Cutting up an old heating oil tank, a big one!

[Turbo]

I'll get some photos tomorrow, I've a feeling it's stainless lined covered in grp? Might just be stainless, but he did say lined...

Bigger than a milk tanker, twice that?

Anyway, nots let hijack this thread any longer...

I'll start a thread called ' daft idea hobbit house thing ' in the brew room in a minute...

Place I worked got 3 of these to store bulk vegetable oil. The inner tank was stainless & the outside was mild with a layer of polystyrene in between.

The outer covers were very rusty so someone decided we should strip off the outer tank & insulation, leaving the shiny stainless inner tank showing. The outer skin was cut into sections with angle grinders then we tried to remove the insulation, which turned into a disaster as it was stuck on with bitumen. We removed what we could with scrapers, making a huge mess then using gallons of thinners & cloths we got the rest off.

Eventually we got back to the stainless inner tank but it took so long & made such a mess only one tank was stripped, the rusty bits on the other two got patched with galvanised sheet & pop rivets then liberally coated with grey oxide paint.

Then somehow I got 'volunteered' to steam wash out the insides. I think I got the job because the only access was a tiny inspection hatch that nobody else would fit through! It was during a very hot summer so inside the tank was like a sauna when you started washing. I started out wearing a wetsuit but I was soaked under it from sweat so I finished up wearing just shorts & a t-shirt!

But as a reward my boss offered me first pick of the steel outer skin sections we had cut off. It was 3.2mm sheet & it has come in useful over the years - I still have some of it knocking about.

 

[Ross365]

To fit a new tank, people generally have to employ incredibly expensive "OFTEC Approved" contractors (to comply with modern building regulations). I was talking to a neighbour who had employed these guys to replace a 1000 litre tank which had bad corrosion on the underside. The tank had about 200 litres of domestic fuel oil in it. The first thing they had to do was pump this fuel out and so they started off by using a large angle grinder to cut a hole in the tank in to which they could insert a hose to do the draining. Obviously, an OFTEC approved technique!
(OFTEC= Oil Firing Technical Association")

 

[Kayos]

Id be concerned about what was under the oil as well

Ive seen some nasty water come out of those tanks

 

[addjunkie]

To fit a new tank, people generally have to employ incredibly expensive "OFTEC Approved" contractors (to comply with modern building regulations). I was talking to a neighbour who had employed these guys to replace a 1000 litre tank which had bad corrosion on the underside. The tank had about 200 litres of domestic fuel oil in it. The first thing they had to do was pump this fuel out and so they started off by using a large angle grinder to cut a hole in the tank in to which they could insert a hose to do the draining. Obviously, an OFTEC approved technique!
(OFTEC= Oil Firing Technical Association")

That oftec is a con, as the building regs just state a competent person, they dont specify how the competency is confirmed. I had an agrument with our building inspector about this, he didnt seem to agree, that my Class 1 Certificate of Competency to be a Chief Engineer on any cargo ship in the world was enough to justify my competence to connect up an oil fired boiler.

 

[addjunkie]

Id be concerned about what was under the oil as well

Ive seen some nasty water come out of those tanks

That would be the Sulphate reducing bacteria that happily grow in the base sediment and water in the bottom f oil tanks.

 

[Kayos]

That oftec is a con, as the building regs just state a competent person, they dont specify how the competency is confirmed. I had an agrument with our building inspector about this, he didnt seem to agree, that my Class 1 Certificate of Competency to be a Chief Engineer on any cargo ship in the world was enough to justify my competence to connect up an oil fired boiler.

Shouldn't have been an argument, ive never been oftec registered and just got the customer to call building control in to sign my work off

 

[Morrisman]

I still have the behemoth in the corner of my garden, now hidden by my shed, despite regular calls to Avanti to remove it. And regular lies back from them.

I’m thinking I’ll cut each end off some day, weld 3 legs on, make a couple of huge garden planters.

I have a Sawzall, and a plasma cutter.....

 

[slim_boy_fat]

It's outrageous that they still haven't followed up on the their promises - how about getting the local press involved? Name and shame sort of thing, I'd bet something would move if they were asked for their comments on the case.....

 

[Migmac]

I still have the behemoth in the corner of my garden, now hidden by my shed, despite regular calls to Avanti to remove it. And regular lies back from them.

I’m thinking I’ll cut each end off some day, weld 3 legs on, make a couple of huge garden planters.

I have a Sawzall, and a plasma cutter.....

View attachment 286030

View attachment 286029

Charge them rent

 

[RichardM]

I still have the behemoth in the corner of my garden, now hidden by my shed, despite regular calls to Avanti to remove it. And regular lies back from them.

I’m thinking I’ll cut each end off some day, weld 3 legs on, make a couple of huge garden planters.

I have a Sawzall, and a plasma cutter.....

Wasn't someone looking to make a big BBQ

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Charge them rent

Didn't he already threaten them with that? At which point iirc they promised to take it away.

 

[Migmac]

Didn't he already threaten them with that? At which point iirc they promised to take it away.

Don’t know, only read the latest posts and my memory isn’t that good

 

[addjunkie]

Shouldn't have been an argument, ive never been oftec registered and just got the customer to call building control in to sign my work off

The building inspector was frightened of his own shaddow, didnt want to actually make a decision on anything, wanted a piece of paper to tick each box

 

[waddycall]

The building inspector was frightened of his own shaddow, didnt want to actually make a decision on anything, wanted a piece of paper to tick each box

It is quite specialist really. Quite a lot of rules and regulations to comply with. Oftec just makes it easier to go around the building control process and most people go with that so the building inspector will more than likely be a bit lost and err on the side of caution. I worked on oil appliances (domestic, commercial and industrial) for years without being oftec registered. When I finally went through it the training was rubbish with lots of misinformation. Truth is gassafe is just the same apart from the fact you can’t work on gas without the registration. It probably depends on which training centre is profiting from it.

 

[addjunkie]

It is quite specialist really. Quite a lot of rules and regulations to comply with. Oftec just makes it easier to go around the building control process and most people go with that so the building inspector will more than likely be a bit lost and err on the side of caution. I worked on oil appliances (domestic, commercial and industrial) for years without being oftec registered. When I finally went through it the training was rubbish with lots of misinformation. Truth is gassafe is just the same apart from the fact you can’t work on gas without the registration. It probably depends on which training centre is profiting from it.

All these things have only really come in due to our compensation culture and folk not being properly trained and deemed competent during their apprenticeship. As you say its a money making excercise.

Quite bizzare that you can have a HV electrically competent person who cant sign on off his own house as hes not done a course. Absolutley mental, same with the gas thing, Ive worked on hydro carbon gas compressors up to 450 bar. But not supposed to work on my own house. Same with the oil fired thing, it really boils my urine. More so when you watch so called competent folk who aint got a scoobey doo.

 

[dobbslc]

Thanks for the replies and other interesting stuff!
Looks like when the time comes I'll need to drain out absolutely everything I can, maybe jack one end up for the final dribbles then fill it with water. I've got a 240v recip saw so can hopefully use that from above so it doesn't get wet! I also have an almost full bottle of argon from my failed TIG welding days that might help purge the vapours ?

 

[brightspark]

All these things have only really come in due to our compensation culture and folk not being properly trained and deemed competent during their apprenticeship. As you say its a money making excercise.

Quite bizzare that you can have a HV electrically competent person who cant sign on off his own house as hes not done a course. Absolutley mental, it maybee the fact he hasn't done the 18th edition of inspection and testing and wouldnt know how to test and fill the report in . he would be like a fish out of water

 

[Chillitt]

What do you chaps do with the 1000s of litres of oily water afterwards?

 

[cheb]

Me? I'd separate it off. Very simple and quick. It's a bit bush but filling a oil drum with the mixture, fitting a tap to the small bung hole, setting it on it's side and leaving for a day will have most of the oil out of the water, just open the tap at the bottom and slowly drain until you see oil coming out. Refill, or use another drum, and repeat.

A clear cone bottomed tank makes it very easy.

 

[brightspark]

What do you chaps do with the 1000s of litres of oily water afterwards?

water settles at the bottom so you can syphon the decent diesel off . that just leaves the water . then whatever u want i had a l;arge bonfire and just chucked the contaminated water over it . it all soaked up and after a week dried out then i lit it .all the contaminant was burnt off