Oil central heating

greatcrested

Interesting thread here for you to read:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6217924/question-on-heating-oil/p1

Mickey666

comeandgo said:

As for having a huge tank of oil in your garden, you should have insurance cover in case it leaks or splits and you are left with contaminated land that needs to be decontaminated.

Agreed.  Leakage is probable the biggest risk, small though it is for a tank in good condition.  I wouldn't worry about fire at all. 
As previously mentioned, a 2-3 week filling cycle sounds unlikely - I would ask the vendor for some bills to clarify their actual oil usage.  My house had a 2000 litre tank and the very inefficient oil-fired Rayburn stove/boiler would bun through 500 litres in a little over a month during the winter months, so even that would be a 3 month filling cycle.  Fortunately, I was able to get connected to mains gas so it wasn't an issue, but if you're used to mains gas then you should expect oil to be more expensive anyway and certainly more variable in price, so you really need to keep an eye on prices and buy when its cheap.  It was very cheap earlier this year and a friend decided it was worthwhile buying a second tank to take advantage of the low price!  A bit extreme perhaps but that's the sort of price volatility that mains gas users never have to be concerned about.
What I'm really trying to say is, first, verify the actual oil usage of the property if you can and, secondly, be prepared to buy a bigger tank if you have space and the current one really is so small that you need monthly deliveries. 
Finally, be aware that oil theft is not unknown, so a decent lock is essential.

maisie_cat

We don't have central heating but we do have an oil tank to fuel an ancient Rayburn. The one thing that is more expensive is buildings/contents insurance, the presence of oil adds about £75 a year to our premium or 20%.

dunstonh

maisie_cat said:

We don't have central heating but we do have an oil tank to fuel an ancient Rayburn. The one thing that is more expensive is buildings/contents insurance, the presence of oil adds about £75 a year to our premium or 20%.

Not come across that before. Indeed, I don't recall there being a question about oil on the proposals.   

have_faith

Thank you so much everyone for all the really helpful replies. From what I hear you all saying, it's really a non issue and just be clever about not running out. 

Thanks again! 

Mickey666

dunstonh said:

maisie_cat said:

We don't have central heating but we do have an oil tank to fuel an ancient Rayburn. The one thing that is more expensive is buildings/contents insurance, the presence of oil adds about £75 a year to our premium or 20%.

Not come across that before. Indeed, I don't recall there being a question about oil on the proposals.   

Me neither.  Perhaps it depends on the insurance company?

greatcrested

Mickey666 said:

comeandgo said:

As for having a huge tank of oil in your garden, you should have insurance cover in case it leaks or splits and you are left with contaminated land that needs to be decontaminated.

Finally, be aware that oil theft is not unknown, so a decent lock is essential.

Debatable. Oil thieves are not opportiunistic. Their thefts are planned. They monitor deliveries so they know the tank will be full, and they come prepared. A lock won't prevent the theft,it will just mean at best the lock will be broken with wrench, or far worse they'll drill a hole in the tank meaning a new tank is needed and the environmental clean-up will cost far more.

Best protection is not a lock, but locating the tank as far from the road as possible; hiding it; & having overt cameras/alarm on it.

As for insurance, I've noticed when shooping around recently that a few policies now exclude oil leaks or theft. But I've not noticed increased premiums from those that do still cover oil tanks.

dunstonh

As for insurance, I've noticed when shooping around recently that a few policies now exclude oil leaks or theft. But I've not noticed increased premiums from those that do still cover oil tanks.

Is that on comparison sites?   I could understand the price focused ones asking as they often remove coverage to get the premiums down so they can appear near the top.   However, its not something you would expect to see from the quality providers.

twiglet98

I am in a village with no mains gas and most people here have oil-fired boilers.  Lots to like about oil heating compared to the gas I'd had in previous homes.  It suits me to know it's paid for up front rather than waiting for a bill after the fuel has been used.  It reassures me to know that an oil leak is visible, a gas leak isn't.

I moved here in winter with two small children.  Couldn't get the heating to work, called the engineer who found the tank was empty.  Perhaps the vendor SHOULD have given us the heads-up before we moved in, but... caveat emptor... buyer beware.  I should have thought to ask in plenty of time to get some delivered.

The 2500 litre steel tank eventually rusted and developed a small leak at the back, on the boundary with my neighbour, who alerted me.  I was told of someone selling two smaller plastic tanks and I bought one, 1100 litres, and the boiler engineer I was using at the time installed it, albeit in a worse location, and pumped the oil from the old tank to the replacement.  The old one is still there, empty and rusty, but the cat likes to sit on it and watch the birds.  The old tank had a sight gauge, the new one has a Watchman wireless sensor but I prefer to dip a dedicated clean garden cane into it and have calibrated the cane with a permanent marker to show 1) when 500 or 1000 litres have been put into an empty tank (really best NOT to run out, and I should know better), and 2) to indicate on the cane how many bars are showing on the Watchman monitor.

My floor-standing Camray boiler is 34 years old, serviced annually, but has been locking out and smelling smoky for a few days and the engineer is out tomorrow.  I dread having to replace it, they don't make them like they used to.