Autoshop

[madvb]

Hi - I'm looking to put a 250-gal waste oil tank and a 250-gal waste antifreeze tank for an autoshop. Can someone suggest a manufacturer? This will be aboveground outdoor installation. Should a single wall or double wall tank be used in this case?

I'm thinking of putting a small container inside the autoshop with a small pump to pump the waste oil to the 250-gal tank outside. Would this be ideal? Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[dcasto]

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/ca...utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=usp&cookie_test=1

Glycols are not considered Oils by EPA and do not require secondary containment, but as good neighboor you should use one.

If you use fiberglass, keep it painted to protect it from uv light damage.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

How about the tanks used in oil-fired home heating systems?

 

[dcasto]

I'm not an expert on regulatory issues, each state has some rules about oil tanks and typically a home tank will have less regulation than a business. Lets see if someone else with more regulatory can answer that one.

 

[madvb]

I was thinking something like this...

http://www.convault.com/

Havent' been able to find much information on this kind of tank from any other manufacturers.

 

[dcasto]

those would meet any environmental rules I would come up against, very nice. In the Oil and Gas industry we don't get that deluxe. The added concrete protection from people hitting them may be a good idea when they are accesable by todays average driver.

 

[GregLocock]

Put a decent bund around them both and you won't need double wall tanks.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[Fabrico]

I just checked the 250 gallon, double walled, plastic, indoor, above ground tank for antifreeze in our truck shop here in sunny So Cal. All I could find is "MADE IN ITALY". No plastic for oil here!

 

[madvb]

Fabrico, what is your process for dumping the antifreeze in the 250 gallon? I'm thinking of having the mechanics drain the antifreeze/oil from car/truck to a temporary container, then from temporary container to 55 gallon drum, then pump from 55 gallon drum to 250 gallon waste storage tanks outdoor. What do you guys think?

 

[CoryPad]

We have a basin/sink mounted to the interior wall, then plumbed into the large storage tank. That way, you take the small bucket/whatever you place under the vehicle and pour it into the sink, which then drains into the tank. Have the waste company come and empty the tank when it gets full. You can mount the sink low on the wall so that you don't have to pick up a heavy container - just tip it, or even have a drain plug/hole/valve drain into the sink.

Regards,

Cory

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[Fabrico]

In all 5 of our major fleet shops, the mechanics dump small containers directly into the large tank by hand through about a 10" removable opening. We also have carts that range from about 10 to 30 gallon capacity and use an air operated diaphram pump to lift waste from them up into the tank. The pump is at floor level. We have found the air diaphram pumps to be very simple, reliable, throttable, and non-hazardous. Just make sure you maintain a screen on the pickup. When the tanks get near full, a vendor comes with pump truck and sucks them out.

We do just the opposite on the new antifreeze tanks. There is a small electric pump mounted right on top of the tank for dispensing.

In So Cal, each container, no matter how small, is considered an official storage entity onto itself. So any intermediate accumulation is either eliminated or drained out daily.

 

[madvb]

CoryPad: that's a great idea. Does the sink get really messy after a while?

CoryPad/Fabrico: could you guys send me some photos of this? It would really help me out a lot. Thanks.