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wrote:

On Mon, 9 Aug 2004 17:44:57 -0400, "mike"
wrote:

"JohnB" wrote in message
link.net...

mike wrote:
I live in Northern New Jersey, so I have about the same climate
you do. My underground oil tank was installed circa 1955 when the
house was built. I have been worried about it since we moved
here in 1988. Last fall I contracted with my oil company to
install a new surface tank and remove the old underground tank.
The new tank was installed and filled in November 2003. We are
still dickering about removing the old tank because it is too
close to the neighbor's house to use the backhoe they usually use
to excavate the dirt and pull the old tank.

The trick that makes our surface tank work in cold weather is an
electric heating tape wrapped around the output valve. The
installers did not get it right the first time and the water
which condensed inside the tank while it was still empty froze
and blocked the oil flow. Not fun to wait for the service tech
to put in the heater tape with snow on the ground.

John, so you dont use kerosene in the winter for heating? I never heard of
this heater tape stuff...i wonder if it would work for me too..

mike

We removed the in ground tank and replaced it with an above ground.
The new above ground was in the basment so I had no problem with cold
weather.

However, we got a nice state tax break (in NY) for removing the old
tank from the ground. Check out your state to see if that is true
there.

Mike

Thanks for that info. I am in NY and my in-ground steel tank is going on
20 years now. I heard the average life span of a steel tank is 10 - 15
years. I also heard that no more in-ground tanks will be allowed in NYS.
Is the only alternative to an in-ground tank a basement tank (provided
you have a basement)?