Failing oil tank stand

t1ct4c

Hi,

The property I recently moved into has an oil tank.

It seems the previous owner build a two brick wide support for the front middle and end of the tank. However they used wooden planks on top of that for additional support.

As time has gone on the blanks have rotted away and they used addition brick and other pieces of wood etc to prop up the tank.

It is currently stable but in reality it needs to be repaired.

Having recently had the tank almost filled I am not sure how best to repair the base..

My thoughts are the tank would need to be raised (or somehow supported) to allow me or someone else to remove the existing rotten wood and build up a concrete/brick base.

I do have an expert coming out later in the week but as someone who prides himself on his DIY/home improvement skills this is something I would have ideally liked to have done myself.

Any suggestions?

bobmedley

Leave it to the experts. The tank will have to be emptied, the base repaired and then the tank re-filled.

Trying to do this yourself would risk a spillage & they can be hideously expensive to remediate.

I had a leaking oil line - about 100 litres escaped, nothing major you would think - but had to claim via my house insurance because of the cost.

t1ct4c

Hey Bob,

I think you could well be right. Had someone come out yesterday and basically said the very same thing.

I have arranged for him to come back at the weekend. He is going to install a temp tank which can contain about 100 litres, the rest can be stored in a tank while he rebuilds the base.

Oddly he said that the number of times he has gone out to people who have tried to do this job and either ended up rupturing the tank or causing more issues.

Looks like this time it is best to call in the experts....

G_M

Is your chap OFTEC registered? Not legally essential, but I'd recommend it.

What kind of tank, and what condition? Old rusty steelone, or recent modern plastic? Might be worth considering tank replacement at the same time....