Basement heating oil tank repalcement
I have an over 30 year old and then some 275 gallon oil tank in my basement. It looks ok but has some surface rust. I am concerned of its age and possible rotting from the inside out. That and the amount of sludge buildup inside. The tag has no date but looks quite old. That being said. Can anyone recommend a local contractor that replaces in basement 275 gallon tanks?
GrascalIMO that tank will outlive you. I would call your oil company. Many will do this work as it’s easy work. It’s the in ground tanks which get complicated. If you do decide to get a new tank I would get a Roth tank. Double walled. High quality.
Licensed master oil burner technician 40 years here (Maine).... The tank most likely is fine. If installed properly the outlet is at least 1/2" above the bottom of the tank which allows for sediment entrapment, plus there's a replaceable filter right there and another inside the pump in the furnace/boiler. Heating oil has a very long storage life and winter deliveries do stir sediments. Additives you can buy online for diesel fuel (identical to heating oil) will treat for water and sludge. In the unlikely case that the tank does develop a leak there are strap on devices to seal it quickly until it can be replaced.
If you call an oil company they will most likely replace the tank whether it needs to be replaced or not. I assume you have some sort of annual service on the burner, allow the technician to warn you without you asking specifically about the tank.
There. I saved you at least $1,500... In NJ maybe $3,000.
bill 
Bill Thank you.. great information! I lived here many years and know the tank is 40 or more years. So I get worried. I never knew it was a good idea to add sludge treatment. Yesterday in looking into the tank as it is below 1/4 Prob 50 gallon. I see a sludge coating up the walls as far as I can see. One area near fill end the sludge has slid down and I see some pitting on the steel in that spot. Doesn't look bad. I can imagine there is more pitting along the tank bottom if some up sides. I'm wondering if it is wise to add sludge treatment at this point or if it might enhance any issues? I do all my maintenance on boiler (Weil Mclain Gold now 26 years old) annually and the filter and pump screen do get black sludge but never too bad each year. My reason for initial concern was this view of the bottom of the tank.. the rust runs along the whole bottom.
Not to sound negative but I disagree with some of the advice given here. I previously worked for an environmental company and have witnessed first hand what remediations look like when these tanks rupture. If these tanks end up leaking it can be a disaster. Sometimes homeowner insurance will cover it but most do not. There are companies out there that will insure existing oil tanks. I have seen many remediations where concrete floors were cut out and contaminated soil was dug out by hand. Sometimes depending on the extent of the leak an engineer gets involved if you are digging below footings. Not cheap. And if you have a sump pit, I have seen it where they catch the oil and pump it out to wherever the pipe daylights. After I saw a couple of these remediations, I went out and purchased a Roth tank and had it installed. When the crew cut and cleaned my tank, they showed me how there were parts of the tank getting thin. The Roth tank has a double bladder that if the interior bladder ruptures it throws up a warning on the gauge and the outer shell contains the oil. The tanks come with cleanup coverage in the event it ever ruptures. It's not cheap to do the removal and install, but most likely way cheaper than a remediation. As others have mentioned you may get the best deal going through your current oil supplier. If you need a recommendation for pricing you could call ADR Environmental at 973-948-3530. I no longer work for them so I have no skin in the game. Just giving my 2 cents on the topic.
M & K Hi Grascal,
Exterior rust I see in the photo doesn't look that serious. Treatments you add shouldn't make matters worse, the filters will catch anything put in suspension. Treatments will put any water into suspension rather than allow it to remain in the tank where it can create rust. The water droplets in suspension will not affect the burner operation. In my experience tanks generally start to weep rather than catastrophically fail.
It's my opinion only but it doesn't look that serious.
We have an 275 gal oil tank in our basement. The tank was the original that was installed in the house back in the mid 1950's. We had no rust on the tank at all from what we could see. One of my cats toys landed on top along the back side of the tank. When I went to get it my hand pressed on the back side of the tank that is against the wall and it felt soft. We called Preferred Tank Services and they inspected it and stated the tank needed to be replaced because the back side of the tank that was against the wall had rusted. They pulled all the permits and scheduled the inspection. When they were removing the tank that's when we saw how bad it really was and how lucky we were. Our tank was approximately 60 years old so we definitely got our moneys worth. Hopefully the new one lasts just as long.
Alice Marksmen in Andover. Replaced ours with a Roth tank.
Great service, took care of all permits, etc.
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