mikejw

Hi
been given a choice of having the oil tank for the heating etc in our build inside or outside, does anyone know of any pros or cons one way or another?
Mike

Glaswegian

Depends how you feel about having a large tank of flammable liquid inside what's probably going to be a largely wooden structure??

You know, we really miss fireworks night

Fireworks are banned in Calgary because we mainly have wooden houses

SimonG

I've seen houses with them inside, I also thought it's not that flammable until misted into the furnace.

Don't know if the weather will have an effect outside, but if you go inside, basement, don't forget about access if you ever have to replace it!

ukjo

We have ours in the garage which is right next to the house. The only thing I will say is wherever you have it try to build a small brick casing around the bottom of it. The reason being is that in NS if there is any kind of oil spill and the council gets wind of it they will clear it up but will charge you a few grand for it. In the garage if there was a leak atleast it is easier for you to clear up so I personally would go for that.

iaink

Inside everytime.
The major threats to tank integrity are corrosion and ice damage, and both are far worse outside than inside. Plus there is less risk of vandalism or accident damage inside.

It will need to be replaced at some point, insurance wont cover a standard tank if its more than 20? years old, some insurance wont cover you either if its outside.

Inside,away from any sump hole, with a retaining wall at the base to catch leaks/spills is ideal. Ask an oil supply firm, there are a ton of regulations and insurance requirements. Might even be worth considering the extra for a double walled polythene lined tank if you intend staying in a place for a long time, but then just a standard tank will be about $1k

Corky

We have TWO oil tanks and they are both in the basement, I believe they last longer indoors. They are in their own little cornor of the basement. They are in a concrete room. I understand if they are outside they can have a condenstaion buildup so they rust from the inside and then you may notice little drips or probably smell it first. Then it is time to change your tank....If outside and leaks into the ground well depending how big the leak is, you could be looking at alot of money. Yours being a new house though, you probably wouldn't have problems like that for years. Perhaps you could get one of those new tanks they advertise now..it has a coating on it, gee must check the yellow pages for that!

yukonifm

A financial consideration too - if your tank is outside, the oil is about 5 cents a litre more expensive than if it is going into an "inside" tank.

The day they fuel the inside tank up - you notice a bit of a diesel smell inside your house -but not enough to be annoying. My tank is 1000 litres - so the small savings I make on fuel is worth the incovenience.

Tiaribbon

Our oil tank is in our basement and I have never smelled it. Hey after what happened to us with our furnace blowing up......I put trust in the tank being down there. If it was going to blow up then that would have been the time it would, LOL!!

Sean Boxer

Iain, how come you know absolutely everything about everything?
Do you look it up on the internet or are you just incredibly intelligent?

This is a serious question . . . I've never met anyone who knows as much as you do.

Tiaribbon

He is actually very intelligent Sean.

Crispie

There must be a regulation about the walling in of the tank when it is indoors.
In Germany the wall was built with an oil resistant surface (paint) that was sufficient to retain the entire volume of the tank. This makes sense surely!
In Britain the tanks in rural areas are usually outside but we don't get quite as cold do we!

Glaswegian

He's permanently jacked directly into Google

iaink

Thanks (I think?) If only eh!

No, I live in Canada, I own a house and a car, Ive been through most of the stuff people here ask about, sometimes I remember stuff, sometimes I remember reading about it here and go look for it.
This thread, we had to have our oil tank replaced last year to keep our house insurance, so I know about tanks form that expensive experience.

Sometimes i google stuff for people who dont seem able or willing to do it for themselves. Mostly though I'm just really smart (and modest)

mikejw

Hi
thanks everyone for all your replies.Inside seems the better option but like most things it just opens up further questions untill you have to become somewhat of an expert just to make an informed decision.
Mike