Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Oil Storage Tanks

I've had an interesting question for a gentleman I do electrical work for. He has oil heat and the tanks are out in his garage(Steel building with 16' ceilings... I wish mine was like that sometimes).... Anyways he was looking to gain more floorspace for his new excavator and asked me if it was possible to STACK the tanks. I looked at him like he had 3 heads... he said he's heard of it.. but doesn't know how it was done... I really feel bad for the oil delivery guys.. but if its possible how would he do it? I mean I don't wanna see him try it and screw things up and get oil all over the concrete... and if its not possible... I'd love to have a list of reasons to give him so he'll get off my back about it.

I've never seen it happen and I wouldn't expect it to be legal unless they are special tanks.

There is absolutely nothing in local code against it... then again in the middle of no where what do you expect... His insurance agent said he can have no more then 1000 gallons of heating oil on the property... so I'm in a bind trying to get him to not do it.

I understand his desire to have more floor space. The easiest & safest thing to do would be to move the tanks outdoors. Most oil companies will not fill tanks where the driver must use a ladder. If you have access to NFPA code books, check NFPA 31. I believe there is a maximum "tank leg" length.

I'm not sure where in the book the code is, but I know what you're talking about... No offense to everyone here this was my last resort... cause it sounds so far fetched. But correct.... but an exception to that rule is the legs are defined as the "stand offs coming from the bottom of the tank that provide the tanks height"... I don't beleive that will be a problem since you can't really use the legs as additional height over the lower tanks since the legs are smaller then the width of the tank.

It could be done by installing outward pointing ells, nipples, & downward pointing ells. I certainly would not reccommend it, but it could be done. I'm sure in your trade you've seen some very inovative ways to get power from point A to point B. It happens in every trade. Not having a copy of the code books in front of me, I'm sure there has to be some thing, some where, in NFPA which would prohibit an installation such as you describe.
If nothing else, as previously mentioned, most oil companies won't service tanks where a ladder is needed to reach the fill pipe.