Around 1.5 million homes in the UK use heating oil (usually kerosene) for hot water and central heating, because they aren’t connected to the mains gas supply. This oil needs to be stored safely on their property in a suitable tank.
Buying a heating oil tank for your home or business is a big investment. With so many heating oil tanks available, it can get a bit confusing. But it is important to get it right, as getting it wrong could prove to be a very costly mistake.
Whether you are buying a tank for the first time or replacing an old one, there are some key things to consider – such as the type of tank (bunded or single skin), size and material.
Go bunded
A single skin oil tank is made from a single layer of steel or plastic. The reduced material, compared to a bunded oil tank, makes them cheaper to manufacture and to buy. But they are subject to tighter regulations (more on that later) than bunded oil tanks and aren’t considered to be quite as safe.
Our top tip for choosing the right heating oil tank would always be to go for a bunded tank.
Bunded oil tanks are essentially a ‘tank within a tank’. The oil is stored within the inner tank, which is protected by the outer tank. In the unlikely event of a leak, the oil would be contained within the bund, rather than leaking and polluting the environment. The regulations state that the outer tank must be able to hold 110% of the contents of the main tank.
The outer bund also protects the inner tank from environmental factors such as sunlight and frost, which could damage a tank over time.
In many situations, a bunded oil tank is a legal requirement.
Go large
Domestic oil tanks range in size from 650 litres to 3,500 litres or more in capacity, so choosing the correct sized tank for your requirements is dependent on a number of factors.
These include the amount of fuel you use on average, the size of your property and the amount of available space you have to safely and legally install a tank.
As a rule of thumb, you should allow for 500 litres of oil per bedroom per year. A typical three bed house using kerosene for heating, mainly at weekends and in the evening, would use around 1,600 litres per year. If they are also using oil for cooking (ie for an Aga) that would rise to about 1,750 litres annually.
To help avoid spillages, you shouldn’t have your tank filled to more than 90% of its capacity and it is also advisable not to let the oil level drop below a quarter without ordering more.
If you have a lot of space, it makes sense to buy the biggest tank possible. This will allow you to bulk buy enough oil to last at least a year, when the prices are lowest (usually between June and August, but it is always sensible to do your research).
The cost difference between a 1200 litre tank and a 2500 litre tank is relatively small, but the savings you make through being able to buy oil in bulk can be big! In addition to being able to buy when the oil is cheaper, suppliers often offer small discounts for orders over a standard 500 litres. Don’t forget delivery costs too – the more deliveries you have, the more delivery costs you will incur.
So for many reasons, it makes sense to buy a bigger tank. But it is essential to follow the rules around where you can locate your tank, as the issue may not be how much space you have, but how much compliant space. If compliant space could be a problem, you need to work out the maximum size of tank you can accommodate, which may influence the style of tank you need.
Tanks come in a variety of shapes, including vertical (cylindrical) tanks, horizontal, low profile (a shorter horizontal tank) and slimline (tall and narrow).
Think material
Heating oil tanks come in two materials – steel or plastic. Both do a very good job of storing heating oil safely. Both have some small advantages and disadvantages over the other.
For domestic use, choosing plastic is the sensible option for many reasons. Plastic tanks are generally cheaper than steel tanks. They are less prone to leaks and are light and easy to move.
For business use, a steel tank is often the right choice, as steel tanks can hold much greater capacities of oil. Tanks for Everything stock steel bunded oil tanks right up to 20,000 litres.
Check the regulations
Before choosing an oil tank, it is important to carefully check the law. Buying a tank which you can’t install safely and legally on your property is an expensive mistake to make.
We have already recommended you buy a bunded heating oil tank. A bunded oil tank is a legal requirement for domestic oil installations in Wales.
In England, the England Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) Regulations state that an oil tank is considered domestic if it has a capacity of 3,500 litres or less and it’s used to heat a domestic building (not a business).
New domestic oil tanks in England with a capacity of less than 2,501 litres aren’t required to have a bund, unless it’s sited in any of the following places:
- Where oil spills could run over hard ground and reach coastal waters, inland fresh water or a drinking water source
- Where oil spills could run into an open drain or a loose manhole cover
- Where the tank vent pipes cannot be seen when the tank is being filled eg because the delivery tanker is parked too far away
- Within 10 metres of coastal waters or inland fresh waters, like lakes or streams
- Within 50 metres of a drinking water source, for example, wells, boreholes or springs
- In the inner zone of groundwater source protection zone 1 (check gov.uk if you are unsure what this means)
A bunded tank isn’t a legal requirement in most domestic situations, but it is still good environmental practice. In addition, some insurance companies won’t insure you for a single skin tank. There is also the risk of an update to the regulations, which would mean a single skin tank would no longer be compliant in future.
Commercial oil storage regulations state that a business (or public sector premises) must use a bunded oil tank if it has a capacity of 201 litres or more. A domestic premises must also store oil in a bunded tank if the tank’s capacity is over 3,500 litres.
Heating oil tanks are subject to fire and building regulations. These dictate where you can locate your tank, which in turn may dictate the size and shape of your tank.
The regulations state that your tank must be located a minimum of:
- 1.8m away from non-fire rated eaves of a building
- 1.8m away from a non-fire rated building or structure (eg garden shed)
- 1.8m away from openings (such as doors or windows) in a fire-rated building or structure (eg brick built house/ garage)
- 1.8m away from liquid fuel appliance flue terminals
- 760mm away from a non-fire rated boundary, such as a wooden boundary fence
- 600mm away from screening (eg trellis and foliage) that does not form part of the boundary
All bunded oil tanks sold in the UK should meet British Standards and be certified by OFTEC. OFTEC is the trade association for the heating and cooking industries, which is dedicated to safe and efficient heating, and certifies both the equipment and the technicians who install it.
Protect your fuel
Heating oil is expensive, which means it can be attractive to thieves. If your fuel gets stolen, you could potentially be hit by the cost of both replacing the lost oil and any repairs to your tank caused by thieves. So it is essential to protect your fuel.
Most tanks include a level of protection, and it is also possible to buy added protection in some cases.
Some tanks are fitted with a lockable lid, which can be fitted with a padlock. The easiest way to steal fuel is to siphon it from a fill point. Security locks can be used to secure these vulnerable points on a heating oil tank.
A tank alarm can alert you when there is a sudden drop in the level of oil in your tank – this could be as a result of theft or a leak. The alarm can be fitted inside your home or business premises to make sure you hear it!
Buying a heating oil tank is a big purchase, so it pays to do your research and really think about your needs before committing. If you make sure to check the regulations and how they apply to you and consider the right size and material to fit your needs, you will choose the right heating oil tank.
