Oil Tank Replacement

[Snowbadger]

My oil tank has just failed to comply to the latest standards during my annual service. Am I legally obliged to replace it? It's only 25yrs old and causes no problems.


Cheers,


SB

[Sobraon]

Don't know about the legal side. A new domestic 600 gallon steel tank in Lincs is £425. if your tank is not so good then it is money well spent - dont ask me how I know .

[Snowbadger]

There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the tank, it's not leaking or anything, but new regs suggest it is not positioned correctly as it's inside a garage and has solder on the copper pipe. I am selling at the mo and have accepted a low offer but expect the purchaser to use this as a bargaining chip.

SB

[sg31]

There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the tank, it's not leaking or anything, but new regs suggest it is not positioned correctly as it's inside a garage and has solder on the copper pipe. I am selling at the mo and have accepted a low offer but expect the purchaser to use this as a bargaining chip.

SB

It may be a bargaining chip but that doesn't mean you have to reduce the price.

I don't know the regulations involved. Do they apply to all installations or just new ones?. Building regulations are rarely retrospective. If say insulation values change it doesn't mean all houses have to comply, just new ones and those undergoing relevant construction works.

My own house originally had an oil tank in a cupboard between the house and garage and connected to both, this was common practice. If it had caught fire it would have spread to the house and garage. I had it removed because I wanted gas heating but that was my choice.

If the solder on the copper pipe is a problem I imagine the cost of replacement with a compression fitting or complete replacement would be trivial and not a deal breaker for the purchaser.

Remember they probably want to buy your house as much as you want to sell it.