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Photograph of an outdoor heating oil tank Oil Tank & Piping Sludge Cures

Part 3: Using additives & oil filters to get rid of oil tank sludge or water

Sludge & crud or contaminants in heating oil storage tanks:

Here we discuss the use of chemical treatments added to oil storage tanks to remove water or to help break up sludge that is clogging the oil tank piping, or oil burner. Because the passage of broken-up or stirred up oil tank sludge can quickly clog the oil filter when these products are used, we also discuss the value of increasing the oil filter capacity.

This article series explains why sludge is a problem in home heating oil & why it leads to loss of heat.

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How to use an Additive to the Heating Oil Tank to Gradually Break Up Sludge or Remove Water

Details about oil tank additives, chemicals and treatments can be read

at OIL TANK TREATMENTS, ADDITIVES.

There we include details about this approach including some important warnings and some opinions about other oil tank treatment products as well.

Here we summarize using an oil storage tank additive to remove water and sludge from an above-ground or under-ground oil tank.

How to Gradually Remove Oil Tank Sludge Without System Clogging

An example of a heating oil additive used by some oil companies to both prevent sludge build-up in modern heating oil tanks and also to (over time) remove sludge in an existing older heating oil tank is "Ultra Guard" a product from Beckett Additives. http://www.beckettadditives.com/

Some heating oil technicians may recommend that a "treatment dose" of this additive be tried in an older oil tank which has been suffering from a sludge problem in the tank or oil lines

. If this product works as claimed (there is evidence for it) you may be able to avoid an expensive oil tank replacement for an older oil tank which is sludge-contaminated but not leaking. Ask your heating oil company about this or similar products.

Note that this oil tank treatment is not a pour point depressant to avoid waxing or gelling, but sludge, too, can lead to a loss of heat which may be exacerbated in cold weather.

Watch out: at OIL TANK TREATMENTS, ADDITIVES we explain that anything that significantly disturbs accumulated sludge in a heating oil storage tank risks sending that sludge-crud through the oil piping to the oil filter and oil burner assembly where clogging can lead to loss of heat and even recurrent loss of heat difficulties.

One way that oil tank sludge gets disturbed is when an "empty" or nearly-empty oil storage tank receives an oil delivery.

The pouring of heating oil against the oil tank bottom disturbs accumulated sludge there.

Handle Oil Tank Sludge By Increasing Heating Oil Filter Capacity

Dual oil filter to handle oil tank sludge clogging at the oil burner or oil filter (C) Daniel Friedman

This is an excellent approach can keep the heat working while we're waiting for our sludge solvents to do their job over a longer time.

In a property where we were having sludge clogging problems at the filter but where the oil tank was both in good condition and also difficult to remove even if we wanted to, we took a much less costly approach by doubling the oil filters.

Adding a high capacity oil filter at the burner, or adding two oil filters in parallel at the oil burner should not be too costly and is another way to keep the oil burner going when sludge is moving through the oil lines to the burner where it might otherwise clog a filter, strainer, or nozzle.

Doubling the oil filter capacity meant that the oil filters at the oil burner had enough total flow capacity that they never clogged between occasions of annual service (when the heating oil filters are replaced).

This step ended recurrent oil tank sludge-related no-heat calls at this property.


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Continue reading at SCULLY SNORKEL® or OIL PIPING CHANGES to AVOID SLUDGE or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

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Suggested citation for this web page

SLUDGE TREATMENTS for OIL STORAGE TANKS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to HEATING OIL, OIL BURNERS, OIL FIRED HEATERS, OIL TANKS

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