Things You Will Need
You know that fixing the leak will save you money in the long run, but you also want to know a cheap and effective way to plug that leak in the short term.
Fix the leak and protect the soil.
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As soon as you determine you have an oil leak, act quickly to prevent any further contamination of your soil. Pump all the remaining oil out of the tank with a syphon pump. Pump oil into 50 gallon trash containers with lids. Use as many trash containers as necessary.
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Thoroughly examine the tank from the inside and/or the outside to see if there is additional corrosion that may produce a leak if it were to go unchecked.
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For each area of corrosion, remove rust and wash thoroughly with soap and water. Rinse with water.
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Sand all corroded areas with rough, then fine-grit sandpaper. Make sure you have removed all instances of corrosion.
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Wipe sanded areas with soft cloth to remove all sanded residue.
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Squeeze out equal amounts of patching compound from each of the tubes on the aluminum pie pan. Mix together with paint stirring stick until thoroughly blended.
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Place mixed patching compound onto all the prepared areas. You can apply it with the paint stirring stick in an even coat or push it into the leak and leave a small bump of patch.
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Wait the length of time recommended by the manufacturer for the compound to cure. Depending on the product you have chosen, this may vary from 4 to 24 hours.
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Wrap any unused patching compound and items you no longer need in newspaper and place in the trash.
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After the compound has cured, replace the oil in the garbage containers with the syphon pump.
The Drip Cap
- You want to get through the winter as economically as possible, but you have just discovered that your oil tank has a small leak.
- Pump oil into 50 gallon trash containers with lids.
- For each area of corrosion, remove rust and wash thoroughly with soap and water.
- Squeeze out equal amounts of patching compound from each of the tubes on the aluminum pie pan.