The Ultimate Guide to Replacing a Heating Oil Tank

Although most heating oil tanks last about twenty years, the chance of issues developing obviously increases as they get older. So it’s important to check your tank regularly, particularly in advance of any deliveries of heating oil. And if your tank is older than ten years, it’s even more important to look for signs of damage and leak and spill hazards. So assuming your heating oil tank is quite old and potentially needs replacing, the OFTEC qualified team at LV Fuel Services is here to take you through the process and explain your remedial choices.

When to replace your heating oil tank?

It can sometimes cost 10’s of £ thousands to clean up after leaks or spills caused by a damaged oil tank. So it’s important you schedule an expert inspection of your oil storage tank every year with a Registered OFTEC Technician such as one of our qualified engineers. They can definitively tell you if your tank needs to be replaced.

Here’s an Oil Tank Inspection Checklist

If you want some short term peace of mind, if doesn’t harm to look across your tank and associated pipe work yourself. Do it on a regular basis before calling out our experienced inspection team. • Firstly, look for any cracks or bulges. These are the first indications of a potential problem. • And if your tank is steel, check for any rust or dents and any other indications of damage. • Any of these can be an early warning that your tank is weak or damaged. • Then check the associated pipe work out of the tank and follow it along to the boiler, looking for signs of spills and leaks. • Now make sure your fuel gauges and the oil fill points are in good order. Then make sure the vents and measures are shut so no contaminants get into them. • Finally, make a note of any out of the ordinary increases in your usual daily fuel use. That is one of the first signs that something is not right with your tank installation. (Some people keep a handy Oil Spill Kit with putty to seal leaks, drain blockers, and absorbent materials just in case)

What about our professional inspections?

Our inspectors cover all of those inspection elements but also do a lot more. Checking internally as well as externally, checking the contents actual for any contamination and the tank skin for thickness and potential catastrophic corrosion with special tools. And we provide a Certificate of Inspection you can present your Insurance company in support of applying for extended environmental cleanup cost coverage.

The Tank Replacement Process

If the results of a tank inspection makes it quite clear the best way forward is a replacement Heating Oil Tank, it is obviously important it conforms to the appropriate installation guidelines. All new oil tanks with capacities over 2,500 litres are required to be bunded according to building regulations. That means that a secondary containment is included in the tank to help prevent spills and leaks. A self-contained tank inside a tank. The outer tank is the protection while the inner tank contains the actual oil. That means that if the internal skin fails, the external skin contains it. We can obviously supply these fully bunded tanks for any project, tailored to your specific requirements as standard, and all our tank installers are OFTEC qualified. You won’t have to worry about leaks or spills because all of our tanks comply with all regulations.

How to buy a new Heating Oil Tank

If you think your tank needs replacing, give our professional and helpful team a call right away at 08007999739. We’ll take you through the process of choosing the best model to replace your old tank and explain each of the pros and cons for your needs. And they’ll also explain each step in the process. So don’t leave it until it’s too late. If the tank breaks or leaks catastrophically, the cleanup costs can be huge and many home insurance specifically EXCLUDE these cleanup costs in their home insurance policies. Check your home insurance on this point. We at LV Fuel Services are here to help you make the decisions to minimise the risk of that happening and can quickly install your new tank.