using 25l drums of kerosene

TPM

There seems to be a trend of buying Kerosene in 25l drums at the moment.
Is it only me or is anyone else seeing alot of problems related directly and indirectly to this.

I am getting called to alot of boilers with blocked filters and failed pumps. It took me a while to associate this with the empty drums lying around.

The issues I see with this practise are

People only tend to buy a drum of oil when the boiler has stopped due to oil starvation resulting in the pump running dry and dragging crap out of the tank

One 25l drum generally wont raise the tank level enough to allow the pump suck up oil and bleed, resulting in more dry running.

Pouring the drums into the tank stirs all the crap and water in the tank which isnt let to settle before attempting to bleed the pump

Are others seeing this?
What is your opinion on it?

jimf

yes would have to agree minimum delivery with most companies around my area 200 l =200 eu near enough

where as people can just about afford 25eu per week maybe not in some cases but its a case of jesus we have oil so lets have heat bleed and turn on immediately

its a sign of the times im afraid

jimjimt

Their is a few guys who go around kilkenny an a Saturday knocking on doors selling 25l drums of kerosene if your lucky or oil slops if your not. Car, trailer and tarpaulin covering all. I wonder where they get the Kerosene/Slops ? Landlords will only pay for one callout the tenant is then on their own.

That's Ireland and fuel poverty at the moment.

Oil companies will have to wise up and create account cards where you can pay in to the post office or other and deliver oil when their is enough in the account.

The man and trailer is doing no one favors. The landlord will not keep paying for callouts (rightly so). Those who have to buy 25l cant afford the callout either and wreck the burner. Some poor so and so was robbed of their kerosene.

Loads off 25l drums of kerosene found in a wood in South Kilkenny earlier this year.

So I presume this happens nation wide.

DGOBS

Wonder have they got a transport license for that fuel?
If it's cheap. it's either ****e or stolen!

TPM

some very interesting points there

There are fuel suppliers and some service stations around here that sell kerosene and gas oil by the litre, they will sell you a drum if you dont have one.
With them you have to collect it so the transport risk is with you, wouldnt want to be explaining that to my insurance company.

Also I wonder where they stand filling kerosene into these drums as most of them wouldnt be rated for it.

I wasnt even thinking about stolen oil or slops from draining tanks etc. but it is a very valid point.

one customer of mine has a standing order of a certain amount to the oil company every 2 weeks all year and this covers their oil for the year

Joey the lips

The reason people are buying 25ltrs are they are broke. Pure and simple. Its false economy but what do you do.

shane0007

I had one call out last winter. Oil boiler bellowing out black smoke, filling the whole estate with smoke. Opened boiler to find 2" thick of pure soot. Cleaned it until I was blacker than the boiler. Checked the fuel to see its colour was clear.
Asked client where did they get fuel as it was neither gas oil or kero. They said a guy knocked on door selling 20L drums of heating oil and they bought 10 drums for €160. I told them first off if somebody offered that to me, I would have thought it came from their neighbours tank, i.e. stolen, but in this case it was laundered! Dye removed with Sulphuric Acid!
Turned out to be an extremely expensive few drums for them!
I don't really have sympathy for them as it could easily have been stolen from somebody else's tank. The amount of calls I get from clients to say their boiler is broke down, only to find their kero is stolen.

jimjimt

With the result of kerosene theft people have started to move oil tanks indoors in garages and the funniest of places. Just for good measure gas cylinders beside them, as they too get robbed.

Safety out the window with fumes from the kerosene.
God help them if a gas connection leaks. I have yet to see a gas dual cylinder system not at least have a small leak sometime it is life span.
House insurance out the window as all is not covered.

All out of fear and desperation.

Perhaps it is time to design a mini oil tank which could be safely filled with 20l approved jerry cans.
A mini 50-60l plastic tank with gauge which could be top up with a 20euro hand siphon pump.
Or some similar system.
Fuel poverty is not going away in the near future.

kanji

Theft is one of a number of factors that made me switch from oil to Calor gas. Let's see them rob out of that f@€ker lol

corkgsxr

alot of kero getting stolen alright. in citys too not just country.

people think putting a lock on it makes it secure but there plastic tanks. hole saw and away. **** situation