Oil tanks.

[ponygurl]

I need an opinion from someone who knows something about oil tanks .
My mother has water in hers. It is collecting in the filter, and freezing.
Thermoshell told her she needs a new tank. That the water can never be gotten out of it..
any opinions.. or ideas on how to get the water out?

[wendy]

I need an opinion from someone who knows something about oil tanks .
My mother has water in hers. It is collecting in the filter, and freezing.
Thermoshell told her she needs a new tank. That the water can never be gotten out of it..
any opinions.. or ideas on how to get the water out?


Is there anyway to move the filter inside the home? If possible, the filter should be inside where it is protected from freezing.

Water tends to collect at the bottom of the tank. It CAN and should be drained out (as well as the other collected sludge) yearly. There are also additives that can be added to reduce the water in the tank. Unless the tank is corroded or leaking, it shouldn't need replacement because the same thing will happen again. Water IS going to get in the tank.

[ponygurl]

Is there anyway to move the filter inside the home? If possible, the filter should be inside where it is protected from freezing.

Water tends to collect at the bottom of the tank. It CAN and should be drained out (as well as the other collected sludge) yearly. There are also additives that can be added to reduce the water in the tank. Unless the tank is corroded or leaking, it shouldn't need replacement because the same thing will happen again. Water IS going to get in the tank.

Her present tank is one year old. the filter is inside the tank.. and Ontario gov't just introduced new legislation last year about storage and eleveation and age of equipment.. hence the new tank.
I am investigating additives..I think someone is FOS and I'm going to contact thermoshell tomorrow.

[wendy]

I think someone is FOS and I'm going to contact thermoshell tomorrow.



I think you're correct. Water in a tank shouldn't be a surprise. Did the jerks offer to sell her a new tank?

[ponygurl]

I think you're correct. Water in a tank shouldn't be a surprise. Did the jerks offer to sell her a new tank?

Worse.. they gave her 90 days to purchase a new one.. cause her's is against regulation with water in it. Asses.
She's 80.. and gullible.

[McBp_2003]

Worse.. they gave her 90 days to purchase a new one.. cause her's is against regulation with water in it. Asses.
She's 80.. and gullible.


You call them up, tell them you're gonna sue for frauding the elderly, see how long it takes them to remedy the situation.

[ponygurl]

You call them up, tell them you're gonna sue for frauding the elderly, see how long it takes them to remedy the situation.

I cannot believe you posted the actual post.. dear God.. ::)

[McBp_2003]

I cannot believe you posted the actual post.. dear God.. ::)


That's for my records in case you ever refute the fact ;D.

[ponygurl]

That's for my records in case you ever refute the fact ;D.

That record ended at that moment of posting though.. there is now .. and was of that instant.. an open running again.. ;D

Wish I could help you pony but oil tanks here are non-existent. Well for heating homes that is we have lots of oil tanks but they’re holding the oil we pumped out of the ground to send up to Canada. Thank you for buying our oil.

[ponygurl]

Wish I could help you pony but oil tanks here are non-existent. Well for heating homes that is we have lots of oil tanks but they’re holding the oil we pumped out of the ground to send up to Canada. Thank you for buying our oil.

Personally.. it would be a cold day in hell before I'd go with oil here. The gov't grabbed control, and the price is no longer one of the cheapest forms of heating.
Gas is the way to go now.. or wood.. if you can.

[wendy]

Worse.. they gave her 90 days to purchase a new one.. cause her's is against regulation with water in it. Asses.



Yeah, right. You can't prevent water from getting into an oil tank. Any oil tank that is less than full will have condensation build up due to temperature changes...especially over the summer. They have additives that are supposed to prevent water from pooling at the bottom of the tank. Does she have the name of the jackass who fed her that line of bullshit?

[wendy]

Personally.. it would be a cold day in hell before I'd go with oil here. The gov't grabbed control, and the price is no longer one of the cheapest forms of heating.
Gas is the way to go now.. or wood.. if you can.



Interesting. Once gas was deregulated in Georgia, prices were higher in summer and winter. Any "savings" were certainly not passed on to the consumer. As for shell...and all their subsidiaries.... after deregulation, I went with a gas company that was tied to my electrical EMC. They were bought out by shell, who got my immediate attention by sending me a $12,000 gas bill for the month of October that year. It took nearly a year to get it straightened out. I really despise those bastards.

[jeny]

Worse.. they gave her 90 days to purchase a new one.. cause her's is against regulation with water in it. Asses.
She's 80.. and gullible.


Oh god that pisses me off!! This is off topic, but the same sort of thing happened to my husband's grandmother. She is 89 years old. Her 5 kids jointly own her house and they had contracted for someone to piant the house. The painter convinced his grandmother that she needed a new roof ASAP and told her he couldn't start unless he had a deposit, but that he needed to start right away. She put the very large deposit on her credit card. Luckily, since she does not own the house, her children were able to get the money back from the corrupt asshole, but it took them a while.

[I-RIGHT-I]

The tank should have been serviced last fall, that's part of the problem. The second thing is there shouldn't be that much water in the tank after just one year in service. The outlet of the tank must be several inches from the bottom? That's a lot of water. Call the service company and get them out there to drain the water and change the filter. Have them check the regulator and burner while they are there. The guy at Shell Thermoshell is trying to pull a fast one. Get at least one other quote from another service company too. After this I wouldn't trust Shell.

[arod]

the filter is inside the tank..

Assuming this is an above-ground tank, that seems a bit odd. The filter housings I've seen are external and have a draincock at the bottom to let the water out.

[ponygurl]

The tank should have been serviced last fall, that's part of the problem. The second thing is there shouldn't be that much water in the tank after just one year in service. The outlet of the tank must be several inches from the bottom? That's a lot of water. Call the service company and get them out there to drain the water and change the filter. Have them check the regulator and burner while they are there. The guy at Shell Thermoshell is trying to pull a fast one. Get at least one other quote from another service company too. After this I wouldn't trust Shell.

I could have been serviced in the fall, but since it was installed in june.. ?
I'm thinking the filter could be changed. and the tank drained..I must get to the bottom of it today..

[ponygurl]

Assuming this is an above-ground tank, that seems a bit odd. The filter housings I've seen are external and have a draincock at the bottom to let the water out.

Assuming you are correct.. (I will find out today), the ice frozen in the filter should be able to be melted, drained and this process repeated until the water is one from the tank.
That would only leave the problem of staying warm until that is complete. :-\

[I-RIGHT-I]

Assuming this is an above-ground tank, that seems a bit odd. The filter housings I've seen are external and have a draincock at the bottom to let the water out.


Yeah, I think she's wrong about that too. The hot set-up would be a oil/water seperator with a ball float drain installed prior to the filter. The people that sell and service tanks should have something like that on the shelf.

[ponygurl]

Yeah, I think she's wrong about that too. The hot set-up would be a oil/water seperator with a ball float drain installed prior to the filter. The people that sell and service tanks should have something like that on the shelf.

The problem is not the filter.. it is the water in the tank.

[I-RIGHT-I]

The problem is not the filter.. it is the water in the tank.


Well the filter is wet now so it has to be changed. The filter is there to filter impurities out of the oil, not water. The other thing to ask is how SO much water got into the tank in the first place. One year of condensation wouldn't equal gallons of water.

[Unca Walt]

IF the oil delivery was made with contaminated oil, you would get that much water.

IF the delivery truck was near empty, or made COMPLETELY empty during any delivery, the last couple of gallons delivered may very well have been... water.

A quick and dirty method of clearing it up (I dunno the legality, but I do know it is what I used to do 'way back inna olden days when I lived in snow) is to pour in a gallon of alcohol.

Alcohol "fixes" the water, and it can go right through your oil burner.

Dunno why you don't have a petcock on the bottom of the tank, though...

Back to the asshole with the threat: Get that bastard's name, and get a lawyer, and sue HIS COMPANY. That is pure, pure, PURE "defrauding the elderly".

"90 days" my ass... It would well be 90 days, all right -- in the fargin slammer for the defrauder!

Unca Walt

[ponygurl]

Assuming this is an above-ground tank, that seems a bit odd. The filter housings I've seen are external and have a draincock at the bottom to let the water out.

Arod.. you are right.
They suggested that the filter be moved inside as well.
They are calling me back on the "90 day to replce theory". Seems draining the tank would be enough by their standards.. which leads me to ask..WTF is their field representatve talking about?
The additive. (fuel conditioner in their terms) was put into the tank upon filling.

[ponygurl]

Back to the asshole with the threat: Get that bastard's name, and get a lawyer, and sue HIS COMPANY. That is pure, pure, PURE "defrauding the elderly".

"90 days" my ass... It would well be 90 days, all right -- in the fargin slammer for the defrauder!

Unca Walt

It's pissin' me off boy. >:(

[JohnS]

Arod.. you are right.
They suggested that the filter be moved inside as well.
They are calling me back on the "90 day to replce theory". Seems draining the tank would be enough by their standards.. which leads me to ask..WTF is their field representatve talking about?
The additive. (fuel conditioner in their terms) was put into the tank upon filling.


You might not have to drain the tank. With that much water it should be possible to put a hose down to the bottom of the tank and pump the water out. I've done that with boat tanks and large oil cans and it works.

[ponygurl]

Well the filter is wet now so it has to be changed. The filter is there to filter impurities out of the oil, not water. The other thing to ask is how SO much water got into the tank in the first place. One year of condensation wouldn't equal gallons of water.

The filter has been changed. Problem is solved. Tank will not need replacing, but the filter will need to be moved inside.

[ponygurl]

You might not have to drain the tank. With that much water it should be possible to put a hose down to the bottom of the tank and pump the water out. I've done that with boat tanks and large oil cans and it works.

We are all gov't regulated here, and now that Thermoshell has their nose in it, we have to let them do it and be inspected via them.

[McBp_2003]

It's pissin' me off boy. >:(


Ya know I suggested suing too.

[ponygurl]

Ya know I suggested suing too.

Sue the government?

[McBp_2003]

Sue the government?


Are they in control of the oil people? I meant whoever is responsible for dimwit. If it is the government yes. Unless you can't do that in Canada.

[kathleen]

Sue the government?


Yeah, in front of government picked judges, in a government court, with a government defense lawyer.

Think you might win? ::)

;D

[McBp_2003]

Yeah, in front of government picked judges, in a government court, with a government defense lawyer.

Think you might win? ::)

;D


U.S. Citizens do when they sue the government.

[ponygurl]

Yeah, in front of government picked judges, in a government court, with a government defense lawyer.

Think you might win? ::)

;D

Be a little like fishin' in the Everglades , eh? :)

[ponygurl]

U.S. Citizens do when they sue the government.

More I think about it.. I must have been hormonal when I found your post that funny. ::)

[McBp_2003]

Be a little like fishin' in the Everglades , eh? :)


If you can't win on legal terms with the government then perhaps a revolution is in order.

[McBp_2003]

More I think about it.. I must have been hormonal when I found your post that funny. ::)


Well it ain't going away. ;D

[kathleen]

If you can't win on legal terms with the government then perhaps a revolution is in order.


That's exactly what I've been saying for years.

Glad to see other people, particularly members of the younger generation, see the logic of the idea. ;D

[McBp_2003]

That's exactly what I've been saying for years.

Glad to see other people, particularly members of the younger generation, see the logic of the idea. ;D


18-24 year olds are the ones that fight the revolutions. ;D.

[JohnS]

18-24 year olds are the ones that fight the revolutions. ;D.


That's because at that age they think that are indestructable and will live forever. Usually they start to come to their senses aroung 24 or 25 and start acting more responsibliy. That's why auto insurance rates start going down at 25. ;D

[Unca Walt]

Now just a dang minnit!!

*I* am 63.

And *I* am immortal.

So far...

Unca Walt

[McBp_2003]

That's because at that age they think that are indestructable and will live forever. Usually they start to come to their senses aroung 24 or 25 and start acting more responsibliy. That's why auto insurance rates start going down at 25. ;D


I know, we're also more set in our causes then you older folks.