There are even instruments that can tell the thickness of a
tank's walls without any cutting, drilling or damage. DeFelsco
is one instrument maker that comes to mind. Fairly expensive
though.


wrote in message
...
: On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 15:06:40 -0400, Steve K
wrote:
:
: Four years ago we had our furnace checked and some maintenance
done by a
: repairman who worked for the company that gave us our oil. He
said our
: fuel tank was getting thin and we ran the risk of it rusting
out and
: therefore spilling fuel oil all over the floor (the tank is
inside our
: house). He said we had maybe 2 more months and should get it
done.
:
: This was four years ago. Our tank is still holding up fine so
far.
:
: Last week, we had another guy come in and do maintenance on
our furnace
: again. Not surprising to me, he also said the tank was getting
thin and
: we should have it replaced within 2-3 months.
:
: How can I trust these guys?
:
: Sure, I have no way to know if they are telling the truth or
just need
: some more income coming in.
:
: Or, if I don't act now, will I have a flood soon in the
furnace room?
:
: How can I be sure this guy is telling the truth?
:
: Thanks
:
: I have never heard of an oil tank getting thin unless it's in a
real
: wet basement and rusted severely. I had an outdoor tank that
came
: with a house built in the 1940's and lasted till I sold the
home in
: the 1990's. Worse yet, it was installed where the roof ran
onto it
: until I installed rain gutters when I moved there in the 80's
The
: tank never leaked or had severe rust, howver I did paint it
with some
: aluminum paint, more for appearance than anything else.
:
: You might contact someone that welds or works with steel to
take a
: look. They ought to know.
:
: Mark