News
OFTEC Issues Underground Oil Storage Tank Warning
27th May 2009
The Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC) has issued a warning toheating oil tank installers that the direct installation of UndergroundSingle Skin Storage Tanks does not satisfy the requirements of the Environment Alliance's Pollution Prevention Guidelines PPG27.
Issued jointly by the Environment Agency in England and Wales, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, PPG27 states, "Regardless of product storage the Agency recommends that all new Underground Storage Tanks should:
* Be double skinned
* Have an interstitial monitoring device with automatic alarms
Accordingto OFTEC, the PPGs are guidelines and thus are not legally binding.However, they can be used in a court in the event of a civil claim andare generally accepted as constituting established best practice.
TheAssociation has advised its Registered Technicians they should notinstall single skin oil storage tanks underground - unless they arelocated within a dedicated underground reinforced concrete oil tankchamber, i.e. with a chamber access lid that facilitates or enablesvisual inspection of the tank and between the tank and tank chamberwalls.
OilFiredUp.com spoke with Philip Breek, from online oil tank reseller TankDepot.co.uk."As an environmentally oil tank supplier, we discontinued the supply ofSingle Skin Underground Tanks in 2006 and indeed we would not recommendthe installation of an uncontained Single Skin Tank either abovegroundor below ground.
"At most fuel and oil installationsthroughout the United Kingdom today, the installation of a Single SkinTank is illegal and a Bunded Tank instead should be installed. Unlikeenvironmentally preferred Bunded Tanks, old-fashioned Single Skin Tanksincorporate no protection against pollution whatsoever. Therefore inthe event of a spill, an environmental pollution incident will almostcertainly result."
Oil Heating and Fuel Storage Industry News in association with OilFiredUp.com
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