Water in oil tank... please help!

the deftone

Hey,

So i got my oil derlivered today (kerosene) But when the oil guy checked to see if was running ok he said there is waster in the tank, it wont work, call a plummer. Well thing is I dont really have the cash to be calling plummers unless I have to. So i tryed to drain some water out of the tank, but soon i realised water and kersene look the same so i stopped.

Is there anything i can do to get this thing working again?

How much will it cost to fix?

Is the oil ruined?

Thanks for any info, appriciate any help.

mp22

Oil floats on water let the tank settle drain in to a bucket,feel what's coming out between your fingers, that will tell you when there is oil only.

Billy Bunting

If you know anyone in the motor trade they may have one of these you can get the loan of............ http://www.amazon.com/Trac-Dynamics-Oil-Extractor-liter/dp/B0000BYO97
Drop a pipe in to the bottom of the tank and draw off the water.

heinbloed

The delivery man is not allowed to fill oil into a tank holding water. Call him back. He must check the tank before starting filling, that is a safety regulation.

Water can be easily separated from oil as the previous posters said already. But leave this to 'trained specialist' the delivery man who underwent a hazardous goods handling and transport training.

If no cooperation can be got from him: call the police.

.243

you could try and drain it from the tap but the problem is that the pressure of the oil on top of the water pushes out first so you get a mix of both coming out,
pm sent

.243

heinbloed wrote: »

The delivery man is not allowed to fill oil into a tank holding water. Call him back. He must check the tank before starting filling, that is a safety regulation.

Water can be easily separated from oil as the previous posters said already. But leave this to 'trained specialist' the delivery man who underwent a hazardous goods handling and transport training.

If no cooperation can be got from him: call the police.

how the hell is a delivery driver suppose to know if there is water in a tank if there is already kero in the tank since kero sits on top of the water,

DoneDL

The driver could dip the tank with water finder paste.

heinbloed

A tank driver should know that.

.243

its not up to the driver of whats already in the customers tank,the only time he needs to be concerned about contaminates is in his own tanks on the truck,
ive been around this business 20 years and not once have i ever come across a driver that checks a customers tank for contaminates or dips it before hand with water finding paste before filling

SC024

heinbloed wrote: »

The delivery man is not allowed to fill oil into a tank holding water. Call him back. He must check the tank before starting filling, that is a safety regulation.

Water can be easily separated from oil as the previous posters said already. But leave this to 'trained specialist' the delivery man who underwent a hazardous goods handling and transport training.

If no cooperation can be got from him: call the police.

Heinbloed, In fairness what does he tell the police? My delivery driver won't check for water in my tank? Come off it... More likely the OP will be done for wasting Garda Time. They have more important things to be dealing with.

heinbloed

....sure they have, taking incompetent hazard material hauliers off the road for example.

DGOBS

I have never heard this safety regulation for customers stored oil, and find no mention of it anywhere in Oftec Codes of Practice?

Outkast_IRE

Heinbloed , your too quick to blame every trade under the sun , does it occur to you that the owner bears responsibility in these situations at all.

SC024

heinbloed wrote: »

....sure they have, taking incompetent hazard material hauliers off the road for example.

Come off it
Do you honestly believe a gaurd will arrest or take an oil delivery drivers licence for failing to check for water in the tank?

Or are you just taking the proverbial here?

DGOBS

Outkast, don't you know all us rouge installers go around at the dead of night with out watering cans to contaminate fuel oils, of course it's our fault

Billy Bunting

I can just see them now, franticly searching the World Wide Web for something that will back up the Gobledy Goop and prove you us cowboys wrong. :cool:

Outkast_IRE

DGOBS wrote: »

Outkast, don't you know all us rouge installers go around at the dead of night with out watering cans to contaminate fuel oils, of course it's our fault

Shhhh thats a secret of the trade.

horatio1

hi folks, left the cap off the oil tank for about 16 hours there was a few heavy showers during the night but do you think this warrents pumping the whole lot out? thanks

shane0007

horatio1 wrote: »

hi folks, left the cap off the oil tank for about 16 hours there was a few heavy showers during the night but do you think this warrents pumping the whole lot out? thanks

Test with water detection paste. It will show you the amount of water that got in. If there is an amount, then I usually use a syphon pump to remove the water from the bottom of tank as this will not disturb the kero and mix them whilst pumping.

horatio1

thanks shane would i get that in diy store

Billy Bunting

Good DIY, Motor factors, or even Argos.....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003Y4HLHE/ref=asc_df_B003Y4HLHE7?smid=A3FNWZATUZ2TQ7&tag=ciaouk-home-mp-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B003Y4HLHE

shane0007

horatio1 wrote: »

thanks shane would i get that in diy store

Water detection paste can be got from Heatovent just off Naas Road close to Red Cow roundabout. If you are not close to them, then it can be ordered through any Chadwicks as they are both owned by Grafton Group. Smear the paste on the end of a clean stick/rod. It is green in colour. On contact with water it will turn purple. If smeared along the end of the rod for a few inches, it will then show the depth of the water contamination.

Syphon pump is from exactly as Billy Bunting says.

Most decent OFTEC guys carry both these items, so it maybe worth getting them into do it for you. You probably won't have much use for the paste and pump again.

horatio1

sorry billy should have said i meant the detection paste.don't think that much got in could even a small amount do a lot of damage?

Billy Bunting

if its low enough to stay below the outlet pipe then its safe enough for now but its just a matter of time before it will bugger the fuel pump so best checked and got rid of..

shane0007

Billy Bunting wrote: »

if its low enough to stay below the outlet pipe then its safe enough for now but its just a matter of time before it will bugger the fuel pump so best checked and got rid of..

+ 1
Also it will encourage algae growth if left.

horatio1

thanks all

DGOBS

Search the internet for 'water hogs' for oil tanks, for want of a better explanation, it's like a tampax for your oil tank!

It has water absorbent material inside, but can't absorb oil, throw it in your oil tank (comes with a fishing line) it will settle to the bottom and leave it there for the next 2-3 months, if there is only a small amount of oil it will absorb it over time, I tend to put one in my own tank once a year just for good tank husbandry. They come in different sizes.

Hope that helps

horatio1

thanks dgobs