pumping kerosene from garden tank?

[david151]

Our heating system runs off a plastic Kerosene tank (see picture) in the Garden. What I want to do is be able to pump Kerosene from this tank into a small 100 litre bowser that I have about 15 meters away on my drive. I will do this a couple of times a month. What is the most cost effective way of doing this? Would I have to install a pump in the tank or could a pump be installed off the piping at the bottom of the tank? I don't mind a manual pump, however I would like a semi permanent system that is always there to use at any time without constantly rigging it up. Any ideas on what the most cost effective solution is?

[Gingerbread Man]

Would the tanks be at a similar level?

[david151]

yes they are similar levels

[poo at Paul's]

I'm intrigued as to why?

Personally, I'd get a decent heavy duty trolley, and a couple of jerry cAns. Or you cN use 50l litre oil drums(the sort bulk oil at Costco comes in) and a basic hand operated oil drum pump.
Then just decant 20 or 25 litres at a time out of the main tank carry it to the other tank and fill it up.

Don't try to move too much at a time as it is blooming hard to fill from cans of more than about 25 l cos of the weight.


You can get fuel grade pumps but they are pretty pricey.

[pistol pete]

I use a drill powered pump from machine mart to fill a jerrycan from ours. Not sure how great it would be at pumping that distance though.

[Gingerbread Man]

Can you link them together with an inline oil meter. Open the valves, let it fill for a certain amount, then shut off the valves again.

[david151]

What do you mean link them together from oil meter?

As for the drill pump do you have one of these:

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/...

Any idea if I could get something like this to screen onto the valve of the tank so it would always be there?

[pistol pete]

david151 said:

As for the drill pump do you have one of these:
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/...

Yep - one of those.

I just dip a bit of hose pipe in the top of the tank.

Be careful tapping into the bottom (especially when there is no reason to) - I have heard some scary stories about the cost of cleaning up oil spillages. If you have messed about with it, then you could have insurance issues were anything to happen.