Oil tank piping - mapping the route.....

[darrenh]

Hi

Am not planning on doing this DIY but wanted to understand what was possible.....

I have an oil tank to the side of my house, around 8 m from the boiler which is at the rear of the house.

Due to extension idea, I need to relocate the tank with the best place being at the front of the house hidden in and around some bushes.

Anyway, this involves the oil having to travel around 20m on the folliwing route:

1) down under a gravel driveway
2) potentially through the front of the house under the floorboard area and out the back of the house and back in to boiler (or stragith to boiler is possible)
3) a long route around the house with a fair amount of concrete having to come up and then some of it being tacked to the wall (unsightly).

So my questions:

1) can you go under the house as described (we are talking about flammable oil here!

2) Are there special tools to cut a thin trench to lay such a pipe?

Darren

 

[dcawkwell]

You must maintain a 2ft gap between said bushes and tank.
If your tank is a single skin tank it can't be over 10m away from a controlled water source (drain). Otherwise you will need to buy a new bunded tank.
I would do it the easy way and fit an air source heat pump 12kw one
available on ebay for £1200 as economical to run as a natural gas boiler
and chuck the oil boiler and tank. Job done.
Plus the boiler is outside.

 

[dcawkwell]

That should read within 10m of a controlled water source.

 

[roguetrader]

thats extremely random advice just given! ASHP???

OP, best get an oftec registered installer round to advise on your situation.

 

[dcawkwell]

Not random advice.
I am an oftec engineer I advise all my customers when coming to
replace a boiler an air source heat pump is the better option as it will
be cheaper to run.

In the case above I am more or less certain that the tank won't be suitable in the suggested place as chances are it will be single skin and chances are it will be within 10m of a controlled water source therefore
new tank will be required that would cover the cost of an air source heat pump and therefore oil boiler becomes redundant.

 

[Boilerman2]

An Air Source Heat Pump Cheaper to Run? Get Real 65'c Max flow temp on a good day, COP of a little over 1:1 on a Cold Day I don't think so a Condensing oil or gas boiler is still the best bet unless you are a new build with excellent insulation and mega low heat loss and Underfloor heating

 

[dcawkwell]

I've have been through 3 heating fuels
initially oil, then lpg and now air source.
My house was built in 1925 has double glazing fairly oldish radiators
and moderate insulation.

I do have an lpg boiler that I use as a booster on in very cold times but these are few and far between.

80-90% of the year the air pump is fine and my heating bills are fine too.

For people off mains gas, air source is the answer.

 

[Tibbot]

Almost mandatory bunded tanks and condensing boilers have made oil install costs spiral, add the trebling of fuel prices in 7 years and the point that oil heating is pricing itself out of the market does hold.

 

[darrenh]

my investment a year ago int he boiler means that I'm not ging to be doing this - also the boiler heats my water etc.

Anyway, the tank is aged anyone so that is going - I'll be getting a new one so the question relates to whether I can route the pipes int he way i describe.

 

[darrenh]

Just spoke to OFTEC.

I can run it under the house (as long as I have the isolation valve fitted at point of entry).

Tank will need planning permission (in an Area of Outstanding natural beauty).

Need to sink the piping 45 cm down and use plastic covered copper.

Darren

 

[Terrywookfit]

Just spoke to OFTEC.

I can run it under the house (as long as I have the isolation valve fitted at point of entry).

Tank will need planning permission (in an Area of Outstanding natural beauty).

Need to sink the piping 45 cm down and use plastic covered copper.

Darren

That would be the remote acting fire valve not iso valve.
They are availlable with long capilliaries but if it goes wrong will be a C+1/2 to change.

 

[oilhead]

Think outside the OFTEC book (subsidised by Teddington?) A solenoid valve wired to a heat sensor overcomes the problem of replacing a capillary valve, and probably not much more expensive than a long capillary valve.