Oil Tank Cleaning and Oil Tank Services in Bristol

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Oil Tank Work in Bristol

We clean heating oil tanks beside Bristol homes and the large fuel tanks found on industrial and business sites. We also fit new and replacement tanks, take away tanks you no longer use and deliver heating oil at short notice, and we’re always glad to help.

Our work takes in the whole city, and we look after customers right across the country too. Our team’s 20+ years in this work cover the tank and the fuel stored in it.

To get started, just give us a call or send us a few photos, and we can advise you from there.

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Oil Tank Cleaning in Bristol

A tank clean starts with samples taken at different depths, so we can see what the oil is like from top to bottom. We then take out the water, sludge and sediment by suction, scrubbing or jet-washing. Once the tank is clean, the oil goes back in through a 10 micron filter. If you’re left short, we can supply fresh fuel at extra cost.

Fuel polishing is a different job: it treats the fuel, not the tank. Where there’s heavy sludge on the floor of the tank, it still needs a clean. If water is the only concern, water removal is quoted as a separate job.

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Cleaning Large Tanks for Bristol Businesses

Commercial tanks are often far bigger than a home tank, and cleaning them has to fit around the work of the site. One Bristol job shows how this works around a tight timetable. As our published project from March 2023 describes, Airbus had three tanks of 40,000 to 80,000 litres deep cleaned at short notice, over two days, before a test campaign.

That timing and method belonged to that job and that site. Every commercial clean is planned around how your own site runs, and out-of-hours or weekend work is available at extra cost.

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Business Fuel Tanks in Bristol

Our commercial services cover schools, colleges, hospitals, care homes, warehouses, depots, construction sites, forecourts and data centres. Larger heating installations follow BS 5410-2, and generator and dispenser tanks are assessed against the site’s fire risk assessment and DSEAR. You get site-specific RAMS before work starts.

When a generator tank is replaced, the fuel is held in bunded temporary storage, so the generator usually keeps running. Larger tanks are isolated, emptied, cleaned and atmosphere-tested to confirm they’re safe before they’re lifted or cut: lifted whole, cold cut in plant rooms and basements, or, for heavy steel tanks outdoors, hot cut only after gas-freeing and a gas-free certificate, under a hot works permit.

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Replacing a Heating Oil Tank

Our installation and replacement service covers the new tank, removing the old one and reconnecting your heating. Most home replacements take one day; a rebuilt base, difficult access or a new position can add time.

Your heating is off while the new tank is connected, and we check it works before we leave. For complex jobs, a temporary tank can keep the heating on, at extra cost. Oil in good condition goes into the new tank, and it helps if you’re at home on the day.

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Taking a Tank Away

An oil tank removal can be booked on its own. The boiler is turned off and the tank disconnected first, so air doesn’t get into the heating. We agree with you whether any remaining oil is reused, moved to a second tank or removed.

The tank is drained, cleaned and cut on site with cold-cutting, spark-free tools where needed. Most removals take a couple of hours, and the tank leaves with us on the day; basement, large or buried tanks take longer. Please don’t attempt it yourself, as an empty tank can still hold residue and vapour. Plastic is shredded into granules for recycling and steel goes for scrap.

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Underground Tanks

A buried tank needs decommissioning even if it hasn’t been used for years. We isolate it, pump out the oil, sludge and water, clean it and clear the vapour, then remove it or fill it in place. Specialist soil and groundwater sampling may be needed before, during and after.

The Environment Agency’s starting point is removal. Filling suits places where digging isn’t practical, such as under a building or driveway. Foam filling is light and goes in through a small opening; concrete is heavier and suits ground that will carry a slab or drive. Filling is permanent and won’t fix contamination already in the ground. More on our underground tank service.

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Leaking Oil Tanks

If it’s safe, turn off the valve at the tank, catch any drips and hold oil back from drains with sand or earth. Never hose it away or use detergent. Then call us on 0800 799 9739.

If oil has reached, or could reach, a drain, watercourse, well or the ground, also call the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60. Bristol Water says about 10% of its supply comes from boreholes, wells and springs. Tell your insurer early, as the clean-up usually falls to the homeowner.

A cracked plastic tank can’t be repaired. Where oil has got into the ground, we take soil samples and remove the contaminated soil. See our leaking tank service.

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Emergency Heating Oil

We deliver kerosene in loads of 500 to 1,000 litres, the same day or the next day, and confirm which for your address before you order. First, make sure the tank really is empty, dipping it if it’s safe to, as gauges can fail. Details are on our emergency heating oil page.

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Inspections and Moving a Tank

A yearly inspection by a competent person, such as an OFTEC-registered technician, is recommended rather than legally required for most homes in England. It checks the tank, base, bund, pipework, valves, filter, fire valve, gauge, fill and vent, and the siting, and tests the oil for water. A written report is available on request.

A sound tank can often be moved. We check the new position, drain and clean the tank, move and reconnect it, then return the oil if it’s usable, or take it for disposal if not. An older or single-skin tank going somewhere that needs a bund is often better replaced.