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 How to Measure the Amount of Water Contamination in an Oil Storage Tank
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Find & measure water in an oil tank: this article explains how to test for the presence of water in oil tanks, and how to measure the level of water that has accumulated in an oil tank. We describe the use of water finding pastes and where to buy those test materials and we suggest some simple do-it-yourself methods for checking for water contamination in heating oil or in the oil tank.
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How to Measure the Level of Water Contamination in an Oil Tank
This article series explains the problems caused by water accumulation in oil tanks, how water gets into the oil tank, how to measure water in the oil tank, how to remove water from oil storage tanks regardless
of whether the oil tank is indoors, outdoors above ground, or buried, and how to prevent water from getting into an oil storage tank. We explain how to test for or visually check for water in a buried or above-ground oil storage tank, and how to get water out of an oil tank. Extensive free un-biased oil storage tank inspection and testing advice for property buyers and owners is provided at this website.
This website provides detailed information about underground (buried) oil storage tanks (USTs),
aboveground oil storage tanks (ASTs), above ground fuel storage tanks, reporting and cleaning up oil tank leaks, and choosing among oil tank leak testing methods.
Home buyers should be sure to review OIL TANK TESTING - Leaky Heating Oil Tanks - How Oil Tanks are Tested for Evidence Leaks, of Current or Previous Oil Spills
and Tank Legal Issues - Home Buyers and Home Owners Guide to Leaky Heating Oil Tanks - What to Do About & When to Report Oil Tank Leaks. Leaky Heating Oil Tanks.
Home owners who have old oil tanks above ground or any age oil tank below ground should also be sure to review OIL TANK ABANDONING PROCEDURE - Abandoning Commercial vs. Residential Underground Oil Storage Tanks (UST) - Procedures & Regulations
A separate website addresses Septic Tanks.
Oil storage tanks would ideally be tested for water accumulation at every oil delivery, but as that simply is not going to happen, you should ask your oil company to assess the amount of water in the oil tank at least once a year by using one of the methods discussed below.
A simple method that can be used on oil storage tanks whose fill pipe is located directly above the tank is to insert a dipstick into the oil tank after coating the dipstick end with a water-finding paste. (photo at left).
A similar test for oil tanks whose piping does not permit use of a dipstick makes use of a string and weight and water finding paste.
Where to Buy Oil Tank Water Finding Paste or Water Indicating Pastes
- Water finder paste & dipstick for use in heating oil tanks: using a water finder paste on the end of a stick.
Water indicating paste also called water finding paste or water finder paste, is coated over the bottom few inches of an oil tank probing stick or onto a string or flexible tape which can be inserted into an oil tank. The water indicating paste changes color (typically white to red, green to red,or pink to white)
to indicate the depth of water in the oil tank.
You can ask your oil company to handle this if you don't have a stick, string, or tape or tools to open an access plug on the top of your oil tank.
This method works best if the oil filler pipe is a straight shot down into the oil tank, If there is not sufficient
overhead room to insert the long stick, such as with outdoor and buried oil tanks you'll need to use a string or tape which you coat with the water indicating paste.
Here is a list of water and oil indicating pastes that will detect water in home heating oil tanks whether they are buried or above ground, outside, or indoor tanks:
- Eastern Water Indicating Paste (in a tube, turns red in presence of water)
- Eastern Oil Indicating Paste (oil finding paste) in a jar, used to indicate the height of heating oil, diesel oil, kerosene, gasoline, etc, turns from pink to white).
- Kolor Kut water Indicating Paste
- Sar-Gel gauging paste turns bright red where it contacts water
- McCabe Gauging Paste - a water level indicating paste, turns from green to red when immersed in water for 30 seconds or more. McCabe also makes a gasoline indicating paste which is purple and shows a line where gasoline is encountered.
Here are some online sources where you can purchase these products (we have no financial relationship with any product or service discussed at our website:
- www.marineservicesinc.biz/ - Marine Services, Inc.
- www.wlwalker.com/sites/WLW/sp_products.asp?groupid=GAUGE - W.L. Walker Co.
- www.lindequipment.net/ - Lind Equipment
- www.icllabs.com/Gauging%20Pastes.htm - ICL Calibration Laboratories
- www.china-tapemeasure.com/oil-tape-measure-fibre-glass-tape.htm - Eastern Tape Measure
Other Methods for Detecting Water Contamination in a Heating Oil Tank
- Other water sensing products: Other special products are available such as a sensor connected to a
string or wire that can be dropped into an oil tank to check for water contamination. Water alarm devices
are also available.
- Visual Check of the oil filter at the oil burner: inspecting in the oil filter at the heating equipment can indicate a history of
water passing from the oil tank towards the oil burner. Water in the oil filter, or rust therein, would be an
indicator of water passing through the system.
As we discuss at OIL TANK TESTING, A neat way to look for a history of water in the heating oil storage tank is to check the
oil filter canister itself. Many oil burners are protected by a heating oil filter
installed either at the tank or at the oil burner. (Every heating boiler burning oil should have one of these filters installed to protect the equipment.)
If the oil tank has a high level of water, especially if the oil lines run to the oil burner from
the bottom of the oil tank, some of that water will have been making its way to
the oil burner where, en route, it is (usually) trapped in the oil filter. If you open an oil
filter container and see that its metal parts are rusted, or that there is a lot of rusty sludge
in the bottom of the filter holding canister, the oil tank needs to be checked further for water
Ask your oil company service technician to check the oil filter for evidence of water or rust,
or if you've had heat outages ask if water in the oil could be a contributor or cause.
See TEST FOR WATER
in our general discussion of oil tank testing topics for additional discussion of methods of testing for water in oil storage tanks.
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- "Preventing Water from Entering the [oil heating] Fuel System", Technical Information Bulletin, 10/15/1990, R.W. Beckett Corporation, 38251 Center Ridge Road, PO Box 1289, Elyria OH 44036, Tel: 440-327-1060, Email: sales@beckettcorp.com
 Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. The firm provides professional home inspection services & home inspection education & publications. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The Home Reference Book & illustrations from The Illustrated Home. Carson Dunlop Associates' provides:
- Commercial Building Inspection Courses - protocol ASTM Standard E 2018-08 for Property Condition Assessments
- Home Inspection Education Courses including home study & live classes at eleven colleges & universities.
- Home Inspection Education Home Study Courses - ASHI@Home Training 10-course program.
Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on these courses: Enter INSPECTAHITP in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
- The Home Reference Book, a reference & inspection report product for building owners & inspectors.
Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
- The Home Reference eBook, an electronic version for PCs, the iPad, iPhone, & Android smart phones.
Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter inspectaehrb in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- The Illustrated Home illustrates construction details and building components, a reference for owners & inspectors.
Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Illustrated Home purchased as a single order Enter INSPECTAILL in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- The Horizon Software System manages business operations,scheduling, & inspection report writing using Carson Dunlop's knowledge base & color images. The Horizon system runs on always-available cloud-based software for office computers, laptops, tablets, iPad, Android, & other smartphones.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop, and from the InspectAPedia bookstore. The 2010 edition of the Home Reference Book is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. InspectAPedia.com ® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.
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- National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, PO Box 380, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407
- "Homeowners Guide to Fuel Storage," Agway Energy Products, Verbank, NY, November 1990
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