In article GMoyh.9062$xu4.6836@trndny04, on Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:21:26
GMT, andy everett wrote:

I have home heating oil tank (in the basement) that is original to a
home built in the 50's. Is there a rule of thumb as to when to replace
them? I also wonder if when tanks fail do they usually develop small
leaks or do they "split" open and release a tank of oil all at once?

Thank you for any advice!


I replaced a 40 year old tank a few years ago. It had developed a few
small pinholes along the bottom, and at the bottom of the seam on the
side of the tank. It was just losing a few drops of oil a week.

I showed it to my oil guy when he was in for the annual summer tune-up.
He said it would get progressively worse, but was very unlikely to
rupture catastrophically. He suggested replacing it in the "next year
or so" time frame. I replaced it a couple of months later.

--
Seth Goodman