Hi,

My heating oil company, and a soil remediation company, are replacing my leaky, rusty at the bottom outdoor above-ground oil tank. The heating oil company pumped the oil from the old tank into 3-55 gallon drums so that the old tank could be moved,the soil replaced and the new tank put back in that spot.

My question is, is putting the oil into 55 gallon drums that are rusty outside, a good idea? I have no way of checking if the insides are rusty. I wouldn't be surprised. It doesn't seem like a good idea to use rusty containers. Will the rust in them, if there is any, cause trouble down the line when the fuel is in the new tank, once the fuel has been pumped back in?

Thanks for any advice.

Cheers,

John

Not a plumber but I had to deal with a rusty leaky oil tank once...

If your tank is leaking, then it is likely rusty inside. Your oil already has rust in it. Pumping the oil into rusty barrels won't by itself contaminate the oil any further, but one has to ask what was in those barrels in the past?

In any case, consider having the remediation company remove both the old oil and the tank.

Thanks. Yes, there was some stuff at the bottom of the old tank when they pumped it out.I'd assume since the fuel oil company provided the 55 gallon drums, they would have had #2 fuel oil in there like it is being used for now.

It's too late to have the remediation company remove the oil. I'm going have to live with the heating oil company's handling of it now. I just hope the drums haven't added more rust and wonder about what rust may be in the oil when it goes into the new tank. Will it cause rust to accumulate sooner? It would be nice to have pure oil, no rust in the new tank.

Pump it back through a large filter to remove rust and other particles.

i wouldn't worry one bit about it.

Thanks. I don't think I'll have any influence on them to do that but it would be nice to do. I will mention my concerns to them when they come by next week.



Edited 1 times.

Thanks. It's good to know that it may not be an issue.