Steel v plastic domestic oil tank

[Gone fishing]

We’re looking to move our oil tank and as it’s 20+ years old and unbunded it seems prudent to buy a new bunded one.

The down side of going bunded seems to be the physical size v capacity. To be discrete we either need to drop the capacity quote a lot or steel tanks which seem to much more efficient in size (because they’re rectangles not curved).

Ones we’ve looked at suggest there’s not much in price, guarantee for the steel is only 1 year whereas plastic seem to get 10 year guarantee, so is that a warning sign?, whereas various websites suggest steel have better life expectancy.

A mates also suggested the steel ones can rust from within due to condensation, and one website suggest getting them checked twice a year.. that all sounds like a long term liability

Are plastic just better, cheaper but wasteful on space or is a good steel tank going to fine as (in 20 years I’m likely to not care much and/or we’ll all probably have our own Farage inspired nuclear power plant

TIA

[Gone fishing]

bimsb6 said:

The bund needs to be the capacity of the tank + 10 %.

Can you clarify if you mean the area for the tank to leak into is 10% of the tank capacity, so the whole thing is tank+10% or a bundled tank in total comprises space that can take the whole tank capacity and 10% in addition to the tank capacity (ie over twice the size?).

I’m feeling steel now isn’t the way to go, and everyone tells me unbounded is a crazy idea, but size is an issue

[Gone fishing]

I’d never get a grant for a heat pump without a lot of work, but the old tank move is giving me such a headache I’m contemplating going all electric. I’ve a hunch that after I’ve dropped £2k on a new tank, our 25+ year old Rayburn will go pop and that’s another eye watering sum. Our radiators are not in the best of health so no great loss to replace them, but running costs and wiring are unknowns

[Gone fishing]

ATG said:

Gone fishing said:

I’d never get a grant for a heat pump without a lot of work, but the old tank move is giving me such a headache I’m contemplating going all electric. I’ve a hunch that after I’ve dropped £2k on a new tank, our 25+ year old Rayburn will go pop and that’s another eye watering sum. Our radiators are not in the best of health so no great loss to replace them, but running costs and wiring are unknowns

Are you thinking of going electric, but not using a heat pump? That would be ruinously expensive to run.

That’s what I’m trying to work out. Oils not cheap, Rayburn is serviced every year, £150 + parts and it’s becoming more like triggers broom, it’s also not very efficient, we get through 2500l a year plus wood burning stoves, all in we probably pay £2k in heating a year including servicing. We zone heating heavily but we’ve a long L shaped barn with solid walls. Our plumber who also does heat pumps took a look and said they’re a nice idea but retrofit would be very expensive. Solar is more likely to be an option combined with cheap rate over night, I’m wondering if we can get close.

[Gone fishing]

clockworks said:

Straight electric heating, on a standard tariff, is around 3 times the price of oil.

A litre of oil has the potential to give close to 10 kwh at 100% efficiency, so somewhere between 8 and 9 kwh in an older boiler. That's around 8p per kwh into your radiators.

Straight electric boiler, an a standard tariff, is around 23p per kwh - 3 times the price.

I really wouldn't consider straight electric in anything other than a tiny apartment.

ASHP comes close to oil, in favourable conditions, because you can get more out than you put in.


We get through about 900 litres a year ( 1960's detached 4 bed dormer bungalow), and I would stick with oil if it wasn't for the cost and hassle of replacing the tank, and needing a new boiler in a few years.
Looks like we'll all be "forced" to go electric eventually, so it probably makes sense for us to do it now.

If I was having to use 2500 litres a year, I'd be wary of switching without doing the sums very carefully

Thanks, that’s the type of maths I need.