Oil boilers and oil tanks in the Cotswolds

What oil heating work involves

Oil heating work covers three main jobs: servicing, repairs and replacement. A service cleans the burner, changes the nozzle and filter, and checks the combustion.

A new oil boiler needs a survey of the flue, the oil line and the tank. The technician also checks the tank, because an old tank can leak or fail.

Tank work includes new tanks, bases, fire protection and the oil line to the boiler. A leak from a tank can pollute ground and water, and the clean-up can cost a lot.

Local factors in the Cotswolds

Large parts of the rural Cotswolds have no mains gas. Oil, LPG, heat pumps and wood are the common choices there.

Many tanks sit near streams, springs, wells or field drains. Near water, a new tank must have a bund, which is a second skin that holds a leak.

Oil tanks in gardens of listed buildings or in conservation areas can need consent. Ask the council before you move a tank to a new place.

Signs you need a technician

Call a technician if you smell oil or see oil on the ground. Other signs are below.

• The tank has cracks, bulges, rust or a white stress mark.
• The tank has no bund, and it is near water or a drain.
• The boiler gives off smoke or soot, or locks out often.
• The boiler has not had a service for more than a year.

The rules

Part J of the Building Regulations covers oil boilers and oil tanks. A technician on a competent person scheme, such as OFTEC, can self-certify a new boiler. Otherwise you must use building control.

Approved Document J sets when a tank needs a bund. Examples are a tank over 2,500 litres, or a tank within 10 metres of water or 50 metres of a well, borehole or spring. A bund must hold 110% of the tank.

A tank less than 1.8 metres from the house, or less than 760 millimetres from a boundary, needs fire protection.

The national oil storage regulations apply to homes only when the tank holds 3,501 litres or more. Part J still applies to smaller tanks.

What to ask a firm

Ask each firm to check the tank when it quotes for a boiler.

• Are you OFTEC registered for boilers, and for tanks?
• Does my tank need a bund or fire protection?
• Will you self-certify the work and give me a certificate?
• Does the price include taking away the old tank or boiler?
• Can you advise on a heat pump as an option?

Questions

Sources