Oil Tank Security Tips

For people who live in remote locations or off the national grid, the heating of their homes is often done using heating oil. Whilst it can be useful not to rely on mains gas, there are also some potential risks to heating your house with oil.

One of them is that you will need to store the oil in your own heating oil tank near your property. And this puts you at risk of it being stolen. If you use heating oil to warm your home, it is an asset to you, especially during the winter months.

With the price of oil going up significantly in the past few months, the issues with worldwide supply, and the cost-of-living crisis that we are currently experiencing, it is essential that you look after the oil that you buy. One of the most important considerations for people who have a heating oil tank is that they protect it from heating oil theft. Oil is becoming increasingly expensive, and, therefore, protecting your heating oil supply has never been more important.

Knowing how much oil you have in your tank – and that none has been stolen – is also vital to ensuring that you never run out – especially during the winter. There are several measures that can be taken to help to protect the oil that is stored in heating bunded oil tanks, and we will have a look at these in this article.

How To Prevent Heating Oil Theft

Protecting your heating oil from being stolen is more than just about money. It can also be dangerous if the oil is not treated properly and can leave you high and dry if you unknowingly end up without enough oil to heat your property. It is important, therefore, that if you use oil to heat your home, you protect it properly from theft – and that you are aware of exactly how much oil you have so that you can ensure that you never run out – especially during the winter.

Here are some tips about how to prevent it from being stolen:

Place Your Oil Tank in a Secure Location

If you have an oil tank, there are regulations that relate to where the tank can be placed. This is mainly due to fire risk, and it is essential that you comply with the placement of an oil tank regulations. Bear in mind that the rules are set out by OFTEC (the Oil Fire Technical Association) and can also affect planning laws.

You should also look to place your oil tank in a secure location, within the view of your home if possible. This adds to security as it means that you can see what is happening with the tank whilst acting as a deterrent to potential thieves.

You should also, where possible, look to place your heating oil tank out of the sight of passers-by. Relatively few houses have heating oil tanks these days, which makes yours a prime target to prospective thieves. By not showing your tank to people passing, therefore, you can reduce the temptation of stealing the oil.

If possible, try to hide your heating oil tank behind a tree or a bush, and if it is impossible to hide your tank from the street, try to ensure that the area is as well-lit as it can be to deter potential thieves. You could also think about planting shrubs and other plants, or a wooden or metal fence around your tank to act as a barrier, making it more difficult for thieves to get closer to the tank.

Invest in Oil Tank Security CCTV

Although it might seem a little extreme, CCTV can be a useful way to deter potential thieves as well as catch anyone that does attempt to steal your oil. CCTV can be expensive these days, and there are some options such as getting live feeds to your phone. If you make it obvious that you have CCTV, it can be a great deterrent.

Practice Locking Oil Tanks & Using Alarms

There are also alarms and locks available for you to use to help to protect your heating oil from being stolen. Oil tank locks can be a great deterrent to thieves, and alarms can alert you if there is a sudden drop in the oil level within the tank.

Heating oil tank level alarms can be used with steel or plastic bunded oil tanks to alert you if there has been a sudden drop in the oil level as would happen during the theft of oil. Alarms alert you with an alarm noise and/or flashing light immediately, both notifying you, and potentially acting as a deterrent.

Use Oil Tank Security Lighting

Security lighting is a great option for both the security of your oil tank, but also your property in general. Whether you decide to keep the area well-lit all the time, or would prefer a motion-sensor light, the lighting acts as an excellent deterrent to potential thieves of your heating oil. 

In addition to these tips, there are also some other things that you could try:

• Keep in touch with your neighbours. If you have a heating oil tank, there is a good chance that some of your neighbours also do. And if there are thieves operating in the area, there is a good chance that they will try to steal oil from more than one of you. If your neighbours have had some of their oil stolen, there is a good chance that it could also happen to you. Likewise, if you do have your heating oil stolen, make sure that you make your neighbours aware too!
• Some home insurance policies also cover the theft of heating oil. Check what your insurance policy covers if you do happen to have your oil stolen.
• Heating oil tanks can be found as a single skin or bunded oil tanks. If possible, try to ensure that you have a plastic or steel bunded tank to give it some extra security.