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Scullyt Oil  Tank Whistle Alarm & Tank Level Gauge - scully.com cited & discussed at InspectApedia.comOil Tank Gauge & Vent-Alarm Installation

Find the level of heating oil & prevent oil tank over-fill & oil spills


This article describes how to install an oil tank gauge & how to install the vent-alarm that prevents over-filling of the oil tank.

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Oil Tank Gauge & Vent Alarm Installation or Replacement

Scullyt Oil  Tank Whistle Alarm & Tank Level Gauge - scully.com cited & discussed at InspectApedia.com

On both residential and commercial oil storage tanks both an oil tank level gauge (shown at page top) and a vent-alarm that tells the oil delivery driver when the tank is full are both essential instruments.

The Scully ventalarm, shown here, is mounted on the oil storage tank, at the connection of the oil tank vent piping.

As the oil tank is being filled, oil entering the storage tank pushes air out of the tank and outside through the vent piping shown in the illustration.

When the oil level in the storage tank nears the top of the tank, oil covers the opening at the bottom of the vent-alarm drop-tube, causing the whistling noise to stop when oil is a few inches from the very top of the oil tank.

The oil delivery driver hears this change in sound and knows to stop pumpigng oil at that point.

In Scully's Ventalarm illustration shown below, the oil level gauge and ventalarm are installed at two different tappings on the oil tank.

In other oil tank gauge and vent-alarm designs like that shown in our next photo, below, the oil tank float gauge and the vent alarm are built into the same fitting, again installed at the oil tank vent piping connection.

How to Install the Oil Tank Gauge & Vent-Alarm

Scully oil tank gauge and vent alarm ready for installation (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

Above: the Scully Ventalarm™ and Oil Tank Gauge (Scully Signal Co.) ready for installation. The old guy's hand (mine) in the lower portion of the photo is holding the gauge float. Notice that the float and gauge rods are hinged.

That silver tube hanging down from the red cast-iron Scully gauge assembly is the actual oil tank whistle or alarm that will go quiet when, as oil reaches the bottom of the tube, air stops exiting the tank through the whistle body.

With the oil tank upright and in position, and if necessary, with larger hole(s) drilled through the building wall to pass the full 2" diameter fill and vent pipes to the building exterior, the installers are ready to fit the Scully™ combination oil tank gauge and Vent Alarm into the oil tank top vent tapping.

Scully VentAlarm being installed in the oil tank top tapping (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

Oil Tank Gauge & VentAlarm Installation Tip

As you prepare to insert the oil tank gauge assembly into the oil tank top tapping, pull up the oil tank gauge indicator to the "full" position and hold it or use a small ViseGrip™ pliers to hold the gauge in that position.

Scully oil tank gauge being held up so that the float arms are folded for installation or removal (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

That will cause the gauge rod arms to bend to the most-closed position - similar to the photo of the gauge we showed just above.

With the oil tank gauge rods folded to the "closed" position you avoid bending, damaging, or fouling the gauge as it is inserted into and screwed down onto the oil tank top tapping.

The risk of a fouled oil tank gauge arm is even greater after the oil tank top oil piping assembly has been installed down into the tank, but it can happen any time.

My photo below shows how to pull the oil tank gauge indicator to the up-most or "full" position, though for convenience of photography I'm closing this barn door after the horse has escaped, as the gauge is now already installed into the oil tank tapping.

You would use this same trick if you needed to remove or replace the gauge in the future.

For pipe thread sealant the installers are using a product specifically rated for use on fuel oil piping connections.

Watch out: Using the wrong type of pipe dope can result in leaks that will be a nasty pain in the neck to fix later.

Tightening the Scully Oil Tank Gauge & Ventalarm assembly in place on the oil tank (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

With the gauge hand-threaded (NOT cross-threaded) into the oil tank vent line tapping the Scully gauge and alarm assembly is tightened into place.

Below: a view into the Scully VentAlarm® and oil gauge assembly shows the actual whistling device in the vent system - that screened disc with a hole in the middle.

Scully ventalarm details showing the vent whistle (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

The screen over the Ventalarm® or "tank whistle" serves to keep bugs and crud from falling down the oil tank vent and into the alarm where they might cause it to malfunction.

Details about complete installation procedures for a heating oil storage tank are

at OIL TANK REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE

 

Oil Tank Gauge & Vent-Alarm Installation Instruction Manuals

Scullyt Oil  Tank Whistle Alarm & Tank Level Gauge - scully.com cited & discussed at InspectApedia.comIllustration below, adapted from Scully's Tank & Unifill® Catalog cited just below, shows the typical position of and operation of a float type oil tank level gauge.

Shown here: Illustration of the Scully Twis-Lok® oil tank gauge and the company's Ventalarm® is adapated from Scully's catalog cited below.

Scully manufactures a variety of oil tank gauges or oil level indicators as well as oil tank fill signals and alarms - cited below.

Some sources point out that you'd be smart to install the oil tank gauge/vent alarm at the opposite end of the tank from the oil supply lines so as to avoid possible entanglement of the oil gauge float mechanism with the oil piping.

This pertains in particular to oil tanks whose oil supply (and return if used) piping is connected to the top of the oil tank. (Gil-Fab Tanks International 2016)

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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Question: how do I un-screw & remove an oil tank float gauge like the King Combo Oil Tank Gauge/Alarm ?

Rheem KING Oil Tank Combination  Tank Gauge & Fill Alarm by Rheem, cited & Discussed at InspectApedia.comI need to remove the oil tank guage and replace it.

Would I just place the pipe wrench on the cast housing of the gauge and turn left? It has the fill pipe that enters the top of the housing and the bottom of the housing screws into the tank.

So, I believe by doing above would unscrew it from tank and pipe screwed into the top of it. - Clifford Hendershot by private email 2019/10/25

Reply: almost: pin the gauge in the "full" position before unscrewing it

If your King float type oil tank gauge looks like the one in the photo shown here, the King Combo Oil Tank Gauge (a widely-sold product produced by Rheem, then yes the red cast-iron body of the gauge is threaded directly into the threaded opening in the top of an oil tank.

If your oil tank gauge is like the one shown here a vent pipe is attached to the threaded opening in the red gauge body top. In a typical installation you will need to remove the vent pipe before attempting to unscrew the gauge from the tank body.

"Off" is standard pipe thread direction: turn the pipe or fitting counterclockwise to loosen it or turn it clockwise to tighten. As my daughter Mara says: leftie-loosie, rightie-tightie.

Below are a few "watch out" warnings and tips for installing or replacing an oil tank gauge and tank alarm.

Watch out: before buying and installing a combination oil tank whistle alarm and gauge be sure that your local plumbing inspector will accept that device (most do). Some inspectors may want separate devices: gauge and alarm; the companies listed below (and others) sell both types of devices.

Watch out: when using a pipe wrench on larger-sized plumbing fittings such as 1 1/2" or 2" diameter threaded fittings you may need to extend the length of your pipe wrench handle by slipping a length of iron pipe over the pipe wrench handle. Take care that you are turning the fitting and not the oil tank itself or you'll be really sorry.

Watch out: But before screwing an oil tank level gauge like this one - or any float type gauge that uses a hinged wire rod - you need to retract the gauge to the "full" position by removing the plastic cover over the gauge indicator and pulling the indicator fully "up" then holding it in that position (people typically use a small Vise Grip pliers for that task).

Otherwise as you turn the gauge body with your pipe wrench or a large open end or perhaps adjustable wrench you risk bending the float rod and jamming the whole assembly in the oil tank, or breaking off parts and dropping them into the tank. 

To screw in the replacement oil tank gauge fitting you'll need a suitable pipe thread selant that is rated for use on oil or petroleum product piping (or perhaps teflon tape).

Watch out: also in some jurisdictions oil tanks and oil piping must be installed by a licensed professional. Making a mistake that causes a fire or oil leak can be both dangerous and expensive.

Oil delivery driver listening for a full oil tank to avoid spillage (C) Daniel Friedman

Photos: the Bottini heating oil delivery driver is filling an oil storage tank at a Poughkeepsie New York home. The oil tank lacks a working vent-alarm so the driver takes great care to listen at the tank vent outlet to determine when the tank is full. In our second photo (below) the heating oil delivery-driver uses a short length of plastic pipe as a sound conductor.

Oil tank piping requirements sketch

A better approach is to have a working tank whistle.

Watch out: without a proper oil tank vent alarm an oil tank can be over-filled, leading to oil leaks and spills and in the worst-case, a costly environmental cleanup job.



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