Moving an LPG Bulk Tank

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Hoping someone can help.

Just moved into a new (to me) home that has an LPG boiler supplying hot water and heating with a 1200ltr bulk tank.

Current owner of the tank wants to charge me a fortune to supply LPG gas (42.9ppl) If i switch i could get it at 33ppl.

However, the tanks current position is not legal. It will have been when it was initially installed, i'm sure, but the problem is no new supplier will take on the tank and supply gas until the tank complies with current building regs.

To comply, i need to get it turned 90 degrees so that it is 3mtrs from anything.

Has anybody moved, tried to move a 1200ltr LPG bulk tank?

Can, will a heating engineer disconnect the tank when i empty it so that i can nudge it out of the way to create a new base for it at 90 degrees. Then move the tank and get the heating engineer to re-connect it up afterwards.

My current supplier won't move it, not surprised, they know i want to move it so that i can switch but they will continue to fill it as it is!!!!!!!!!

A new supplier wants £900+ plus VAT to move it!!!!!!!

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The tank belongs to the current supplier, so you can't really do any work on it yourself.
A new supplier might take on the tank once it's empty, and then move it before refilling it?
 
Is it building regs or gas regs requiring the tank to be moved? If the latter then I would have thought that the incumbent supplier had a duty to make their tank compliant. But is it theirs- you say a new supplier has quoted to move 'their' tank. If it is theirs then they should remove it at the end of the supply contract leaving a nice space for your new supplier to install a new compliant tank.
 
A domestic lpg engineer can’t work back from the isolation valve after the 2nd stage regulator. So basically your stuck maybe . Might be worth asking the supplier though regards pipework. A campsite I look after has bulk storage with 22 statics on meters. So high pressure underground with 2nd stage at the meters . But apparently they are only responsible for 1st stage regulator only and pipework after is responsibility of the camp site. depends on the agreement I guess.
 
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When you move / change supplier, the current supplier (owner of the tank) sells the tank to the new supplier.

The current supplier does not take away the tank when you switch, the current supplier is not legally obliged to make the tank legal / comply with current building regs either.

I could empty it, tell the current supplier / owner of the tank to take it away, they'll do this free. BUT a new supplier will charge £900+ and more to install a new tank before they will supply. Trying to avoid this situation too if i can.

It seems to be common practice for a new supplier to demand that an illegal tank is altered to make it legal before they will supply. They will do it for you at a hefty price though and typically as much as £900+ plus VAT. The current owner is not obliged to move a tank to make it legal either as like all building regs as long as it was legal when installed then that's it.

If we all had to change / alter past work because of a change of the building regs, then we would have to re-roof all our houses' every few years. All houses built with a 12" solid wall would have to be knocked down and rebuilt with an insulated cavity wall construction etc etc etc.

It's building regs that the tank needs to be moved to comply with as it needs to be 3mtrs away from anything on all four sides. It's 1.3mtrs from a boundary hedge. You can build a wall around a tank 1.5mtrs away from the tank to comply with regs but i can't do this as this wall would be essentially within the neighbour's back garden the other side (their side) of the hedge.

I'm not paying £900+ to turn a tank 90 degrees if i can avoid it. A heating engineer was supposed to call in to service the boiler last week and fit a new modern control unit and i was planning on asking him if he can disconnect and then later reconnect the tank a couple of days or so later, but he didn't turn up.

He's promised to call in this week!!!!!!!
 
We were in the same situation. Calor fitted the tank in a non compliant location, so nobody else would fill it. Solved the problem by moving to an air source heat pump
 
You really can get in to a heap of trouble for that.

Can elaborate on that at all, as i understand things the supplier owns the tank and responsible for the tank not the pipework that connects to it so surely unless i'm missing something i can remove the pipework..... well get an engineer to do it. I assume that if the pipework fails naturally, then i can repair / replace it...... well get an engineer to do it.

I'm assuming that if the pipework is there first the supplier will connect it up when they deliver a tank!!!! and vice versa. If i change / move the boiler and the pipework a heating engineer will connect things up to the tank to commission and get the boiler going!!!!

If i switch, the current supplier has done with it and won't be visiting again, the new supplier buys the tank from the current owner and on first visit / fill the person doing so will check it over and make sure all's well. This person has no idea the tank has been moved.

Thank you muggles, this is something i'm looking at long term and before i start ripping apart the ground floor next year and fitting a new kitchen and removing old rotten floors etc
 
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This person has no idea the tank has been moved.

Crack on then. If you think no one will find out you have done something you shouldn't have then fine. Don't be surprised though if repercussions follow.
 
Crack on then. If you think no one will find out you have done something you shouldn't have then fine. Don't be surprised though if repercussions follow.

What do you know that you are not sharing with us?

Are there regulations, laws that prevent me or a heating engineer from doing anything?

Sorry, i'm struggling with your responses. You're saying i can't, but you're not elaborating on why.

Why can't i disconnect a pipe i own from a tank? Why can't i move the tank?
 
Why can't i move the tank?
It's not yours to move.

If you move it, it's very likely that the supplier will refuse to fill it until you pay a substantial fee to have it reinstalled properly.

Either keep the existing supplier and pay whatever their price is, pay for it to be moved properly and save a few pennies for a short period before they also put the price up, or get rid of the gas entirely.
 
Thank you flameport, it will be installed properly!

The heating engineer that visited on Friday last week says..... empty it and let him know, then he'll disconnect it and help me move it to one side. I'll pour a new concrete base, and he'll return to connect it back up.

He says he's always moving bulk tanks on many a campsite etc.... a supplier has never said anything afterwards. If the driver has noticed / commented on the fact it's been moved, all the driver's done is visually check alls well before filling.

I'm sorted for now. In the long run, i'm exploring a heat pump for next year sometime.
 
i'm exploring a heat pump for next year sometime.

As long as you don't expect to just plug it into your existing system. That's the bit that needs exploring. It ain't a cheap alternative, it's a living decision based on many factors, ultimately moving towards net zero.
 

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