The life of plastic oil tanks revised downwards

[stevewilliams]

My 8 year old tank has just sprung a leak (soap pressed into the cracks does a good emergency seal) but luckily was still within the 10 year guarantee period. The replacements however are only now guaranteed for 2 years.

The guys who changed it over were full-time replacing these tanks and had several failed ones on their lorry. Most had cracked not on the seams but where the ribs met the flat area about halfway down. They reckoned that the hot dry summer (in this part of the country anyway) had caused a lot of failures in the plastic. Some of these tanks were only 5 years old and a work colleague's had failed after just 2 years. Perhaps the advice should be to screen plastic tanks from strong sunlight?

 

[oilman]

They reckoned that the hot dry summer (in this part of the country anyway) had caused a lot of failures in the plastic.

Did they now. How did they explain last years failures, and the year before, when over 10,000 plastic tanks were replaced?

Some of these tanks were only 5 years old and a work colleague's had failed after just 2 years. Perhaps the advice should be to screen plastic tanks from strong sunlight?

Perhaps the advice should be to use steel tanks. Properly maintained they will last 40 years, but hey! plastic is maintenance free! (yeah right).

 

[Boilerman2]

Oftec are recommending plastic tanks are repalced on their 15th aniversary.

BRING BACK STEEL TANKS

 

[Norcon]

BRING BACK STEEL TANKS

Please don't!
Just send them to china for scrap.
Wouldn't swap my kingspan tank for anything and yes its maintainance free.

 

[Boilerman2]

Alas we will have to wait and see, but i have seen many a plastic tank come to an untimely end

 

[Norcon]

Alas we will have to wait and see

You can wait as long as you want.
I have had one for 10 years and it hasn't been touched.
Maintainance free in other words.
See no reason why it wont last another 10 years. (or twenty or thirty)

 

[muggles]

Bunded Titan (Kingspan) tanks are still guaranteed for ten years as far as I know...

 

[oilman]

You might like to check the "guarantee" conditions. It may be 100% replacement in the first year, 90% year 2, 50% year 5, etc.

Plastic tanks are unlikely to survive mechanical damage, airgun pellets, oil thief with hole cutter, etc.

Norcon should know plastics do not stay in their original manufactured condition fior several reasons, and sunlight is only one factor.

The main difference from the owner's (the one who is legally responsible for the pollution) point of view is steel tanks give several months warnng of failure, plastics often give no warning, and just dump their contents.

 

[Boilerman2]

I saw the aftermath of one that got struck by Lightening a couple of years ago, it disintigrated and a sea of burning oil rushed up the garden towards the house, and burnt down the owners beautiful thatched cottage (and a good bit of the neighbours!!)

I suspect a steel tank may have handled this situation a little less dramatically

 

[mointainwalker]

@ Steve Williams

Can you confirm that your tank was exposed to sunshine as your problem has made me a bit concerned about mine .

If it was, then I would expect early failure as UV is very damaging to most plastics, causing them to becoming brittle and porous.

 

[plomb]

My 5 year Titan oil tank has developed cracks. I have had it checked and they agree it should be replaced but now tell me the regs have changed and it requires to be 10m from any water flows ie drains. This means a bunded tank at three times the price or move an existing type replacement 10m. Who should pay?
My wife now tells me it was six years ago it was installed and should have been signed off as part of our new build

 

[Boilerman2]

THose Regulations were in force 5 Years ago so you should already have a bunded tank hey - ho! another Cowboy Oil Tank Installation

 

[tinchbray]

Recently noticed cracking around the ridges on a Titan TT and contacted Titan/Kingspan. Tank installed by a OFTEC installer 7 years ago (to existing regs).

Had a company to inspect the tank and just received a letter from Kingspan offering £300 towards one of their new tanks, although deny any liability (needs to be bunded to comply with latest regs so twice the price as the original tank) although will cover installation if done by the company who did the survey.

Not particularly impressed with the durability of the tank, especially when there seem to be a lot of these tanks giving up in less then 10 years.

Wondering whether to go with this (although don't know what the company will charge for a tank compared with what I've seen priced locally in on the tinterweb), or starting afresh - forget oil and look at air/ground source heat pumps.

Anyone else taken titan/kingspan up on their 'offer' ?

 

[Onetap]

My 8 year old tank has just sprung a leak (soap pressed into the cracks does a good emergency seal) but luckily was still within the 10 year guarantee period. The replacements however are only now guaranteed for 2 years.

10 years - 8 years = 2 years.
Simple.

 

[Boilerman2]

It's GREAT to see this old thread being dug up again!!!