How to Keep your Oil Tank Healthy

Our guide and tips on how to keep your Oil Tank healthy 

Spending just a few minutes each week doing a few simple checks on your oil tank will help avoid potential problems and unnecessary costs.

Checking your oil tank is in good condition really does not need to take take much of your time, but could save you many hundreds of pounds. A leaking oil tank is not only costing you money it is also a potential hazard to the environment that will have to be cleaned up which could be a very expensive undertaking.

If your tank is in an unfit state you might also find your oil supplier will refuse to deliver you more oil until the tank is repaired or replaced which could mean you are without heating until the issue is resolved.

We would like to refer you to extracts from authoritative guides on how to look after your tank and advice on how to keep it in good working condition:

Find out more about your tank

OFTEC and the Environment Agency have some very useful explanations and pictures of different tanks and their components. Once you know the type of tank you have, you can find out about the signs of wear to your tank.

Inspect you tank regularly (recommended once a week), checking for:

CracksHolesHeavy rust – metal tanks can rust from the inside out. Your technician should check for this during a service.Tank stabilityDamage or interference

If you notice anything unusual about your tank, then you should have a technician come out to investigate.

Make sure your tank is well supported

The tank should have a suitable base and support. If a tank is not supported correctly, then the tank itself can weaken, leading to failure and oil escaping.

Have your tanks serviced regularly

One of the best ways to ensure your tanks stays healthy is to have it checked every year by a registered technician. They should check the tank, secondary containment and pipework to ensure everything is working as it should be. They will also clean out any water that is in the tank.

Record how much oil you use

Recording how much oil you use is also useful. It means that you will notice if you start to use a lot more than usual, and that there might be something wrong with your tank.

Keep a spill kit

Keep a kit containing sorbent products such as sand or earth near to your tank. You can use this to soak up any oil immediately after a spill, but only if it is safe to do so.

Check your insurance

Your home insurance may not cover you for loss of oil or pollution clean-up costs.

Your tanks should also:

Be manufactured to OFTEC standards, (OFS T100 for plastic and OFS T200 for steel). You can find a list of OFTEC registered manufacturers on www.oftec.org. Not all ‘new’ Steel Tanks are OFTEC approved. Some can be  ‘in house constructions’. Check warranties and whether the manufacturer is approved by OFTEC.Comply with fire separation distances. These can be found on the OFTEC website.

The Environment Agency have also put together a very useful guide called ‘Getting to know your oil tank’ which will give you further information on looking after your tanks.