OK- I let our furnace run out of oil... furnace turned off. Tank showed 1/4full but guess it was wrong...
They filled our tank today while we were out... 178 gal.. Think it is a 200 tank so where that 22 gals went I don't know... the drain line to the filter is in the very bottom of the tank, not the side.

Anyway--- They filled the tank today and I came home to find a puddle of oil on the floor and a stream of oil flowing out of a pin sized hole in the copper tubing right after the oil filter. I turned off the value and mopped up the oil (less than a gal) and put cat liter on the floor to try to soak up what a towel couldn't get from the painted concrete floor.

I am trying to figure out if I have to run a whole new copper line from after the filter to the furnace (15-20 feet) or can I patch that little, itty, bitty, tiny hole with something... like gas line goop and wrap tape around it?
We live in a very little old house that we will probably get rid of in 2-3years... meaning tear it down. The A/C went this past summer. Furnace is old. Don't want to put a lot of money in the house but would like to have heat for the next 2-3 years...

Also any idea on how to get rid of the smell?

Did the leak come from the pressure when the filled the empty tank? Tank in basement fill line above.

Thank you so, so much for any ideas/ways to fix my problems!!



Debbie

Usually copper does not develop pin holes unless something is causing it to. If the copper pipe is in contact with or buried in concrete that can be a eventual problem. But what you can do in the mean time is this.

Go to the hardware store and but a male flare union with two nuts. Usually the copper is 3/8th inch size so that is the size of the male flair union and nuts. Cut the copper line in the area of the pinhole then flare both pieces and use the union to splice the line. Cheap and simple way to eliminate a very small pin hole leak area.

No if you cut the copper line and find it in not good condition or if the pipe does not flare right with a flare tool then you might be better off replacing the line.

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Thank you for your quick reply!!
Yah, I was shocked to see this little hole... I have no idea why it would be there... it is where the pipe curves from the filter to go up... about 2 inches up from the filter... end of the line... so I was thinking it was the sudden rush of oil going into an empty tank. Or could there have been a huge chunk of old muck or something that went through the filter, into the line and blocked it causing a small pin hole?

So maybe I can pull down the line 2 inches and flare the end to put the connection back together...
I just looked up how to flare a pipe... looks easy...

VERY excited now... I can do this :)

I am going to replace the filter too, since it hasn't been done in the 3 years we lived here.


Thanks!
Debbie

Take your time and if it is your first time to flare something get a short piece of tube and practice. Also do not forget to put the nut on the tube BEFORE making the flare. Do not laugh since this has been done before and you cannot put the nut on after the flare is made on a splice. LOL

Will do! :D Hope not to run into any problems... Kinda tired of fixing things... only cool part it getting new tools! :)

Thank you much!

Debbie

I have a garage full of speciality tools. Some of them have only been used once for one job. The sad part is my sons have no idea what they are actually used for. LOL When I die my wife is going to go nuts trying to sell them all. I guess that will be my revenge. LOL Plus the HVAC system in this house will need a engineer to fix it. I tease her all the time about that and she laughs. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

I wonder if any of Billy Ray's "Mighty Putty" should be put to the test here.. . Nah! Even if it stops the leak, that loud voice will keep you up all night!:p