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10 reasons why you need a bunded oil tank

Around 1.6 million households in the UK use oil for central heating and hot water, as they aren’t connected to the national gas network. Oil (usually kerosene) is delivered to the property by an oil tanker, then stored on site in a bunded or single skin tank, ready to be transported to the boiler, where the fuel is ignited to provide the heating and hot water.

If you are wondering whether you need a bunded oil tank to store oil for your home or business, perhaps the first question to ask is – what is a bunded oil tank?

bunded oil tank is a tank inside of a tank. Fuel is stored in the inner tank while the outer tank provides protection against spillage, collecting excess fuel in the bund. They’re required at industrial, commercial and institutional sites.

This bund (outside layer) must be able to take the contents of the inner tank plus an extra 10%, so in other words it must have 110% capacity to comply with the law.

Installation of an oil tank needs to comply with building regulations, which differ slightly depending on whether you are in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

While in some cases it may be a choice to opt for a bunded oil tank over a single layer tank, in many cases it is a legal requirement.

A bunded oil tank is required by law for commercial and industrial premises. It is also a legal requirement for a domestic setting for a wide range of reasons. In Wales, all oil tanks must be bunded by law.

So what are the reasons why you need a bunded oil tank?

1. It’s the law

A bunded oil tank isn’t always necessary for a domestic property if it is storing less than 2,500 litres of fuel. Generally up to this level it really depends on the pollution risk as to whether you opt for a bunded tank. But there are also many cases in which a bunded oil tanks is a legal requirement, even for a domestic setting:

·       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’s being filled, for example because the delivery tanker is parked too far away

·       Within 10 metres of coastal waters or inland fresh waters like rivers, ponds, lakes or streams

·       Within 50 metres of a drinking water source, for example wells, boreholes or springs

·       Where oil spills could run over hard ground and reach coastal waters, inland fresh waters or a drinking water source

·       If your tank holds over 2,500 litres of oil

·       Where the tank is supplying heating oil to a building other than a single family home eg a block of flats or a holiday house

·       Where the tank is within an Environment Agency groundwater protection (SPZ) zone 1 (find out more at www.environment-agency.gov.uk)

·       Where the tank is in close proximity to any other environmental hazard

2. Longer warranty

While single skin tanks are significantly cheaper than bunded oil tanks, they also have much shorter warranties. Generally a bunded oil tank will have a 10-year warranty, while a single skin tank will have just a two-year warranty. A longer warranty means additional peace of mind and makes a bunded oil tank a wise choice, even if it isn’t legally required.

3. Avoiding environmental damage

Oil is one of the most common causes of pollution – accounting for 15% of pollution incidents every year. Oil spillages can be devastating to the local environment – from polluting waterways to destroying natural habitats and killing trees with preservation orders.

Groundwater provides a third of our drinking water in England, and also maintains the flow in many of our rivers. In some areas of southern England, groundwater supplies up to 80% of the drinking water coming out of the taps. It is crucial that we look after these sources and ensure that tapwater is completely safe to drink – and that includes minimising the risk of oil pollution.

An oil spillage is far more likely with a single skin tank than with a bunded tank.

4. Cost of an environmental clean-up

Most insurance companies won’t cover a policy holder for an oil spill. With no built-in protection from oil leaks in a single skin tank, a leak is far more likely and would more than cancel out any savings made in buying a cheaper single skin tank. The cost of an environmental clean-up could be up to £50,000, with a devastating effect on your home and family.

5. Additional safety features

With domestic heating oil tanks capable of holding well over £1,000 worth of kerosene, it’s not surprising that oil tanks are a target for thieves. To make matters, heating oil theft can also lead to spillages, a difficult phone call to the Environment Agency and the possibility of big clean-up fees.

This is a real problem in the UK and in 2018 there were over 25,000 confirmed fuel thefts, adding up to losses of over £1.75m. 

But the good news is that bunded oil tanks have a number of safety features as standard:

  • A lockable fill point to help prevent fuel theft
  • A tank gauge, to assess how much fuel is left in the tank and whether a refuel is needed
  • A secure fuel inspection hatch designed to access the fuel and clean the tank
  • An overfill protection device to prevent putting too much oil in the tank


6. If you’ve got an AGA

While the majority of oil stored in a bunded tank is used for heating, some people also use it for cooking. Even if it’s not a legal requirement for your home, it’s worth considering a bunded oil tank if you need extra oil for a range cooker, such as an AGA. An AGA typically uses seven litres of fuel per day, that’s 49 litres per week and just over 2,500 litres annually. As it is generally recommended that an oil tank holds enough oil for a year, an AGA would push up the consumption significantly, well beyond the legal limit for a single skin tank.

To put this into context, a typical three bedroom household using kerosene for heating only, mostly on weekends and evenings, will use around 1,600 litres of oil a year.

7. Oil can be reused if you have a leak

If a bunded oil tank leaks, the oil is captured in the second skin. Not only does this prevent environmental damage and a costly environmental clean-up, it also means you don’t lose the oil and can reuse it.

8. Protection against rainwater

Bunded oil tanks are carefully designed to prevent rainwater entering the tank. Water can cause a lot of damage, but it can be difficult to tell if you have water in your heating oil tank until something goes wrong with either your boiler or AGA, which ends up with an expensive call-out when there is a problem.

In very cold weather, any water in your oil tank can freeze, resulting in blocked supply pipework to your heating appliances. Not only does this have the potential to cause severe damage, it also means a loss of heating just when you need it most.

In addition, bunded oil tanks give protection against things like leaves, insects and spiders getting into your tank, which can block the pipes which feed the boiler.

9. Cost savings

The price of kerosene fluctuates dramatically throughout the year, so it makes sense to buy in bulk when the price is low, which is far easier to do if you have the biggest oil tank you can at your home – and of course a tank over 2,500 litres must be bunded. The cost difference between a small 1,350 litre and a larger 2,500 litre heating oil tank is fairly minimal. But the additional 1,150 litre capacity can provide you with substantial savings if you buy your oil at the right time.

10. Regulation updates

We’ve listed the details of the laws in relation to domestic oil tanks above, but the law isn’t set in stone. There is always the chance that the regulations will be updated and tightened. In this case, you could find yourself with a newly purchased single skin oil tank which is no longer legal. Buying a bunded oil tank right from the start is futureproofing the storage of oil for your home.

 

Even if a bunded oil tank isn’t a legal requirement for you, we hope we have shown you that there are some really compelling safety and environmental reasons why it would be a far wiser purchase than a single skin oil tank for storing oil for your home.

The information provided in these articles is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. The content is created to the best of our knowledge and is based on information available. We may make changes to the material on our Website, or to the products and prices described in it, at any time without prior notice. If you would like to find out more and discuss your specific application with us further, please contact us and a member of our expert team will gladly assist you.

Friday 29th March 2024
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