ᐅ How to Drain Heating Oil from a Tank?

We have an old house that will be demolished soon, and there are still some heating oil residues (about 400 liters) in plastic tanks in the basement.

We could use this heating oil in another house. Is there a way to pump out the oil and transfer it back into the other tank? Or is it better to wait until the basement is exposed during the demolition work and then handle it somehow? What kind of companies provide this service?

There are definitely companies for that. Tank builders, tank cleaners—you should be able to find them with Ecosia.
You might get around 40 cents for each liter extracted. I don’t know what it costs if they put it back elsewhere.

Doing it yourself is a tricky matter: How do you want to transport the oil if not in a tanker truck? Driving around with everything in 20-liter (5-gallon) gas cans is probably not ideal...

And it is also subject to restrictions. There are indeed 200-liter (53-gallon) drums. However, beyond a certain quantity, appropriate training is required. Rightly so, by the way. Nobody needs 400 liters (106 gallons) of oil spilled on the road due to poor securing.

If you had asked at a regular informal meeting instead of here, I would have advised you to get an IBC tank and a drill pump. Then you load the IBC onto a trailer, drive it to the unloading site, and pump it back into your tank.

What to particularly keep in mind:

- Avoid driving with a half-full tank if possible, or do so very carefully. It tends to slosh around.
- Do not pump out the sludge at the bottom of the tank. Over the years, suspended solids and residues have accumulated there.
- Secure the container well on the loading area.

But since you asked here and not at an informal meeting, I’ll respond as follows: Have the old stuff pumped out and be glad if you don’t have to pay for the disposal. Organizing transport and disposing of the contaminated waste afterwards costs more nerves and time than 400 liters (105 gallons) of heating oil...