Heating oil storage

Throughout the district, there are many communities where domestic heating is fuelled by oil.

There have been an increasing number of pollution incidents caused by faulty or badly maintained domestic central heating oil tanks. Leaked oil can be very difficult and expensive to clean up.

In some circumstances houses have had to be evacuated because oil soaked into the ground close to the houses and produced fumes inside, making it impossible to live in the properties.

Regular checks and maintenance on your central heating oil tank and oil supply pipes may avoid the problems of a leak. If you cannot do it yourself, employ a competent person. The cost of a service will be considerably less than the cost of fixing a leak.

Maintenance of your oil tank

There’s a number of steps you can take to help avoid your tank leaking, including:

  • regularly checking the condition of your tank - if it is a metal tank, ensure it is painted often to avoid the metal corroding. Be aware of black staining on tank supports or bases, or an oily smell, both of which may indicate a leak
  • if your tank is not bunded, consider building one - a bund is a collection trough which sits under the oil tank, n the event of the tank leaking, all the oil will be retained within this leak proof trough
  • supervise oil deliveries - and make sure you do not order more oil than you can fit in your tank
  • monitor and become familiar with your normal usage rate of oil - if consumption appears to go up, check for leaks immediately
  • have a thorough regular maintenance check carried out by a competent person on your whole system, not just the boiler
  • keep fill points on the tank clear of obstructions and ensure they’re tamper proof

Find out more about how to prevent leaks and what to do if one happens. (PDF File, 718kb)

If you need any further help and advice, particularly with cleaning contaminated ground, contact us.