Do You Have An Unsafe Heating Oil Tank?
An unsafe heating oil tank can lead to a refusal in delivery which can cost up to £35, or worse, an oil spill fine which can cost over £10,000!*
After a while, with changes in seasons, your trusty oil tank might start feeling the strain, get old or need some TLC.
BoilerJuice wants to help you reduce the chance of oil spillages, so our team have put together a handy safety checklist you can use when you next take a trip to your tank.
Why is it important to check your heating oil tank?
It’s important to check your tank to ensure there are no damages and that your tank complies with the safety regulations before a top-up.
A supplier can refuse delivery if they believe your tank is unsafe, which can leave you without any oil, which no one wants! Checking your tank before a top-up can also save you money in the long run you reduce the chance of getting a refusal fee and environmental clean-up fine.
Top reasons for a heating oil delivery refusal
- Cracks in your tank
- Leaks from your tank
- Outlet pipe work
- Access is unsafe
- Tank is not supported correctly
Heating oil tank safety checklist
The Heating Oil Tank Safety Checklist covers all you need to know about spotting damage on your tank.
To make sure your tank is safe, we suggest following OFTEC’s advice to check your tank monthly. This will help identify problems in advance – before they become urgent issues.
However, even though this check list provides brilliant information, if you spot an issue it’s always best to contact a professional engineer to determine the extent of the damage.
Check your tank
for rust
Corrosion can weaken steel tanks and increase the risk of leaking.
Check your tank for splits, cracks or bulging
Plastic tanks degrade and become brittle when exposed to UV light and oxygen. Therefore, the average expected life span is 20 years. As your tank ages, the risk of a costly tank failure increases. If your tank is cracked, unfortunately, it can not be repaired and a new tank is needed.
Check your gauge is working correctly
Without a working gauge, it can be difficult to check how much fuel you have available or how much space you have for a new delivery.
Check for overgrown
foliage
There are now very specific rules governing the location of tanks in order to ensure the risk of fire is kept to an absolute minimum. Although fire is highly unlikely to originate in a fuel storage tank, it is very important to protect the stored fuel from fires or heat sources nearby. The minimum distance from screening (e.g. trellis and foliage) is 600mm.
Check the base of your tank for subsidence/support
If a fuel storage tank is not adequately supported, it could lead to safety concerns. This can result in a failure of the tank and even a fuel spill. The base needs to provide continual structural support and should be:
- Adequate for the weight of the tank and its contents (1000 litres of fuel weighs just under a ton!)
- Non-combustible imperforate and level
- Constructed of concrete, paving stones or stonework
- Large enough to extend 300mm beyond all sides of the tank
Check for a strong smell of fuel
If you start to notice a stronger smell of fuel from around the storage tank it is possible that it may have developed a leak. Get immediate help from a qualified technician to check for leaks.
What to do if you’re unsure whether your heating oil tank is safe?
If you are concerned about an unsafe heating oil tank, you can arrange a site survey through our approved suppliers Harlequin.
OFTEC tank advice
We do not recommend the use of secondhand tanks because it is difficult to judge their condition accurately. Likewise, we do not recommend that householders attempt to install a tank themselves. A full oil tank can weigh as much as one tonne, and unless the tank is properly supported, this weight will place significant stress on the supporting structure, greatly increasing the risk of a failure. Far better to have a professional do this work and avoid the risk of a costly mistake. We also recommend the use of bunded tanks – effectively a tank within a tank – as this greatly reduces the risk of a leak into the wider environment.
Do you need a new tank?
Harlequin’s range of high-quality, great-value heating oil tanks can be viewed and purchased at BoilerJuice Shop.
*Source https://www.gov.uk/government/news/check-your-heating-oil-tank (16/11/22)
