Following basic heating oil tank overfill prevention procedures helps prevent accidental oil spillage inside your home. While heating fuel oil isn't considered toxic, nor is it flammable in its uncompressed state, the odor of a fuel oil spill in the basement or other area can permeate the entire house and sicken susceptible individuals. It’s also damaging to flooring and walls, and it often requires professional service to effectively clean it up.
The majority of fuel oil spills in residences occur during the filling process, frequently due to accidentally overfilling the tank. These oil tank overfill prevention measures can prevent an oil spill and its messy, smelly aftermath.
Tank Capacity
Make sure delivery personnel are aware of the total capacity of your tank, as well as how much oil is presently inside. A qualified oil delivery person should verify the tank level with a stick measure or visually check the tank gauge to determine how much oil the tank can accept.
Use Overfill Alarms
Many state laws require residential fuel oil tanks to have overfill prevention devices. These may be in the form of an electric device that warns the delivery person when the tank is reaching the full mark, float vent valves that make a whistling sound when a preset level of oil has been reached or automatic shutoff devices, also known as "flapper valves," that stop oil from entering the tank when it is full.
Fill Precautions
Oil tank fill pipes should be fitted with tight-fill connections that minimize spillage when the fill hose is being attached or detached. In many locales, a spill basin that surrounds the oil fill pipe to catch small amounts of spilled oil, generally five gallons or less, is also required. These devices are meant only as temporary spill collectors and should be checked and emptied if necessary by delivery personnel before the tank filling procedure begins.
For more on effective oil tank overfill protection, ask the heating professionals at Griffith Energy Services, Inc.
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