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Don't Forget Single Skin Oil Tanks, Says TankDepot.co.uk
15th October 2011
Whilst Bunded Tanks now represent the majority of oil tank sales in the UK, there remain oil heating installations where it remains perfectly legal to install a Single Skin Oil Tank, as TankDepot.co.uk's Steve Beech explains.
"A Bunded Oil Tank consists of a 'tank within a tank'. In the event of a spill from the inner tank, fuel will be contained within the outer tank. By contrast, Single Skin Oil Tanks incorporate no secondary containment features whatsoever. In the event of a spill from a Single Skin Oil Tank, uncontained fuel will be discharged to the environment. It's no surprise therefore, that Bunded Oil Tanks are a legal requirement at most new and replacement oil storage installations today." says Steve.
"However, Single Skin Oil Tanks do remain acceptable at a small number of low risk, domestic oil heating installations, where there is currently no legal requirement to install a Bunded Oil Tank. Such installations may represent only a small minority of oil storage installations, but installing a Single Skin Oil Tank at such installations can yield considerable cost savings for oil heating technicians and consumers alike.
"As an environmentally responsible oil tank supplier, TankDepot.co.uk always recommends that heating oil tanks are installed only by a suitably competent person e.g. a technician registered with the Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC). Prior to undertaking any oil storage tank installation or replacement, TankDepot.co.uk recommends that a risk assessment is completed to determine whether a Bunded Oil Tank is required, or whether a Single Skin Oil Tank will suffice."
According to OFTEC, the installation of a Single Skin Heating Oil Tank remains acceptable in the United Kingdom, where the following site conditions prevail:
- The premises will have a total installed storage capacity no greater than 2,500 litres
- The tank will not be positioned within 10 metres of controlled water
- The tank will not be positioned in a location where a spill from the tank could run into an open drain or a loose fitting manhole cover
- The tank will not be positioned within 50 metres of a well, borehole or spring
- The tank will not be installed over hard ground or hard surfaced ground, which could enable spillage run off to reach controlled water
- The tank will not be positioned in such a manner whereby the vent point is not visible from the fill point e.g. installations incorporating an offset or remote fill.
- The tank is not supplying heating oil to premises other than a dwelling occupied by a single family
- No other site specific hazards exist
"As an environmentally responsible oil tank supplier, TankDepot.co.uk would always recommend the installation of a Bunded Oil Tank at any oil storage installation. However, where the above conditions can be met, the installation of a Single Skin Oil Tank remains acceptable and legal." adds Steve.
"At TankDepot.co.uk, we can offer customers the complete range of Talking Titan and Standard Titan Single Skin Heating Oil Tanks. Manufactured in the UK by Kingspan Environmental, Titan Single Skin Tanks have been engineered to exceed all applicable environmental, technical and regulatory requirements - making them ideal for installations, where a Bunded Oil Tank is not required. For complete peace of mind and reassurance, all Titan Single Skin Heating Oil Tanks are provided with a comprehensive 2 year conditional manufacturer's warranty against material, manufacturing and design defect."
