Oil heating questions - odor and mechanical lever

Hi!

In our new home there is an oil heating system from 2008 installed and since we have only had gas heating systems until now, I have a few "beginner" questions

The three oil tanks date back to the 1980s and even though they are tight, the smell of oil is extreme. Are there any weak points that should be checked and that could reduce the smell?

On one of the pipes there is a mechanical lever that I cannot identify (see photo/arrow). Does anyone have an idea what function it has?


Many thanks!

Check if there is any oil leaking anywhere.

With us, the oil filter once dripped a little and you could really smell it. After the repair, the smell was almost completely gone.

Otherwise, the classic: airing out.

If nothing is leaking, the smell diffuses from tiny cracks and through the plastic. This is less the case with steel tanks. So a certain smell is normal. Google something about the lever "Antiheberventil"

Hi

This is a quick-closing valve.
Usually, there is a safety line that runs up to the storage room, so that the valve can be closed from the outside in case of fire or danger.

Olli

Hi There This is a quick-release valve. Usually there is a ripcord that leads up to the storage room so that the valve can be closed from the outside in case of fire or danger. Olli

Many thanks! That then also explains the wire in the hallway.