Installation Equipment.

A suitable base, the fire valve and isolation valves, filtration, a contents gauge, the fill point arrangement, and the oil supply pipework with its fittings. Bunding where required.

It is common for the tank to be the smaller part of the total cost once the base and ancillaries are accounted for.

Level, non-combustible, and continuously supporting the whole tank footprint, extending at least 300mm beyond the tank on all sides. It must carry the loaded weight without settlement.

Concrete slab, or paving slabs on a properly prepared and compacted sub-base, are the usual solutions. Point loading is what cracks plastic tanks.

Raising a tank to gain gravity head for dispensing, keeping it clear of standing water, or providing access beneath for maintenance. Common on diesel dispensing installations.

Stands must be rated for the loaded weight and installed on a base capable of carrying the concentrated point loads at each leg.

For domestic heating oil under Building Regulations Part J, typically 1.8 metres from non-fire-rated buildings, eaves and boundaries, reducing to 760mm where a suitable fire barrier is provided.

Distances from openings, flues and combustible boundaries all need checking at design stage — moving a tank afterwards is expensive.

Copper is standard for oil supply lines. Plastic-coated copper is used where the pipe is buried, giving corrosion protection. Plastic pipe is generally not appropriate for oil supply to appliances.

Buried runs should be in a duct so they can be inspected and replaced without excavation.

The physical siting can be done by a competent person, but the oil supply connection to a heating appliance is regulated work and should be carried out by an OFTEC-registered technician.

Self-installation also commonly affects the tank warranty and may create problems with home insurance.