This is on the side of the house we are buying and goes to the twin 275 gallon heating oil tanks in the basement. I’ve never seen such a thing in my life before, everything I’ve ever seen was a fill tube with cap and a whistle vent. What the hell is this contraption and how does the oil delivery guy get a nozzle in there. Is this some sort of port cover?

That is a vent. I painted mine grey with red raised lettering.

But it is dark, cold, and raining. So you ain't getting a picture right now.

This house was built with a coal gravity boiler. Went to oil in the '50s, I guess. Then gas at some point.

That is a vented cap. It looks like you just rotate the cap 180 degrees exposing the fill tube.

Are you sure that doesn't take a key to open the cap?

Here it is. The painting was done in my artist heyday, '00 or so. There was also a fill pipe but I took that out. Every year there is a story about an oil company going to the wrong house, "filling" the tank thru a dead pipe. Sounds like a major mess of the basement would ensue with permeated fumes and perpetual headaches.

It looks like the lettering says, " F I L L A N V E N T ".

The question shouldn't be about the plate, it should be "How much does it cost and how long will it take to move my heating oil tank outside?"

Heating oil tanks indoors are an accident waiting to happen.

I see mushrooms

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
The question shouldn't be about the plate, it should be "How much does it cost and how long will it take to move my heating oil tank outside?"

Heating oil tanks indoors are an accident waiting to happen.

Yup. Imho garage best location. Keeps it out of the wind to help avoid freeze ups, and can help minimize envirnmental impact in the event of a spill or leak provided its on concrete.

Up here, it's smart to have your tank indoors. You can use #2 oil which is thinner and cheaper than #1 oil. Oil can thicken and gel up. I myself have seen my father out in the cold, warming the line up to ungel the oil - while the furnace was out and his family was cold and no place to warm up till the furnace worked(think below zero weather). This was before the additives were available. Keep the outside of the tank painted, the inside is full of oil, shouldn't rust....

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The question shouldn't be about the plate, it should be "How much does it cost and how long will it take to move my heating oil tank outside?"

Heating oil tanks indoors are an accident waiting to happen.

Huh?

Indoors is where you want it. No rust, no freeze up, no EPA bullshit, soil samples, etc.

My house is 110 y/o. There were two 500 gallon tanks buried in the yard, both totally rotted out. There was also a 250 gallon gas tank under the garage with a hand operated pump coming through the floor.

Previous owner was in the house for 50 years and didn't give a damn. He had to pay a ridiculous sum of money to get it all removed before we could transfer the title. The vintage 270 gallon tank in the basement still looks brand new.

quote:

Originally posted by Rev. A. J. Forsyth:

quote:

The question shouldn't be about the plate, it should be "How much does it cost and how long will it take to move my heating oil tank outside?"

Heating oil tanks indoors are an accident waiting to happen.

Huh?

Indoors is where you want it. No rust, no freeze up, no EPA bullshit, soil samples, etc.

My house is 110 y/o. There were two 500 gallon tanks buried in the yard, both totally rotted out. There was also a 250 gallon gas tank under the garage with a hand operated pump coming through the floor.

Previous owner was in the house for 50 years and didn't give a damn. He had to pay a ridiculous sum of money to get it all removed before we could transfer the title. The vintage 270 gallon tank in the basement still looks brand new.

Having spent more years in the home heating oil business than I care to remember, I disagree with you on several points. Its been my experience that we used to advise the DEC and local Fire Marshall whenever oil was released. If the amount was over 5 gallons, then things got more involved from there. I have been withess to many cases where the clean up contractor finds cracks in the concrete floor that that have caused oil to seep into the soil. From there, its a horror show of busting up foundations and excavating until all traces are removed. Overkill for sure, and very costly to the company.
The most minimal spill, only a few ounces, results in a stink that fills the basement, in the least, sometimes permeating the house due to the heating system. Also, I have seen plenty of tanks that let go that still look brand new. People paint them, all that nice stuff, problem is they deteriorate from the inside. When water has a chance to sit in the low spot of a tank, rust begins to form on the interior. Eventually the tank is compromised, stalagtites form from sludge slowly dripping from the pinhole. Eventually either someone knocks if off thinking they are cleaning, or they let go, usually after being disturbed during a fill, especially if allowed to run low.
Even though I was offered an employee discount on my oil, my new jouse is, and will always be, gas. Good luck to the OP either way, Im just not an oil guy.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: apf383,

That is a vent, not a fill. Fill must be a separate 2" ID line and code requires both to be outside with a indoor tank. The delivery person has to have some means of indicating when the tank is near full. Some vents whistle due to the filling, and stop when full. Hence the term "fill a vent" Vents the air being displaced from the tank while being filled.
Had a local disaster several Christmas ago, where a home was filled in error while the family was away. Driver was drinking and didn't pay attention. I recall several hundred gallons in the basement. Home was condemned.
Some states have financial support for removal of underground fuel tanks. Wife cousin in Richmond had their underground tank pumped and filled with sand free of charge when they converted to heat pump.

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Had a local disaster several Christmas ago, where a home was filled in error while the family was away. Driver was drinking and didn't pay attention. I recall several hundred gallons in the basement. Home was condemned.

Bet he swore he had a whistle as well, which is possible, but highly unlikely.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
The question shouldn't be about the plate, it should be "How much does it cost and how long will it take to move my heating oil tank outside?"

Heating oil tanks indoors are an accident waiting to happen.

No one around here has their tank outdoors, the oil would freeze up as it gets really cold here in the winters. Anyway, I’m only having to use oil this heating season and will be converting to NG in the very near future and the tanks will be removed.

I figured it out that you loosen the bolt and the cover swings open and there is the fill tube and vent inside.

We move into this house on 11/29 and I had my HVAC guy doing some work today there that the VA required before I can get the mortgage (estate sale, as-is so repairs to make VA happy are on me) and he confirmed that the twin 275 gallon tanks are 3/4 full each which is a very nice little bonus!