U/Ground oil feed pipe - what protection

[Kes]

Simple but perplexing question coming up.

I am having a new oil tank installed to replace the old steel rusted job. The new tank will be sited in a more accessible place, and thus requires a new underground feed pipe. The contractors have told me to dig the trench for the pipe, which I have nearly completed.

When the pipe is laid (presumably in plastic coated copper) I will be laying it on, and covering it with, 40mm sand to protect it before filling the trench with the excavated soil.

Does the sand have to be:

a) Ordinary building sand (seems rather acidic to me)
b) Dry sharp sand (too abrasive?)
c) Some other spec of sand (is there one?)

or

d) Doesn't matter either way.

Rgds.

 

[Terrywookfit]

Are the installers Oftec 600A registered ??

Has an oil tank risk assessment form been completed ??

If not you will need to apply to building control !!

It is a good idea to sleeve the plastic coated copper in an additional sleeve!

A marker tape should be laid above the pipe to warn of its presence !!

 

[Kes]

The tank is being installed by a long-established Midlands fuel supplier, or lt least their contractor, who is (according to the website) OFTEC registered.

I haven't seen a risk assessment form, the site has been surveyed and the new tank position agreed. I assume that the contractors will work to the correct procedures.

Yes, I'm aware of the marker tape requirement.

Now sleeving the pipe raises other questions. I can see the value in sleeving providing protection. But isn't the oil pipe colour coded (green)? If I use a sleeve it will not be either the correct colour or the correct appearance to future diggers. I have read on this forum that MDPE water pipe is a good sleeve, but that's blue and obvously not an oil pipe. It would be very confusing to dig down past an oil warning tape to find a water pipe!

(The pipe will be around 75' so sleeving is not going to be easy, even if the installers let me faff around with it)

Rgds.

 

[MANDATE]

I had a small oil leak because the uncoated 10mm copper pipe was laid on sharpis cinders. I removed 99% of the cinders which was replaced with sharp sand. Builder replaced pipe with blue plasitic coated pipe and no further problem. That was 34 years ago.