-tank, I suppose building the support platfom shouldn't be too bad....