Why you need to know more about your oil tank
Oil is a valuable fuel used for heating and transport. It’s important to store and use it responsibly to protect your health and safety and to reduce the risk of pollution.

Environmental considerations and concerns
Every year, leaks and spills from oil storage tanks and pipework cause many pollution incidents. Spilt oil can pollute streams, rivers and, if it soaks through the soil and rock, groundwater supplies. In Ireland & UK, public water supplies come from rivers and groundwater so we must protect them from pollution.

Insurance advice
Cleaning up oil spills is difficult and can be very expensive costing thousands of Euro. Dealing with a spill will cause you and maybe your neighbours a great deal of inconvenience. Make sure you have sufficient insurance cover. It’s against the law to cause pollution so you’ll have to take action to clean up any serious spill or leak. Your insurance company may not pay if the leak has been occurring over time, so ensure your tank & pipework is checked regularly and monitor how much oil you use so you can spot any sudden changes.

Getting to know your Oil Tank & Fittings:
The main purpose of an oil storage tank is to store fuel in a suitable and safe way. Tanks come in all shapes and sizes and are today usually made from plastic. There are extra tank fittings available for tanks which promote ease of use and environmental safety, some of which a listed below.

Contents Gauge (Apollo Gauge)
This device indicates the quantity of oil in the tank and can be manual, visual or wireless. The reading may be seen at the tank, next to the tank or even at a remote location (e.g. in the kitchen).

Overfill alarm/prevention device (Apollo Bund Alert)
This device helps prevent oil spillage by overfilling by sounding an alarm or giving a visual warning or automatically stopping the oil delivery to the tank. This is especially applicable if the tank is filled from a point where it can’t be seen during delivery (remote fill).

Bund (also called secondary containment)
A secondary containment area around the tank designed to contain any loss of fuel to prevent pollution. It can be manufactured as part of an integrally bunded tank or retrofit to an existing tank and should hold at least 110% of the tank’s contents. Your tank may need to have secondary containment by law depending on where it is and what it’s used for, but, to protect the environment, you should seriously consider the option, even if it isn’t a legal requirement.

Regulations (e.g. oil storage & building regulations)
There are different sets of legislation that cover oil storage systems; they are all designed to reduce the risk of oil pollution and ensure the health and safety of people around them. Different legislation applies depending on where your tank located, e.g.: Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man etc. You must make sure you know which requirement applies to your tank. Some further information available online @ www.carberyplastics.ie

Tank inspection
Get a qualified professional to inspect your tank system at least once a year.

Replacing a tank
When replacing your oil storage tank, get advice from a suitably qualified competent tank installer. They can help you identify features on the site which will dictate what can be installed and how to achieve compliance with current
legislation. Choose a tank that has been manufactured to a recognised relevant European, British or Industry standard (for example OFTEC Standards OFS T100, EN13341). These show that a tank has been manufactured and tested to strict quality standards.

All Carbery tanks comply with above standards.
Oil storage tanks should be sited to minimise risk of pollution. A suitably qualified competent tank installer can perform a risk assessment, in accordance with regional building regulatory requirements, to identify hazards such as nearby watercourses, loose fitting manhole covers, wells or bore holes. Any of these may mean you need secondary containment (Bund) for your tank; this may be a legal requirement. Regulations (e.g. oil storage & building regulations)