Minimum amount of oil in tank

2018na

Hi lads,i would appreciate your knowledge of this. Is there a minimum for the amount of oil in a 1100 litre oil tank to get enough pressure at the bleeding screw. It’s about an 18 metre run of 10mm copper and the tank is quite high off the ground. I have put 18 20 litre cans into it but can’t get any more than a dribble. Opinions appreciated

RockOrBog

If you have put 18 cans in it that's plenty surely, is there a little filter anywhere on the line? There must be a blockage somewhere

2018na

I have blown the line back out with a compressor a couple of times and it bubbles right back at the tank. Then air comes back at the bleed valve but not at near the pressure you would expect

Wearb

IF you know what you're doing -and you can do it without causing a disastrous leak-, before trying to bleed it through the pump, get a decent flow by opening the oil pipe near the pump. Bleed off a litre or so into a clean container and throw this back into the tank. Then reconnect and bleed it through the pump. A suction pump at the boiler would be the best option, but most households would not have this.

As mentioned above, make sure any filters are clean. You also have to be careful not to let any water into the pump as it will ruin it instantly. In most cases it's best to have a proffessional do it. They will have a way to test for water and the experience to know the correct tightness of any fittings opened. So if following the procedure in the first paragraph of this post, be careful.

Slava_Ukraine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058268889/minimum-amount-of-oil-in-tank

Ask a plumber, but I'd suspect a blockage. 800mm of water clears a blocked toilet

2018na

Thanks lads. I will give that a go tomorrow wearb. I did loosen the nut there already and there was a decent amount of kerosene at that point. I will try what you say and take a litre or two at that point. Very much appreciate everyone’s input 👍

sundodger5

I would suspect the filter near the tank.

Had the exact same problem last year.Easy fix as it should have a valve tank side. Shut that valve and inspect that filter. Small money to replace if blocked.

2018na

it’s a strange one sundodger because it’s a brand new filter. When I take the pipe off the filter kerosene flows out but not at huge pressure

jimf

i have seen filters to look clean but still let a very bad flow through the gauze

again with caution open the bowl in the filter and remove the gauze filter and reassemble see does your oil flow increase

i cant really stress how important it is to make sure you are super careful

2018na

Thanks lads for all your advice. Took the flex pipe off and let out a couple litres and bingo it worked. Definitely a messy enough and risky thing to do but I am partial to a bit of live plumbing anyway. Wearb I owe you one 😁😁👍Boards.ie can be a great old place at times