In the spring of 2015, we replaced the two aging oil tanks in the basement of the farmhouse at our family farm with a new oil tank. The old ones were about 75 years old. I picked one to be converted to a waste oil tank. After wire brushing it, I discovered that it had pinholes all over the one end, which was near a stone wall in the basement. I applied a bunch of sheet metal patches (mostly scrap from my collection) and welded them on. Let's just say I welded the heck out of it to patch that baby, and eventually the bit of remaining oil caught fire. I knew this was a risk, and made sure there were plenty of open ports so that it wouldn't go "pop." Don't EVER attempt to weld on a gasoline tank until the fumes are completely removed. In this case, the risk was low because oil is difficult to ignite and there wasn't much of it. But it did make a lot of smoke and rumbled quite a bit!
After wire brushing and patching, we degreased, etched, painted with POR-15, primed, and painted barn red. It goes well with our "blue" building, where it sits out front on a slab. It should be good for about 10 years of waste oil. At which point I'll call for a pickup. I suspect the paint job we gave it will be good for most of another 75 years.
After wire brushing and patching, we degreased, etched, painted with POR-15, primed, and painted barn red. It goes well with our "blue" building, where it sits out front on a slab. It should be good for about 10 years of waste oil. At which point I'll call for a pickup. I suspect the paint job we gave it will be good for most of another 75 years.
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