Cleaning tanks can save you money

Every year, thousands of forecourt operators are wasting money on emergency tank cleaning and unnecessary service callouts to unclog pumps, all of which could be avoided by regularly checking and cleaning tanks and lines, says tank cleaning and decommissioning specialist David Plumb and Co.

“Usually, customers complaining about dirty petrol and clogged pumps failing to dispense, are blamed on faulty filters and bad loads,” says David Plumb managing director Kathy Early. “Often, retailers will carry on struggling until engineers are being called out every week or the pumps refuse to work altogether.

“At that point, we get called in to carry out emergency cleaning, which means a service station can be out of action for days. In some cases it also means that the pumps have to be replaced.

“By simply having petrol storage tanks cleaned about once every ten years, and diesel tanks every eight years, forecourt operators can avoid all these costs and problems, and escape the extra corrosion problems associated with dirty tanks.”

The whole process, which can cost as little at £2,000 to £4,000 per forecourt, can be achieved with minimum disruption. For safety reasons the forecourt has to be closed to customers for part of the process, but this can be kept down to less than a working day, or under two hours if only a single tank is cleaned.

The technique David Plumb & Co uses starts with filling the tank with inert foam to drive out all the residual fuel vapour.  Once this foam dissipates it leaves behind an easily removable residue. The inspection hatch is then removed and an operative, wearing full breathing apparatus and personal protection equipment, goes into the tank to clean it manually.

If you are not sure whether a tank needs cleaning or not, the company offers a testing service. For as little as £80-100 per tank, David Plumb will professionally test and report on a site to ensure sediment levels in the tanks are not becoming dangerously high, heading off possible repair bills and damage claims.

During the test, the company takes three samples: one from the dispensing nozzle, one from 40mm off the bottom of the tank and one from 20mm. It tests for both water and particulates and produces a plain English statement of condition, which gives the fuel site operator a complete snap-shot of the condition of their tank.

2 December 2005

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