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You probably don’t give the heating oil tank located in your southern Maine home much thought. It’s either tucked away in the cellar or outdoors, so it doesn’t cross your mind.
But you should think about it. While heating oil tanks are durable and can last for decades, they aren’t maintenance free. And if a heating oil tank fails, you are dealing with potentially thousands of dollars in expenses from cleaning up leaked heating oil, removing your failed tank, and installing a new one.
Here are three ways you can take care of your heating oil tank and protect your home—and your bank account—moving forward.
You should do this twice a year, before and after each heating season. In addition to your regular checks, you should also have your heating oil tank professionally inspected every few (3 to 5) years.
While doing your inspection, pay close attention to the tank’s supports and leg brackets. A full 275-gallon heating oil tank can weigh more than a ton. Make sure nothing is missing, rusting, bent, buckling, or coming away from the tank.
Check that the tank platform is in good shape, with no cracks or other deformities.
Then look over the tank connectors and pipes for signs of leaking pipes, or loose joints and fittings.
Finally, look closely at the tank itself. Look for:
These are signs of possible corrosion inside your tank.
Corrosion begins when condensation builds up on the walls in the tank when there’s more air than heating oil. That condensation drips off the walls and sinks to the bottom of your tank, where it creates an ideal environment for sediment, which leads to corrosion of your tank from the inside out.
By keeping your tank at least 50% full, you’re reducing the opportunity for condensation to develop.
Condensation is more prevalent in the spring and summer because of warmer temperatures. This is why we recommend that you fill your heating oil tank at the end of each heating season. And with Automatic Delivery during heating season, you can rest assured you tank won’t ever run low.
Tune-ups will help technicians inspect your tanks while they are also servicing your system—which ensures your equipment will be running at peak efficiency throughout the season! A PitStop Fuels technician will always inspect your oil tank as part of this service to see any signs of potential damage.
PitStop Fuels is ready to meet your fuel delivery and heating-equipment service needs. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you—and become a customer today!