Water In Fuel Oil Tank

Test the oil burner fuel unit fuel pump assembly to be sure that the fuel unit has not been damaged by water.

Water in fuel oil tank. One of the most common causes of water in a fuel tank is a quite natural process condensation. Most if not all tanks come with air vents. The water found in oil tanks is likely from one of two sources rainwater or condensation. Clean the oil filter canister of water sludge rust muck as part of normal heating oil service or when you are removing water from the oil storage tank.

Water is delivered to the oil tank along with the heating oil fuel. Oil tanks are designed to keep water out so you may be wondering how this problem arises in the first place. When the fuel pump is pumping the fuel and water is mixed if the vehicle has been standing for a while the water will be in the bottom of the tank. This is a good time to replace the screen found inside the fuel unit too.

When there is moist warm air passing through these vents it tends to get cooled in this environment which leads to condensation i e. Fuel floats on top on the water and the water will stay at the bottom of the fuel tank when the vehicle has been standing for some time. With the unpredictable british weather and its ability to change very quickly if there is water in your oil tank it will freeze and block supply pipework causing damage and eventually a halt in operations. This is not common but it is possible to get a delivery of bad heating oil that is water contaminated especially if the oil truck happens to fill up at the oil storage depot when an oil barge is unloading oil since during that operation water which is normally kept in the bottom of oil depot storage tanks may be stirred up.