Replacing Heating Oil Tank

Discussion in 'Engineers' Talk' started by Alfie_678, Jan 31, 2022.

  1. Alfie_678

    Alfie_678 Member

    Please could someone kindly offer suggestions for what it will cost to replace my oil tank. I wanted to do this as the current one we have is too small and need refilling too often as well as being old (15+ years). Here are some details to accurately describe the job:

    > upgrade from 1200L to 2500L
    > dispose of old tank
    > re-locate new tank about 20m further away from house (further down the property out the way a bit more as currently it's too close to the house for my liking and a bit of an eye-sore)
    > Concrete base for new tank
    > Installing new pipe line from old to new location

    Tank cost not too important - it is more the labour I wanted to know based on the above.

    Thanks!
     
  2. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    First of all ensure that the new site falls within the oil regs and is not lower than the existing tank. I would employ a builder or similar to dig out and prepare the concrete base, also to dig the trench for the pipe. When the concrete is ready, buy a tank, the sellers will deliver it and may even drop it on the new concrete base. Now you should employ an oil registered engineer to run the new pipe and connect the tank, get it filled and away you go. As for the old tank, put it on E Bay for £50, buyer collects, it will go.
     
    Alfie_678 likes this.
  3. Alfie_678

    Alfie_678 Member

    First quote is from local boiler engineering company who quoted £7000 for the works which includes everything I mentioned (and a new 2500L tank). Is that steep?
     
  4. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    Seems a lot to me, but I have never paid anyone to install an oil tank
     
  5. Jimbo

    Jimbo Screwfix Select

    Have you considered whether an air-source heat-pump might be suitable. With the £5k grant, the overall cost to you would be likely to be the same, and you'd be rid of oil and replace whatever boiler is there too.
     
  6. Alfie_678

    Alfie_678 Member

    Yeh but our cottage is over 200 years old with solid walls. I did enquire about pumps but because of the walls it loses so much heat and a heat pump will never work. Apparently it was to get a certain COP value or something to work. Only option is to externally or internally insulate the walls first.
     
  7. Alfie_678

    Alfie_678 Member

    Good idea. Does anyone have a rough idea of how it would cost a builder to install a concrete base for an oil tank that is 2m diameter?
     
  8. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    Alfie, no idea, never employed a builder as I do this sort of work myself. As the price of all fuels is in flux at the moment, I would 'hold fire' on any decision on your heating system until the madness has subsided. Electricity is going to be VERY expensive, oil may well remain the cheapest option, with the ability to buy it in the low season at a reduced price.
     
  9. Jimbo

    Jimbo Screwfix Select

    Oil we’ll have to see as it is likely to attract the CCL soon. LPG is currently relatively cheap which is apparently due to limited demand because lots of industrial processes has been banned from using it.

    Electricity cap is going up to 28p meaning breakeven with mains gas with COP of 4 which is hard to achieve in practice with current R32/R290 heat pumps. Worryingly there will be another substantial hike in rates in September too.
     
  10. Kas228

    Kas228 Screwfix Select

    I can assure you from my own experience that LPG is not relatively cheap. I’m on a fixed deal of 38p per litre at present, shopping around for when that deal expires looks like it will be in excess of 80p per litre that’s even before all this capped pricing is added on. I pay £110 per month for LPG at present which is for CH and HW for a 4 bed house with 3 adults. That will rise to something like £250 per month just for the gas plus I will have electricity on top of that. It may vary in price around the country but SE it’s certainly not, I read somewhere LPG in bulk delivery is roughly twice as expensive as piped gas (which I can’t get).
     
  11. Jimbo

    Jimbo Screwfix Select

    LPG is interesting - people are posting elsewhere that sub 40p fixed deals are still available, even though the spot and futures rates are very much aligned to the figures you are citing. If it makes you feel any better, at the new cap the price I pay for electricity will be 2.8x what it was when I installed a heat pump 18 months ago. Up until this point it has been more cost-effective per kWh than oil and will probably just about equal mains gas since that is going up to 7p now. Like you, I will definitely be north of £300pm for energy.
     

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