Security hints and tips for heating oil users
At today’s prices, it’s quite possible in some of the larger tanks to have over £1000 of fuel sat there waiting to be pumped out by an opportunistic scumbag!. Taking simple practical steps can help you keep what’s yours.
Please post your security advice here to help others protect their oil!
you now also have google street scene tipping of the oil bandits!!
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Plumbed July 7th, 2010 10:33 pmHello,
We have a very old oil fired boiler and tank and will need to replace it soon. Can anyone recommend a good system that doesn’t cost the earth and is economical to run. I’ve heard that condensing boilers are good and would save us the cost of istalling new water tanks too. Any advise gladly received.
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larry rosen Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
in passing remember that a combination boiler will save storage tanks but are better suited to less than 3 output systems as pressure drop is sometimes a problem.
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Hi all,
We have developed an oil tank alarm and is available online called OilSecure. Just visit http://www.oilsecure.com and read all about it. Buy on-line and when you check out enter the coupon code BOILER and you will get 15% off the OSA1001 or OSA1002. Coupon valid til 30 April 2009. Hope this helps you all looking for a solution to oil theft.
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Stuart March 12th, 2009 10:10 pmLooking on the site to find oil prices and got distracted! Never occurred to me that the tank/contents were at risk even with our sad experience two years ago when our pet donkey was stolen from her stable in our garden (two dogs and they weren’t disturbed). The unspeakables came well prepared – cutters for the padlock and not only did they take Lottie but her 14′ oak 5-barred gate too. Please take a couple of minutes to have a look at http://www.freewebs.com/missingdonkey. She may be living near you and my family and I are desperate for news of her, thank you.
ps our tank is surrounded and shrouded by leyllandi (spelling?), fine until I’m ordered to cut them down!
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Stick dweller February 9th, 2009 4:03 ammake a dummy tank and fill it with water, then they’ll contaminate the rest of their oil!!!
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anom December 10th, 2008 7:33 pmPurchase a shed slightly larger than the tank and construct it around the tank. You now have a shed and not an oil tank. If the crooks choose to steal your lawnmower they will find the tank instead and not be tooled up for nicking that. You can leave it unlocked for the delivery and ma\ke it as secure as you can against a break in.
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larry rosen Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
as an oftec registered engineer it is my duty to inform you that it is not now permissable to enclose an oiltank in an inflammable building.
(shed.)
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I had my oil stolen 3 times, my solution was to buy a Rottweiler, problem solved! I have a great pet and great security! No one can walk past my driveway without me knowing forget about a stranger even trying to get into my garden!
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Eileen December 2nd, 2008 10:17 amreading these comments with interest – I live in a remote area of North Yorkshire and although we have not had any oil stolen the neighbouring farmer did have last year. I already have a continuous readout of my oil tank contents in my kitchen (calibrated in litres for my round tank) via an ultrasonic level device so I will be aware of any sudden change in level. What I will do next (when I get around to it) is use a float switch set at a low level connected via a relay control circuit to the 24 hr circuit of my security alarm c/w a switch to disable it should I choose to take the level down below my “alarm level”. Any electrician with a bit of control circuit knowledge will be able to knock this together. I already have a dog but it’s a Cocker Spaniel and the most it will do to any intruder is bark and piss on their shoes!
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Stuart December 1st, 2008 9:29 pmFor those interested in alarming their tanks I have had some success using wire-free house alarm systems. I put the control unit in the house and embedded a wireless door sensor inside a wooden gate. (You could surface mount it but it needs some weather protection). The sensor is powerful enough to transmit quite a long way across an open space provided the receiver is close to the house wall (say, just inside the window). Door sensors are easy to conceal, you avoid all the false alarms caused by PIRs and the batteries last for ages. They only really consume power when they transmit. I only replaced the battery once in 10 years.
In my case I didn’t use an external sounder, just relied on the internal buzzer to wake me in the night. In 10 years it only went off once. I caught a policeman poking around!
There are plenty of these systems available on eBay for £50 or less.
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Duncan October 31st, 2008 4:15 pmIf you sleep within hearing distance of the tank, it’s worth considering noisy surfaces such as gravel around it, and creaking garden/yard gates are a bonus.
You could also try placing ceramic planters around the tank which you can drag out of the way easily in daylight for filling , but which would be noisy and timewasting for thieves at night. (These can also be clustered around pipelines to protect from accidental damage)
For the parts of the tank which the delivery man doesn’t need to access, thorny plants are another possible deterrent.
Another factor not so far mentioned is that if tanks are completely drained by thieves, it might need an engineer’s visit to restart and check the boiler, especially if the debris from the bottom of the tank has been exposed.
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Gardener October 21st, 2008 6:01 pmBest advice I can give is to make it as awkward looking for the thieves to steal YOUR oil, so they will move on elsewhere. Good physical deterants such as padlocks, high fences, locked gates to your gardens etc. I have read many people recommending cctv. My experience is that this is not much of a deterrant. It may aid the capture of a criminal afterwards, but with the very weak punishment given on conviction at court, many ‘career’ thieves will happily take the chance. And your system will need to be high quality, therefore expensive, in order to make it worth it in the first place. As for reporting thefts, always keep your delivery notice and payment receipt. False claims of theft are also on the rise, so the Plicde will want to ensure a theft actually took place.
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Harry McMahon October 14th, 2008 8:14 pmHi
read all of the above with interest, im curious, having attempted to drain water from
the base of my almost empty steel tank prior to refilling, this acumulates from condensate inside as i understand it. I found this task took an age just filling a jerrycan from the drain point.
So a determined thief must have a pump and a tank big enough to contain
300 + stolen litres of liquid gold and plenty of time!
who are these bastards!?
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Simon Rennie Reply:
June 19th, 2009 at 8:22 am
u r right, its from condensation within the air above the oil level, the more full the less the problem. Water is heaveir than fuel but a jerry can sounds way too much. When I do this to aircraft tanks the most is a few drops in 150 litres. Sometime get a bit or neat fuel hold it against a bit of white paper and note the colour add a few drops of water and see them sink the hard thing is if there is alot of water is spotting the line where it changes from water to fuel. Aircraft left out overnight can have this problem when the rubber seal around the fuel filler cap allows outside condensation or rain to drip in.
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QUESTION
WHO ARE THE PERSONS BUYING THE STOLEN OIL I KNOW NO ONE BUYING SO WHATS HAPPENED TO IT?
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larry rosen Reply:
June 27th, 2010 at 10:25 am
the scumbags (travellers/pikies) use the oil in their mobile homes costing about 50k a go. so it dosent get sold .
if it does one of the compatriot travellers buys it.
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Though my tank is at the rear of the house and so invisible from the road, I am planning to build a cheap shed lined with plasterboard over it. Doesn’t stop the bowser stalkers though.
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Supermog September 26th, 2008 9:23 pmHi
I had to oil thefts in two months so I took a step that anyone with a garage/cellar/outbuildings can do. I bought specilaist indoor fuel oil storage tanks!
I actually put mine in my cellar which is perfectly safe and legal. I found the units on the internet via http://www.rotex.co.uk, a german manufacturer with UK offices.
To fill up the lorry driver just sticks the hose down through a cellar window and sorted!
It was worth noting though that one delivery driver refused to believe that it was legal and I had to call Oftec to ok it with him.
No one will ever steal let alone find my oil now!
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Mark Wheeler September 26th, 2008 10:17 amRe security lighting
Be aware that security lighting is only any good if someone notices it’s on. Otherwise all you are doing is making it easier for the thieving scum to see what they are doing.
Anyway what’s to stop them just tapping into the fuel line itself? Mine pops up out of a concrete path just outside the garage where the boiler is. All they have to do is unscrew the fire valve……
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tim Reply:
September 25th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
at least extracting via a fuel line is slow and inconvenient to thieves – so much lower risk. I think they would prefer easier targets where they can use a large pipe & pump …
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I have installed solar panels on my roof and I have not had to heat water for most of the year, and I have a condenser boiler. I also have a large wood burning stove and source the wood free which is dumped in our local tip. this is used to heat the room during damp summers and cold evenings. There is free wood everywhere in skips in peoples gardens etc, just ask. I use an electric shower. I BBQ a lot of our food outside all year round. We grow our own veg . People heat their houses when it is not cold, put heating on only in the room you are in during the day and in the evening, I keep the room thermostat down and set the bedrooms low just to keep chill off. Heating comes on for two hours a.m and not until 6 or seven in winter and switches off at 10PM. We are becoming spoiled. by central heating. My oil lasts from Sept to April because I only use it when really necessary and I do not fill the tank up. I always have a sticker on it saying gauge faulty, tank empty awaiting maintenance! I feel that if someone wants to steal it they will. Why can’t tanks be buried in the ground with strong lockable manhole covers on them? They do in petrol stations.
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tim Reply:
September 25th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Most ideas good but burying tank is impractical for most people. Cost! cost of digging/backfilling hole, suitable tank, covers, locks, pump (most people would need to rely on pumped oil instead of gravity feed) etc etc. Installation and ongoing costs.
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i had bother i was getting bled dry i eventually adapted an old shed and put it around the tank and that worked a treat the drivers get used to it just mention its in the shed when ordering. before this my tank was in my back garden with a 6foot wall all the way around the problem with this was that once they were in none could see them if we were out we must have lost about 2000 litres
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tim Reply:
September 25th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
be careful with enclosing a tank – check building regs and avoid fire from fumes etc
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Last june2007 we had oil heating put in by our local council,we did have the choice electric or oil. After having storage heating before we didn’t really fancy that again and thought we would go for oil. There was 3 of us in a row had this done.The coucil in their wisdom put the tanks in the front garden,on view to all(thought my back garden is fenced it would have been a longer pipeline to the heating source) The first lot of oil i had deliverd 500 was in august,we didn’t start using this till nov when the weather got cooler,within a week this had gone,as i am in bad health and on benefits this hit us badly.My husband had to go to the benifits office to try and get a loan for us to get some more,this loan eventually arrived jan which meant we had no heating over christmas etc and me having to pay this loan back for part of the year.So does anyone have any help or advice to stop this?I cannot afford sensor lights etc and also with a load of cats next door this would be going of all the time.It really makes me angry that people can do this to others with no consience of what hardships they are doing to other people.Any ideas anyone please? thank you for reading
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Margo Whitehead August 29th, 2008 12:59 pmWhats the point locking the filler on your tank.
If I were a thief (and I’m not) I would take a core drill with me and drill a hole in the tank.
I think the only way is to put the tank in a locked cage, with enough space around the tank so you cant reach it.
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mark August 29th, 2008 9:13 amSecurity should be undertaken but on the other hand the oil suppliers will need easy access to make a delivery.
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james August 27th, 2008 10:51 amRe above threads on securing your tank. I purchased some welded wire mesh from a Company in Telford called Mesh Stock Ltd (UK delivery http://www.meshstock.co.uk) and got a welder freind to weld it into some angle iron and then bolted the whole thing down onto the concrete base the tank stands on. All in all less than £150 for parts (albeit no labour just beer). Does the job and more importantly looks the part as well. Painted the thing Green so blends in as well.
Just a thought.
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Bassey1968 August 11th, 2008 4:37 pmNot of illicit mind myself to carry out such deeds, but thinking like one can help to protect yourself. Many thefts are opportunists, so think ‘sigh tube’ on your oil tanks. If they’ve done their home work and are serious, no amount of security will stop them, but it will slow them down. Who responds to an alarm nowadays? Like speed cameras at the roadside, if it doesn’t get a good shot can it be traced? Tony Martin did what everyone wants to do to these scum!
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Ross July 25th, 2008 8:03 amIf your thinking of trying bricklaying Simon go to http://www.brickytool.com and get yourself one of these kits makes it a lot easier, good luck.
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Iain W July 4th, 2008 2:35 pmI have a 7000 litre tank 1/4 inch steel so a good incentive to solve the security issue, visible in the back garden (which is accessible though a hedge, they have to fill up tough the hedge as they can’t reach from the driveway) from the lounge and opposite a pub and I am afraid I feel all the talk of camera’s and detectors simply give the owner some piece of mind, they have done something to make themselves less attractive than others, always a good policy but if you catch one in the act unless you have had some proper training it has to be said let them have some oil its not worth loosing your life over it as you you alreday know you are not dealing with a nice member of society. I believe less that 3% of all crime is solved by camera’s, you catch a toe rag on your system (a good percentage) to think the Police will do anything about it I am affraid is naive, and even if anyone is caught do you think you would ever get any money back? Are you going to spend hundreds of you own money to catch them to TRY and retrieve £50? Do you think they will loose sleep on getting a criminal damage conviction? No question my greatest risk is at 3 or 4 in the morning but sods law even with detection it will happen when you are away or whatever and if they have cut the feed pipe I will still have lost the oil and have a big pollution puddle! (I am insured up to £5000 which is piece of mind until the first loss and until I can solve the problem) I am rapidly coming to the conclusion all you camera money etc is better spent on bricking the tank in and quite frankly forget building regs and planning permission etc with deep foundations, go back to the 1940′s a bit of muck in the ground for 6 inchs and build a wall on it. Often where tanks are placed you don’t even need a good bricky a trainee will do as probably concrete building blocks will do rather than bricks but from insurance experience don’t underestimate the roof, no plastic corrorgated they will come through it! Most of you with small domestic plastic tanks at risk from drilling etc can probably get for a few quid from a local scrap metal dealer some sheet metal to be an integral part of the roof, even a couple of the big old metal office filing shelves would do, many of you will have tanks already up against a wall or two so a couple of hundred in cash to a local may well solve the problem. Gordon Brown has already collected the income tax through the price of the oil!!! Personally I am going to have my first attempt at DIY bricklaying. I fly light aircraft and had 50 litres of fuel nicked from the tanks during mainenance at another airfield, yes caught on camera, yes the airfield was brillient and compensated me, yes they could have caused a crash and killed me ….and you? and the Police may then have taken an interest, no they have not been caught! Incentive AVGAS now 162p per litre!!! Final comment again from an insurance perspective (my job) good physical security (visible – nice bright red padlock not rusty brown etc) is far better than any alarm or camera if they can see you have thought about secuirty and they spot DIY kits a mile off they simple will not be interested as the time delay caused by it increases their risk too much, bit like window locks on the house they are NOT for stopping people breaking in they are there to create a delay in creating an escape route once inside though a weak point at the opposite end of the house, they dont want to be a rat trapped in a cage and typically done in just 5 min. Police response time? Don’t tell me …..more!
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Simon R July 4th, 2008 8:54 amJust a small point from someone who works within the industry, there have been several mentions of hiding the tank on this blog. If you are going to do this please spare a thought for the tanker driver who a) Has to find it! and b) has to climb over the screen or fence that you put up. Drivers get hurt trying to deliver your oil. Just think would the postman deliver if you hid your post box? No so why should the tanker driver?
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Garry July 4th, 2008 12:55 amHelp with Oil Thefts ??
I am in the next 2 months be a quailified Oil Engineer and currently been training in Shropshire.
I have seen lots and lots of tanks and would say 95% are left with no screening.
This is where the householders will have problems in the future.If you add a screen that is within 1.8mtrs of either side of the tank it should have a 30minute fire protection to start with.
Even before you add a security device.
Your Engineer should inform you of this when completing the service or any work on boiler and associated components.
I would and will be advising my clients to do the following.
Move Tank out of direct view of road or driveway.
Surround with a solid featheredge fence. Its hard to climb up this type of fence. Solid front access door with non facing screws to take out !!! whats the point of screws on outside and bolts when a Philips will whip them out in 1 min.Add a top of close type mesh and then install a Voltek camera . Easy to fit into back of any TV with a scart socket and has an audible alarm that sounds when activated.
also can record with additional equipment. This system is tried and tested and can be wired up to 100mtrs away.
If you want more details Email me at oilservicing@gmx.co.uk
Also you could add a electric fence ( the type used for horses) very effective and short sharp shock to anyone unsuspecting.
and very cheap to install.
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Wayne Watkins June 28th, 2008 5:53 pmThe problem is most low lifes know that a village or area has no mains gas so know there’s a good chance you’re either on oil or LPG. The bottom line is that a determine thief is going to have your oil regardless of what you do to prevent it. It’s just a case of making it has difficult as possible. Screening from view, padlocks and security lighting are all deterents I use.
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A P Conn June 27th, 2008 1:54 pm1. Major oil suppliers add trace chemicals with or without colouring to their products so that they can be traced. Am considering doing this to each delivery with a large notice on the tank saying the oil and any pumps, tanks etc it has been in contact with is traceable. Anyone know of a supplier of domestic quantities, or would boilerjuice buy in bulk & retail it out?
2. Have installed a PIR ‘Driveway Monitor Alert’ £30 from security-sense.co.uk but it inherently suffers by being triggered by cats, foxes etc. There are driveway alerts triggered by the magnetic effect of vehicles. Is there one that is sufficiently sensitive that they could be set to be triggered if tools, hoses etc are brought close to a tank?
4. I Have a Titan tank with ‘Watchman’ monitor. It ought to be possible for the makers to enhance this so that within a few minutes of oil level starting to fall at more than a few litres/hour it triggered the alarm but Titan is not interested.
5. The insurance industry runs tests on security systems. Have they done any work on oil theft protection?
Boilerjuice could make a lot of money if they followed up on these ideas that I put forward in the public interest at no charge.
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John Hayter June 27th, 2008 9:34 amKen,
I would avoide ‘locking’ the tack, theves are only likly to cut your tank open, a camera, alarm and security lighting are the best way. Good quality camera and digital recording equitment is going to cost £200, securiy light with motion detector £30 Motion detecting alam as long as the montion detector is turned down so animals dont set it of would work fine, check out http://www.screwfix.co.uk I am very pleased with mine took a bit of tinkering to get the sesativity right.
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Graham Archibald June 6th, 2008 12:48 pmHas anyone adapted a shed alarm or similar within the lid of their oil storage tank. If so were you successful. I would also like to use padlocks but the width and length I need of the padlocks for my Harlequin bunded tank make it very difficult. Has anyone had any success. Pity the manufacturers don’t come out with some suggestions.
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Ken Joshua June 4th, 2008 10:23 pmIf you are planning active deterants be careful about breaking the law. If you place a trap or device that will cause injury without posting a very visible warning you will be prosecuted (and then even if you do post the warning, someone will claim it was not sufficient as the poor burglar can’t read!). Even broken glass on the top of walls (an old London east end favorite) is borderline on breaching the Geneva convention on mantraps!
Best way, prevent access.
I find a large hungry dog with access to the tank works
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Roy June 2nd, 2008 7:20 pmSD card CCTV systems are best for securing single points,
get them off ebay, the will record thousands of images onto a 1gb card and record immediately on detection of movement, just pop the card from the DVR to your PC and bingo, tea leaf caught!
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angleseyman May 30th, 2008 12:44 pmI’m about to have a new tank installed and plane to fence it in with new fencing. I also plan to tape razor blades to all the places thieves are likely to try and access the tank. I’d like to see them try and sue me for damages and explain why they were accessing me tank!
I also liked the idea of nails embedded in a piece of wood covered with leaves around the base of the tank. Flood lights and piercing alarm should ensure only the most stupid try and steal my oil.
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Ken Reply:
September 9th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
They will sue you and successfully to probably. In return they may get prosecuted for theft and get what? Perhaps community service but likely only a warning. I know a factory owner (as in really know personally) who was sued by thieves who fell down an unprotected inspection pit.
Forget the razor blades, it could cost you dear.
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Dont shoot the messenger Reply:
August 15th, 2008 at 9:20 am
… And only the most stupid would try and deliver it!!!
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sm Reply:
August 15th, 2008 at 9:18 am
When you have some bleeding handed bloke rolling on the floor in agony because he’s got nails in his foot. Just before you launch into the “I’d like to see you sue me for damages and explain why you were accessing me tank” speech, you may wish to check his clothes for the oil company logo that he is delivering on behalf of!!!!!!
You may find that whilst no-one will steal your oil, no-one will deliver it either. Use common sense or you could be very cold this winter!
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Although not appropriate for all properties and with obvious intitial costs, your security can increase by incorporating a ground source heat pump into your heating system. 75% of the required energy comes free from the ground outside and the rest from an electricity supply. There are lots available such as those from Ecovision. Oil costs seem to be much more of a direct concern then the actual security of the tanks, a tip for some homeowners may be to go green.
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Mark Reynolds May 28th, 2008 4:16 pmWhat has happened!!!!! reading through these comments is quite scary, the world has gone mad. We are talking about security lights, cctv, padlocks, guard dogs to protect something which used to be the cheapest form of heating our homes. It is beginning to look like the Armageddon The government want to stop being so greedy and taxing oil so heavily and making ordinary people vulnerable to thiefs in the night.
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jean devine May 3rd, 2008 12:17 amWe manufacture the Shadow bike alarm, after we lost oil I fitted one to our garden gate and yes it did go off after we topped up again.
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tom evans May 2nd, 2008 9:28 amPadlocks – use a heavy duty padlock, then swap it with a combination padlock on delivery day. That way you can leave the combination number with the company when you order oil, and change the combination after every delivery if you want. Determined thieves will find some way to get at the oil, drilling or damaging the tank if necessary. On the other hand any obstacle may act as a deterrent and cause a thief to move on to an easier target.
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shug April 21st, 2008 5:35 pmWe are a British manufacturing company that may be able to help reduce the theft problem. We manufacture secure stores in galvanised steel and galvanised steel mesh. They can be designed to your specfications, secure, easy to use, low maintenanced, can be relocated if required. We offer nationwide delivery and installation service. Contact Caroline on 01246 470996 at Securit GB ltd.
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Caroline Moore April 15th, 2008 5:49 pmAs a minimum ensure you padlock the access and outlet of your tank. Install intruder lights and an alarm to deter those who want to steal your heating oil. Think about ‘fencing’ the tank in to obsure it from prying eyes, but remember the oil company still have to gain access to deliver fresh supplies
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Andrew April 15th, 2008 4:34 pmwe couldnt find or thinkup a design for a totally secure way of locking the tank ,so ive brought wireless colour cctv camera with infrared which records to hard drive,it also switches channel on mini tv as soon as its triggered and sets of a buzzer (its also useful if fox is hanging around the chickens as well). it wasnt as expensive as i thought it would be and it also works out cheaper than having to fill the tank again after a thief has stolen the first lot.
ive also got security lights,and an aggressive dog ,so god help them if they try again.
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stell April 14th, 2008 11:01 pmOne thing that did occur to me while reading up about heating oil price rises: Are thieves monitoring/tracking bowsers as they make their domestic deliveries? No one can mistake a fuel bowser as it trundles around the country lanes, and thieves typically cotton on quickly to where some easy pickings can be had. I don’t know whether the police or fuel depots are aware of this, but it won’t be long before criminals get wise to the oil price and simply follow a bowser surreptitiously at a distance, wait until nightfall, then make a killing.
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Mike M April 13th, 2008 3:24 pmIt is fairly pointless to protect your tank as most thieves would probably undo/cut the copper pipework as this would flow faster than a syphon. One spanner and pressure fed, much less hassle and a handy stop valve at the bottom of your tank. I would favour the flood light as suggested earlier.
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Jeepster April 11th, 2008 10:56 amOriginal Oil tank filler caps can be securely locked as I have made a system that foils the intruder BUT the next weakness is the plastic tank the only way to be reasonably secure is to have a custom metal cage made to totally enclose the tank.
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Rouflab April 2nd, 2008 8:26 amOur heating oil does not seem to last very long – we have 11 radiators in our house, have the heating on twice a day (Mon-Fri -total of 6.5 hours per day- weekend total 8hrs per day) and we go through 500 litres per 6 weeks – this includes our hot water – is this about right?
Thanks and yes our two guard dogs keep unwanted visitors away too.
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David Reply:
October 1st, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I take it you have a condensing boiler ours uses 1.500 liters every 14 weeks the old boiler used the same amount every 10 months.
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LyndaKaren Reply:
August 15th, 2008 at 10:38 am
We have a similar set up, so to reduce the cost of oil we decided not to heat our water with oil. We had an ecconomy 7 meter installed, and a timer put on our immersion heater switch. This means that from midnight to 7am we can have the water heated at a cheaper rate. We also use the dishwasher, washing machine and charging things like the kids’ DSs etc at this time after buying timer plugs. Your electricity supplier will just swap over your meter for free and I paid an electrician £60 to put the timer on the immersion. We also have installed a modern log burner in the hope of huddling together in our lounge when we can no longer afforf fuel! A delivery of logs only costs £80 and lasts half the winter and the kindling we get for free from a local timber merchant who needs to get rid of their off cuts.
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i find 2 rotties are the best detterant
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David Reply:
October 1st, 2008 at 7:55 pm
The thing with plastic tanks you cant protect them in any way as the low lifes just cut a hole in the side making a hole it matters not if they waste that valuable liquid gold
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Buy your oil 500 litres at a time, so there is a maximum of £300 in the tank at any one time. I also have one of those useless dial type gauges. Mine always reads zero. Physical bariers are unsightly and of little deterrent to the determined thief. Replace your C.H. boiler with a Grant condensing boiler – my recommendation – I don’t get a commission ! Also invest in some of this Tri – ISO 10 multi layer insulation. Use less and store less.
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Robert James Hilton March 4th, 2008 11:53 amHaving just been releived of 300 litres of heating oil and suffering a miserable freezing cold weekend I am left bemused. The screwed lid on my plastic tank is itself plastic, so what’s the point of padlocking it, a hacksaw or stanley knife could soon ease the way in. Then there is a second port which is not lockable, an equally easy way to syphon my fuel away. The police reccommend surounding the tank with steel and alarming the tank, ok so I have £1500 to spend, not. All I can do is increase awareness with neighbours, completely fence the tank in with 100′s of heavy screws, cover it securely, padlock anything I can and install a security light for around £40. For a few quid extra, I could use a small security camera and record any ‘visitors’, also a sensor to make me aware of anyone entering the drive for a few pounds extra. I feel the manufacturers should be responsible for increasing security to some degree, maybe a possibility for someone to jump on the bandwaggon and create a range of ideas that are affordable to the average householder.
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Graeme Reply:
October 31st, 2008 at 10:54 am
Security lights won’t work – it just gives the thief more light to see what they are doing! If you think that you will see it come on and catch them doing it, then you’re probably wrong – you’ll spend your time either asleep and won’t see it, or you’ll spend your time looking out the windows at cats and foxes!
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Two thoughts – could the manufacturers of the Watchman Oil Level Gauge programme the device to sound an alarm in the house or call your mobile if the oil level started to fall quickly, say 1 cm an hour? Then follow Mr Jacksons advice below!
A company called Truck Protect supply an anti theft cap for truck fuel tanks I am looking to see if the cap could be adapted for a domestic heating tank.
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Penny Reply:
September 16th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Mark, your idea about a warning alarm is brilliant, let’s hope we see it on the market, or why not make your millions by developing it yourself? I will be your first customer.
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Agree with the ‘keep it hidden’ approach: they have to know how much is there to make it worthwhile. Personally I have an electric gate (with key code), it stops any unwanted ‘removal’ vans visiting. I am convinced that a lot of thefts in my area are preceded by a white van ‘taking a wrong turn’ into peoples drives to case the joint.
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moondust Reply:
October 22nd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
dont forget to cover the top of your tank too as many are using google earth to find them! gawd you cant have anything can you these days! so disguise it from above just to be safe
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Big walls and CCTV (3 night camera’s, digital recorder and screen £1200)
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Ian Gowler February 1st, 2008 7:25 amI am advised NOT to secure my tank. Apparently theived punch a hole in it and suck the oil out so you end up paying for a new tank as well as for the oil – or if you are insured you still have plenty of hassle.
It has got to be CCTV I’m afraid!
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William Pope January 31st, 2008 9:12 pmI am advised NOT to secure my tank. Apparently theived punch a hole in it and suck the oil out so you end up paying for a new tank as well as for the oil – or if you are insured you still have plenty of hassle.
It has got to be CCTV I’m afraid!
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William Pope January 31st, 2008 9:11 pmInteresting read this thread. I will look at my tank tonight re locking. I also have the old steel type which I much prefer as it takes up less space than those new plastic ones I’ve seen.
Re Welding – strangely it would be best to weld the top of the tank when the tank is near full as its the vapour/air mix that would rapidly burn (explode) and not the oil. Else empty and fill with inert substance. Water (not easy to remove) CO2 from a fire extinguisher..
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Andy January 31st, 2008 12:43 pmThose wondering how you can padlock a tank but still allow delivery, here’s a simple solution:
Use a padlock most of the time, but when you are expecting a delivery, replace it with a split-pin or R-clip, that way when the tank is just about empty it will be unsecured and once you’ve had a delivery you can padlock it again.
Personally, I don’t worry but then my tank is in an enclosed back garden – you’d have to either go over our garage or over next-door’s garden to get to our tank when we’re not around… it’s a pain for arranging a delivery but at least it’s pretty secure.
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Peter January 26th, 2008 10:57 pmPersonally, I have locked all possible fill/empty points on my tank.
I drilled holes through the caps (Away from the fuel of course for safety), and have installed threaded bars, put large t-piece steels which prevent bars being pulled from tank, drilled through the threaded bars, and inserted padlocks the holes. This prevents unscrewing the large nuts on the bars, and thus removal of the caps. for delivery I arrange a set time (rings on mobile hour before delivering). This may not deter the most pressing theif, but they may go to next door’s tank instead!
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phil January 25th, 2008 10:09 amUnfortunately I have an old style square metal tank.
The Filler has welded flanges and holes for a padlock but the breather tube cover just pulls off revealing an even larger bore than the filler!
Does anyone have any suggestions of how these can be protected. I’ve already had 1,500 litres stolen, a few days after a delivery, so I am quite keen to find a solution.
One suggestion from our normal oil supplier involved welding a hinged cage to the top of the tank that padlocks down but somehow welding isn’t a sensible idea on a tank of fuel! Even drilling into a metal tank worries me. But a riveted hinge would work.
For plastic tanks, I have seen a similar practice with, I assume, a riveted hinged wire basket covering the filler.
However, any padlock / cage affair will prevent the oil delivery company from depositing your purchase whilst your out. Unfortunately, as they can never guarantee a time (or even a day!) this would cause problems.
Any other ideas?
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Ken Reply:
October 8th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
The most important thing is to stop unauthorise access to your tank when
it contain an amount of oil worth stealing. So my advice to Axelson is to
employ any suitable protection that suit his environment and then remove
it a day or so before the delivery is due. At this stage there should only be about
£150(max.) worth of oil left .
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Graham Archibald Reply:
January 15th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I agree, it amazes me that tanks are put in the open in view of every low life out there. We have just moved our tank to our rear garden and put high, sturdy fencing and a locked gate between the front and back. Yes a determined thief will still steel oil but they would equally break into a locked house, so the answer is deterrent. Don’t allow your oil company to turn up when they like to fill your tank when your out. Get them to book the delivery when your in and can unlock the gate/tank when they arrive and lock it when they depart. We have 6 oil companies that will deliver in our area and having checked non have an issue with the driver not being in the line of site of his lorry when filling the tank.
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The best security against todays thieving low life is a 12g shotgun – I suggest you buy one – it really works. Failing this, we change to Sharia Law and cut their thieving hands off.
No good expecting the Police or Government to help – they’re all too busy changing the films in the Gatso cameras and collecting the fines.
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shel D Reply:
October 20th, 2008 at 9:23 am
you sound as upset as me at the thieves who take oil im a single parent and work hard for my fuel and its so easily takenits ok for ppl to advise that you dont put in more than £150 worth of fuel but then you dont benefit from the discount if you buy in bulk do you know if i can get some insurance to cover my fuel in the event of theftthis may work out cheaper in the long run?????????????
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james a Reply:
March 9th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I checked my home insuarace the other day and it clearly stated a figure (£2000) of loss of oil due to theft and some other reasons. So you should ? be covered
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Does anybody know how I can lock the Filler? My tank has a holes for a padlock in the inspection cover but the filler just screws off.
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Graham Archibald Reply:
January 15th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Boiler Juice are advertising what looks to be a retro fit locking filler cap on the front page
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The most obvious method is to hide your tank from general view, many tanks are visible from the road, some simple screening with trellis fencing or the like will help. Alternatively, when siting your new tank locate it in a discrete position away from prying eyes, making sure that the delivery driver still has good access.
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Vince January 18th, 2008 11:08 am