Oil Tank Maintenance, in the vast majority of situations there is no real way of storing oil for your oil boiler other than in a large oil tank which is situated outside of your main property for both safety and logistical reasons.
Unfortunately, this can make your precious oil vulnerable to theft. By following these instructions, you should be able to ensure that your oil does not get taken by thieves.
Location:
When installing or replacing an oil tank it is important to think in terms of security, safety, and access when it comes to positioning it. Ideally, the oil tank should be easily viewed from within your home so that you will be able to see any robbers that may be interfering with it.
It is of the utmost importance to make sure that your oil tank’s vent (sometimes called the ‘breather’) is not in any way blocked as ventilation is an integral part of how your oil tank runs. If it does get blocked off then serious problems can arise such as your tank splitting, which is not only very expensive to repair, but also very dangerous.
Care must also be taken to ensure that the oil delivering company will have easy access to the fill point and that the oil gauge is easily viewed.
Check Your Oil Gauge:
An oil tank’s gauge (sometimes known as a ‘verifier’) is a device which is used to measure how much oil there is in the tank (the most advanced types are accurate to within a fraction of an inch). You should always check to ensure that your oil gauge is attached to the oil tank correctly so that you can guarantee that it is giving out accurate readings. This will allow you to ensure that you get the right amount of oil when it is delivered to you. It will also make it much easier for you to check your oil levels should you suspect that your tank is being targeted by thieves. Some types of oil gauge can be used remotely and will issue an audible warning when the oil level drops below a certain point. Should the alarm sound at an unexpected time, you will then be in a position to react accordingly.
Lock Your Oil Tank’s Lid:
While locking your oil tank won’t make it 100% safe from thieves, it will certainly decrease the chances of your oil being robbed. Certainly, it will deter some criminals or, at the very least, make life more difficult for them. Some oil tanks have lids with their own lockable valves or some other such method of restricting access to your oil. In other cases, you will be able to purchase a specially designed lockable cap to add to your tank. It is always a good idea to consult with your oil delivery company or the engineer who installed your tank in order to see what options are available to you.
Further Security Measures:
Having your tank in a well-lit area will make robbers think twice about interfering with your oil tank and make it easier for you to spot them if they do. However, leaving lights on all night needlessly wastes electricity in addition to creating a nuisance for people who are trying to sleep. Installing a motion detecting light which only switches on when it detects movement gives you the protection offered by illuminating your oil tank without the added cost of increased electricity bills. They can be calibrated to only go off when something as large as a person enters their field of detection, meaning that it won’t get needlessly set off by a wandering cat.
The installation of a CCTV camera directed toward the oil tank is also a solid investment. The presence of CCTV cameras has been known to deter crime. If the robbers do decide to go ahead with stealing your oil, the CCTV camera will make it much easier for the authorities to catch them (especially if you combine your CCTV with suitable lighting).
It is highly recommended that you get your oil boiler serviced once per year and the engineer should follow the steps in the oil boiler service checklist. An oil boiler service guarantees that your heating system is running at its optimum levels of efficiency and makes sure that no oil (and, to that end, money) goes to waste needlessly when your oil boiler is in operation. The service nips small problems in the bud which could potentially lead to expensive repairs being needed or a complete oil boiler breakdown in the future.
The main things that are done during an oil boiler service are inspections of the oil boiler’s pipework, clearance area and ventilation. After that, the oil boiler is inspected, cleaned and reassembled. Finally, the oil boiler is given a combustion test to make sure that it is in proper working order.
While it is not a legal requirement in Ireland, it is strongly recommended that any oil engineers you have carried out an oil boiler service are registered with OFTEC (the Oil Firing Technical Association). All DeWAR oil contractors are fully registered with OFTEC.
Below you will find an in-depth oil boiler service checklist which explains everything that you should demand/expect from your oil servicing engineer when they are carrying out an oil boiler service.
Annual Oil Boiler Service Checklist:
Visual Inspection:
• Look for oil leaks from the tank itself as well as piping and fittings found above ground level.
• Look for visible damage in the form of corrosion on the gas boiler’s outer shell, flue, electrical controls, piping and any other components.
• Look for cracks in the firebox and on the target wall (where the burner fires too). This can be done either by opening the boiler top or looking through the inspection port.
Check the Following:
(Before running these checks, the fuel filter should be replaced)
• Check that the oil shut-off valve is working.
• Check that air inlets to the oil boiler room/oil burner are of sufficient size and are not blocked.
• Check for cracks and other forms of damage on the burner refractory.
• Clean and adjust (when necessary) spark electrodes.
• Clean the burner diffuser and air tube.
• Check the ignition transformer, porcelain and HT cable for cracks and deterioration.
• Check that the draught stabiliser is working properly.
• Check the flame photocell and clean it if necessary.
• Check and clean the oil boiler’s side heat transfer surfaces.
• Check that the high limit thermostat is working properly.
• The burner nozzle should be replaced.
• The burner’s pressure and diffuser plate should be adjusted to obtain the correct length and shape in regards to the burner’s flame.
• Check that the flame failure device is working properly.
• When all of the aforementioned aspects of the oil boiler service are completed, a combustion efficiency test should be carried out. This is done to make sure that the oil boiler is operating at its maximum levels of efficiency.
System Checks:
• Check that the time clock is working properly.
• Check that zone valves and thermostats are working properly.
Please note that while this is what usually takes place in relation to an oil boiler service checklist, no two oil boilers are the exact same. Some systems might need certain specifics which are slightly different to those outlined above. In all cases, it is considered best practice to conform to the manufacturer’s guidelines when having an oil boiler service carried out.
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