http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060201/...RpBHNlYwM3NTc-

 

I feel bad for them, but 35 years and they hadn't done away with the pipe? Holy cow, I thought I was lazy!

 

That happened to a house very close to me but they pumped much more fuel in. The house just had a new oil tank installed with the new vent and filler in a different location.......and of course, the old filler was left intact. Nobody told the driver about the new oil tank and he had previously delivered oil to that loaction for the past 12 years. Long story short, he dumped a bit more than 250 gallons in the basement and only stopped because the vent alarm wasn't making any noise. The basement was a write off.....I never did here who accepted the liability for that one!

 

A house 3 doors up from me was demolished because of a fuel oil leak. The tank was leaking for years (just a little bit) and finally someone spoke up. Cost the insurance over a million in paperwork and cleanup alone. Took 2.5 years before the city would issue a building permit. They took 150 loads of dirt outa there. They built the guy a new house and gave him a policy for a year but would not renew. He had to sell it because he couldn't get insurance on it and his mortgage co would not write a policy on it without full insurance.

 

Hey i just read that in my local paper today. Bethpage is pretty close to me. I feel bad for the folks BUT they should have taken the fill pipe out when they switched to Nat Gas...PERIOD. Poor guy who delivered the oil is probably gonna be out of work, his bad.

 

I can never figure out how this happens. I delivered oil for over 15 years, and the first thing you listen for is the whistle that's installed in the tank that activates when the fuel going IN forces the air OUT. If there's no whistle, you put your ear to the vent pipe and listen for the rush of air. If there is none, you shut it off. How much more simple can it get? At most, you might end up with 20 - 25 gallons on the floor, not a cellar full.



chaikwa.

 

When I was a wee little one I decided I wanted to be like the oil man and put a hose in the mysterious pipe coming out of the side of the house. I got it open somehow (I think I remember it being a springloaded cap type thing) and of course then I needed a hose. What hose? The garden hose of course! I went over and let 'er rip. Luckily the hose only ran for a few minutes before my dad came out of the garage and pulled the hose out. Of course I got thrown over his knee afterwards