dickey jones

i hope some can assist me. i have a house in Brittany area 29 FInistere. i currently have an old central heating system that i want to replace with an a efficiency boiler.

there is currently a plastic fuel tank in the basement where the boiler is and i have been told it is dangerous and should be outside.
is this true, does anyone know what regulations there are. my basement is 10m x 7m x 2m with a large double door entrance and stairs from the house to the basement.

do i need to move the tank and if so what is the regulation about what tank to install and how far from the house does it have to be.

thank youhttp://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:britishexpats.com/get/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

cjm

Hi Dickie - I don't have the answers you want, others will be along to assist. In the meantime, welcome.

dickey jones

thank you for the welcome

Peabrain

Hi,
I have a similar problem. I have a 2,500 litre plastic storage tank for domestic heating fuel and it should be sitting in a sort of well consisting of a low wall so that should there be any spillage, this will retain the oil and it won't pollute the environment (which is my cellar). Unless the tank has a double skin, in which case that is deemed to suffice. Also there is nothing to get rid of any fumes from the tank, as the sort of chimney hasn't been connected to the outside. This again (understandably) is against the regulations. The tank was there when I bought the house, and didn't come under the inspection of the house.
I might have it replaced one day.
Here is a link explaining all:
http://www.agri85.fr/V3/Normes-de-st...numero-420.php
PB

dickey jones

So what would you recommend. shall i leave it as is and just install a new boiler, i have had the house for 6 years and it has not been a problem so far.

Peabrain

Hello again,

If I were going to redo the heating system as you suggest, then I would definitely install a tank that corresponds to the legislation laid down in the link above. The solution of having a tank actually in the building means, if one abides by the rules, having it in a basement whose doors and ceiling are fire-resistant, but a tank with a double skin (if that's the right translation of 'double paroi') avoids the obligation of its having a protective wall built around it. It sounds as if getting your old tank out and a new one installed isn't a problem. This is often difficult if the original tank was installed during the building of the house, in which case it sometimes has to be cut up to remove it because the doors are too narrow to get it through. Having it outside avoids the problem of a fire in the house being started by an incident with the fuel tank. However, as the link says, this is not very likely with domestic heating oil as it is not very volatile. It might be an idea to check with your insurers what the situation is, although I imagine they will demand that the installation be 'aux normes'. These standards date back to the sixties, but were amended in 2004 apparently, to take into account the reality of the situation so at least we're in good company.

One last, not so minor a thought; should you have a wine cellar in the basement near where the heating system is, this is a problem, as the fumes and smell from the domestic fuel will affect the taste of the wine, and the heat from the boiler will dry out the atmosphere far too much for the good of the wine. The boiler switching on and off may also lead to variations in temperature, which wine loathes.

If it's any consolation, you've got me worried too

PB

grannybunz

Some years ago when we got round to dealing with our heating we decided that the old metal oil tank in the cellar had to go.

The problem was that the cellar had been reconstructed around it by the previous owner. Our buider cheerfully announced that he and a mate would be able to haul it out simply by removing the door and lowering the sill.

He and his mate duly turned up with truck and removed the door etc., got the tank off it's plinth lined it up and then realised they needed more help.

To cut a long story short what started off with two men and a vehicle ended up with several neighbours, two dogs and a small girl and two vehicles and lots and lots of neighbourly good humour and pastis!!

Here is a taste - scroll forward for two other pics

http://www.flickr.com/photos/6238767...n/photostream/

We decided against oil heating and went instead for a mixture of ecco electric and a brilliant woodburner that heats the three main rooms on three floors via ducts.

Our neighbour has just had her relatively new plastic tank ruled illegal.

bigglesworth

Crikey those bottles and jars do gleam - very impressive!

We have just had new heating installed - a new tank outside which was originally double skinned, but when I said I wanted the tank outside (originally planned for a store inside) - the old (new) tank was spirited away and a new one back the same day. Neither was terribly expensive.

We looked at all sorts of heating, but decided against ground source as I could not see getting a payback till long after I am dead and buried.
Then winter came and temperatures fell to 20 below. Boy was I glad I had opted for oil! (Although I use wood burners much of the time).

grannybunz

Bigglesworth

We too looked at all sorts of alternatives - things like heat pumps not possible because we have very little garden space around the house - our potager is appart - a bit too apart!

Solar panels we are not allowed because we are in un de les plus beaux villages etc etc.

We didn't have cental heating anyway just a large smelly oil stove on each of two floors, so the thought of digging into every thick thick wall was just too much. Our house is tall and thin and being part of a Provencal mas, has other dwellings on nearly three sides with incredibly thick walls, oldest bit is dated 1737. We therefore spent as much as we could afford on insulation, and double glazing (expensive in the traditional windows we had and wanted to keep).

So in effect our neighbours and ourselves help insulate and conserve each other's heat in winter which can go down to -12/-14°C , with the added "interest" of the Mistral, from which we are largely protected. It also keeps the house cool in the summer, when it can reach 38°C or even more.

What I am trying to say is that it really depends on everyone's situation, the architecture, the climate and their wallet.

Actually the whole hameau is looking at installing an array of solar panels alongside the bio reed beds that deal with the sewage. Like you though i don't see us getting any financial benefits in out lifetime.

bigglesworth

Grannybunz
Yes we went bonkers on insulation too. But we started with a completely uninhabitable house, so could do more. As we progresses we discovered that inside what we thought of as the house was the structure of the original house. So we had massive stone walls everywhere. Not much in the way of original as the previous owner had ripped almost everything out (it was rotten) and sold whatever he could. But some really lovely old fireplaces and staircases.
None of which make heating the place any cheaper or easier.
So maybe I will put another layer of insulation in on top!

cjm

Love the fingers ....