Reuse old Furnace Oil Tank

[Listerational]

Hello,

I've got somebody who wants to give me an old oil furnace oil tank that sits in his yard exposed to the central NC weather for decades. I am guessing that there is rust inside the tank but do not know how to check. If there is rust inside there, is there anyway to clean the tank out?
 I would like to store diesel in this tank. Are there any special guidelines that I need to follow in order to keep diesel good for years in storage?

Thanks,
Jim

[38ac]

If it is like the tanks we used to have you should be able to use a pipe wrench to remove either the fill or venting caps and take a peek inside using a strong flashlight. Or you could use this as a good reason to purchase an inspection camera at harbor freight, LOL. Were it mine what to do with rust would depend on if it was flakey scale or just a thin layer on the surface. If thin I would just leave it be and use a tank filter. If it is thick flakey scale  I would pass on the tank. Your biggest enemy for long term storage is algae. Fungicide treatments are available at any bulk fuel supplier and at NAPA. Prevention here is the key as it is a real PITA once it gets in your tanks. We also rotate the fuel kept for our generator by using it up in our trucks.

[honda lee]

I'm not sure about getting tank spotless I have done smaller fuel tanks before  and used Bbs in tank and shook to free any scale then used a liquid fuel tank  coating that seals the inside of the tank. The fuel tank sealer is kind of  high.

[xyzer]

Use a good filter!

[dieselgman]

If you can keep the fuel dry, that is a good part of the battle. Keep the tanks full, rotate fuel stocks as much as possible. Avoiding air entering and passing through the dew-point is important... insulated or buried in the ground can help with this issue. Rust inside will mostly settle out and you will not want to draw off the tank bottoms anyway.
It is very common for folks in rural Alaska to use 55 gallon barrels for fuel storage and transport... these can be problematic in moisture control as well as sediment - the trick is to leave the last bit in the tank so that the settlement does not clog filters - or worse.

Gravity works. All non-emulsified water and sediment will be in the bottom of the tank.


dieselgman

[Listerational]

This is all good advice. I will look for flakiness and if I see none then I will take the tank.

Thanks To All,

Jim