Warning on Installations of Single Skin Oil Tanks - Underground
Tank installers are reminded that, the direct installation of single skin oil storage tanks underground does not satisfy the Environment Agency Pollution Prevention Guidelines - PPG27.
These state in paragraph 4a that;
“Regardless of product storage the Agency recommends that all new Underground Storage Tanks should:
- Be double skinned (that is having an inner and an outer skin)
- Have an interstitial monitoring device with automatic alarms. ....”
Whilst the PPG are guidelines and are not legally binding, they can be used in a court in the event of a civil claim.
OFTEC would advise its registered technicians that they should not install single skin oil storage tanks underground - unless they are located within a dedicated underground reinforced concrete oil tank chamber (i.e. with a chamber access lid that facilitates or enables visual inspection of the tank and between the tank and tank chamber walls).