Guide to Oil Tank Fill & Vent Piping - Visual Inspection of Above Ground Residential Heating Oil Storage Tanks (ASTs) InspectAPedia® -
How to install, inspect, or troubleshoot oil storage tank filler piping
How to install, inspect, or troubleshoot oil storage tank vent piping
What happens if an oil tank vent pipe is too small or clogged?
Questions & answers about oil fill & vent piping location, diameter, length, routing, connections, leaks, & troubleshooting.
Oil tank fill & vent piping guide: this heating oil piping article gives advice and example photos for the installation, inspection, & leak troubleshooting of oil tank fill & vent piping for both buried and above ground oil storage tanks .
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Here are a some important indicators of tank condition that any home owner or home inspector can examine when an oil storage tank
is visible and accessible inside or at a building.
Is the oil storage tank vented properly with the right size piping (1 1/2" on older systems, 2" diameter piping by current standards). In the photo a 1 1/2" vent line is installed.
The oil company recommends going to 2", and most new installations use a two-inch diameter vent pipe; we've seen vent piping as small
as one inch on oil tanks. During fill fuel is delivered at an average rate of 60 or even 70 gallons per minute.
Improper or blocked oil tank air exit venting can place excessive stress on tank seams and piping. See OIL TANK PRESSURE for a detailed explanation.
If the oil tank is indoors, does the tank vent extend to outside?
Is the oil tank vent line properly capped with a screened weather-resistant cap to prevent water entry or clogging by mud or insects?
Is the oil tank piping tight, leak-free, and does it drain freely into the tank?
Has the piping been equipped with a whistle to signal the delivery person when the tank is full?
Are all tank plugs and piping tightly in place?
Has black or galvanized iron piping been used for oil tank filler and vent lines? Plastic lines may come apart at the seams during a fill up. Some plastic lines
can shatter or break in extremely cold weather.
Is the tank vent next to or close to the oil filler pipe so that the delivery person can listen to the vent alarm (some call this the oil tank vent whistle) and determine when the tank is full? The vent alarm prevents over
filling and is recommended for both underground and above ground tanks. It should be mounted at the top of the tank at the vent pipe opening. (Naturally
inspectors cannot see this component on buried tanks.)
Is there a working vent alarm or tank whistle?
Is the oil tank gauge installed and tight. Loose or broken oil tank gauges can cause spills during tank fill operations.
Fill and Vent Piping for Duplex Heating Oil Storage Tanks
At buildings where two heating oil storage tanks are installed, typically indoors, this Audel Oil Burner Guide sketch shows the proper arrangement of fill piping, vent piping, and oil line piping leaving the tanks.
We have seen an alternative arrangement that provides a fill line only to the first tank, with the second tank filled by a second pipe exiting the top of the first oil tank - not an arrangement we recommend as this forces the first oil tank to be fully pressurized at the oil delivery truck pressure during fill-up of the second tank.
The piping shown in this Audel sketch is better. Details about piping of fill and vent and oil supply lines for duplex oil tanks are atDUAL OIL TANKS - PIPING.
Thanks to Arlene Puentes for technical editing, March 2010.
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Arlene Puentes, an ASHI member and a licensed home inspector in Kingston, NY, and has served on ASHI national committees as well as HVASHI Chapter President. Ms. Puentes can be contacted at ap@octoberhome.com
[1] Audels Oil Burner Guide, Installing, Servicing, Repairing, Frank D. Graham, Theo. Audel & Co., New York 1946, 1947, 1955 (out of print, copies occasionally available from antique book dealers and on EBay)
[2] Beckett Model SR Oil Burner Instruction Manual, R.W. Beckett Corporation, PO Box 1289, Elyria OH 44036 and R.W. Beckett Canada, Ltd., 430 Laird St., Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 3x7
[3] Thanks to Bottini Fuel service tecnician Bob for discussing the buzzing aquastat relay problem, 4/18/2012. Bottini Fuel is a residential and commercial heating oil distributor and oil heat service company in Wappingers Falls, NY and with offices in other New York locations. Bottini Fuel, 2785 W Main St, Wappingers Falls NY, 12590-1576 (845) 297-5580 more contact information for Bottini Fuel
[6] Sunstrand Transmission Service Manual, May 1974, web search 08/19/2011, original source: http://www.cushmantrackster.com/pay-pdfs/sundstrand.pdf - Sunstrand Series 15 hydrostatic transmissions
[8] Suntec Model A-7400 Fuel Unit Solenoid Dumping Pump,
Suntec Industries Inc., 60 Aberdeen Drive - PO Box 5000
Glasgow, KY 42142-5000 - USA
Tel : 270 651 7116 - Fax : 270 651 9276
e-Mail : info@suntecpumps.com and
Suntec Industries France,
1 Rue Lavoisier - B.P. 102
F-21603 LONGVIC Cedex - FRANCE
Tel : +33 (0)3 80 70 60 70 - Fax : +33 (0)3 80 70 61 11
e-Mail : information@suntec.fr, [copy on file as /heating/Oil pumps fuel units/Sunted_Solenoid_DumpingPPump.pdf] ,
Also /Suntech_Solonoid_Safety_Valves.pdf (brochure)
web search 4/19/12, original source: http://www.suntecpumps.com/Suntecus/PDFs/Form%202740%20
-%20Solenoid%20Dumping%20Pump.pdf
[9] Suntec Model PRV-38 Oil Safety Valve Installation Information, untec Industries Inc., 60 Aberdeen Drive - PO Box 5000
Glasgow, KY 42142-5000 - USA
Tel : 270 651 7116 - Fax : 270 651 9276
e-Mail : info@suntecpumps.com and
Suntec Industries France,
1 Rue Lavoisier - B.P. 102
F-21603 LONGVIC Cedex - FRANCE
Tel : +33 (0)3 80 70 60 70 - Fax : +33 (0)3 80 70 61 11
e-Mail : information@suntec.fr, [copy on file as /heating/Oil pumps fuel units/Form 2155 - PRV-38 Installation.pdf]. You can download this file from Suntec's website. ,
[10] Firomatic Globe Type Oil Line Valves & Lever Type Fusible Link Control Valves: ISP Automation, Inc., 1035 Old Georges Road, North Brunswick, NJ 08902, Phone: 866-383-3481, FAX 866-383-3482, Email: support@ispautomation.com
[11] Fusible link oil line control valves for commercial equipment: ASCO products by Emerson Industrial Automation, P.O.Box 160,
17 Airport Road
Brantford, Ontario
Canada N3T 5M8
Tel: (519) 758-2700
Fax: (519) 758-5540
[14] "The Oil Safety Valve (Service)", Charles Bursey, Sr., Fuel Oil News, February 2006 (Still trying to get the full article - October 2008 - DF) Charles W. Bursey Sr. can be reached at F.W. Webb Co. www.fwwebb.com/
[15] "Installation Information for Suntec A-2000, A-7000 Single Stage and B-8000 two stage fuel units"Suntec Industries, 60 Aberdeen Drive, Glasgow KY 42141, 270-651-7116 (1725 rpm black label, 3450 rpm white label)
[16] Tigerloop: oil line de-aerator devices, Westwood Products Inc.,
330 William St.,
PO Box 610,
South River, NJ 08882-0610 - (732) 651-7700
Dave Ferris - M&S Environmental Systems, Dutchess County, New York. Mr. Ferris was an
HVAC expert. Personal communication to DJF 1987. Remove the firematic or
fusible oil supply line valve on return oil-line side - in case of fire if this
one closes first the pump continues to run, blows its seal, and sprays oil all
over the fire. Proper installation is to have a fusible link valve only on the
supply side, and to install a check valve on the return line to prevent
back-siphonage from the tank.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, PO Box 380, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407
"Homeowners Guide to Fuel Storage," Agway Energy Products, Verbank, NY, November 1990
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