oil tank regs

[Tadge]

Hi all, plan to change my metal tank for a single skin tank Ive read the oftec rules but have a couple of questions.

1 - When it mentions controlled water, what is it referring to? water main? drainage?
2 - The neighbour has a well in his garden which is about 30m away, the regs state a bund is needed if the well is less than 50m away. Sounds simple, but the well is not used for drinking water and I cant imagine that, in the unlikely event of a leak, that this could make its way into the well. The neighbour on the other side has an oil tank approx 30m from the well and I could leave my existing metal tank in position but that is more likely to leak. Do I need to concern myself with the well for a single skin tank? It will be a 1225 litre tank.

Thanks

 

[muggles]

As you've given very few details about the location of your tank it's hard to comment on your specific situation, but in general there are very few situations where a bunded tank is not required

Note to the pedants...this is not an invitation to start listing situations where you can get away with a single-skin tank

 

[Tadge]

Hi, Ive done a quick drawing of the location of the oil tank. My point is that the existing tank is in worse condition and more likely to fail than a new single skin tank. The green line id the boundry of my garden, drawing is to scale in mm. I havent shown the neighbours house but it is approx 5m left of their garage.

Untitled

• Tadge
• 19 May 2009
• 1

I could in theory leave the old tank there but I'm being pro active and replacing for a new tank, but would like to use single skin rather than bunded. Rather not pay out for a bunded tank if a single skin is ok.

Also the 2 neighbours have sigle skin tanks so what benefit is it if I use Bunded?

Hope you can read the drawing.

Thanks

 

[Tadge]

Anyone?

 

[oilman]

Whether the well is used for drinking or not is irrelevant. The fact your neighbour and you have tanks within 50 metres of the well is significant and relevant. BOTH of you should have changed your tanks to bunded types by September 2005. Nothing to do with building control, it is control of pollution regulations.

Most of this came about because of the appalling failures of plastic tanks. A well maintained steel tank will easily outlast a plastic one. In theory your tank should be bunded whether it is steel or not. A steel one will be cheaper than plastic, the disadvantage is that it is HEAVY.

I will not fit plastic tanks.