Details on fitting a remote oil delivery pipe.

[DevsAd]

Hello again.

Anyone on here familiar with the installation of remote filling pipes for domestic oil tanks?

We are trying to figure out ways of getting a delivery from the front of a cottage to the rear without going through the property. One possibility - still apparently being explored by the cottage's seller - is for the neighbour on one side - who's land goes right up to the cottage's side wall - to allow the owner to have the delivery pipe run alongside the cottage, attached to its wall. We are hoping they'll allow this, but haven't heard anything 2 weeks on...

The alternative is the other side, but the cottage 'touches' the neighbouring house on that side at an angle. Between the two properties is a triangular alleyway around 3-4' wide at the back, tapering to zero where the two buildings touch at the front. What we are wondering is, could an access hole be bored through the cottage's front wall near that corner, coming out in the alleyway?

The cottage is over 100 years old so has stone walls probably around 2' thick, so theoretically plenty of 'meat' there to allow a hole to be bored through with no structural issue. This hole would, however, need to be probably 5' long in order to get past the neighbouring house and in to the alleyway... (It would be bored at a low angle, starting say 1' from the cottage corner, and coming out through the cottage side wall at around 5' down the side from that corner - that make sense?!)

Obviously this would require a specialist drilling company. Our questions are:

1) what diameter pipe is required for remote delivery - it would be a pretty straight run to the tank of a round 16m. We were told by one company that the smallest diameter pipe used is only 1.5" - is this correct?

2) what would be required in terms of a filling connector at the front of the cottage - how bulky and unsightly are they? Can it be enclosed behind a cover of some sort?

3) any obvious problems in principle with what we are thinking? If we provide the hole, should a remote pipe be fittable?

Many thanks 🙂

 

[SJB060685]

@SimonG Can you help as my books don't have current requirements

 

[SimonG]

@SimonG Can you help as my books don't have current requirements

I'm same as you on that, maybe something for somebody like A1 tanks or a similar company who lives and breathes tanks.

 

[SJB060685]

I'm same as you on that, maybe something for somebody like A1 tanks or a similar company who lives and breathes tanks.

I'll check with my associates and get back.

 

[SimonG]

It's not even something I would touch to be fair.

Although the ones I've seen tend to be 2" steel.

 

[Chalked]

Not done a remote fill for 15 years .
but the last one we did was in 2inch fusion weld Plastic For undeground It came in straight lengths. For above we used 2 inch black iron. ( threaded)
it needs a gate valve, brass cap and non return at the fill end.
I can’t remember how we stopped it from being over filled. But there was some sort of alarm?
I’m not even sure now if you are allowed, as the guy Filling can’t see how full the tank is.

 

[SJB060685]

From memory its 2 inch, with an NRV at fill end with cap and a drip tray and an overfill alarm of a certain class. My associates haven't got back to me yet but I will update when I have the current requirements
[automerge]1595363694[/automerge]
Current OFTEC books state that if a fill line must be used it must have.
. 2 inch (50mm) diameter black steel or equivalent fill pipe terminating with a 2 inch male BSPP (British Standard Parallel Pipe) thread hose coupling connection and non ferrous screw cap and chain.
.Isolation valve after screw cap.
.Non return valve.
.Drip tray under screw cap.
.A suitable overfill alarm.

 

[DevsAd]

Thank you everyone for your helpful info.

A hard one for you to answer, I suspect, but if a suitable hole were bored through the wall which would probably be around 5' long, are there any reasons why the pipe couldn't be run through this?

Interesting about plastic being used underground, Chalk, that surprised me. But I guess most underground services are run in plastic these days and are pretty safe when buried according to regs.

 

[SJB060685]

If you contact OFTEC direct im sure if you explain your situation they will happily arm you with the information you need and answer any questions you have. Once you've done that you then have a good idea of what the engineer undertaking the work has to do to comply should you go down this route

 

[Ben-gee]

Have no idea on regs but I would like it to be sleeved and with a definite fall if it were my wall.

 

[DevsAd]

Thanks SJB - I'll do that.

We had one delivery pipe installer out to have a look at running the pipe on the other side, against the cottage's wall but essentially on the neighbour's side - and they'd obviously need to give permission for this.

One thing that confused me when he reported back (unfortunately I wasn't in when he called, so this is second-hand info): The remote pipe would be run against - and attached to - the cottage's LH wall until it got past the rear extension, at which point it could come on to the cottage's land and make its way across to the oil tank (see amazing diagram). An issue is that the patio shown - recent, and nice natural stone - would need taking up. When asked why the pipe couldn't go beyond the patio (a further 2 to 3m) until it reached the lawn before cutting across (which would be much easier to trench and make good) he replied that he couldn't because 'he isn't allowed to use elbows'. I wasn't there to ask how the pipe manages to turn a right angle to go under the patio without an elbow.

Could anyone explain, please? Is it to do with the underground pipe being plastic and, for some reason, no elbows are permitted?

Is it ok for the pipe to begin as steel and then become plastic for the underground bits?

Thanks again.

 

[SJB060685]

Plastic pipe is OK for subterraneal pipe work supplying a boiler but andextended fill line must be 2 inch steel, so my understanding is.
Honestly I am not currently OFTEC, so am not fully up to date on this particular situation requirements.
As I said above give OFTEC a call and they can go through everything with you, if needed make a list of points to cover beforehand so you don't forget something.
I personally have never had a customer with an extended fill line but have a number of associates dotted around the country who have and one image I was shown yesterday of a compliant install DID have 90° elbows, so I would take the word of OFTEC before the guy who supplied you with that information.

 

[DevsAd]

Thank you.

I'll run it past OFTEC.

(And come back with my findings...)

 

[Stigster]

From memory its 2 inch, with an NRV at fill end with cap and a drip tray and an overfill alarm of a certain class. My associates haven't got back to me yet but I will update when I have the current requirements
[automerge]1595363694[/automerge]
Current OFTEC books state that if a fill line must be used it must have.
. 2 inch (50mm) diameter black steel or equivalent fill pipe terminating with a 2 inch male BSPP (British Standard Parallel Pipe) thread hose coupling connection and non ferrous screw cap and chain.
.Isolation valve after screw cap.
.Non return valve.
.Drip tray under screw cap.
.A suitable overfill alarm.

I have done precisely one of these to those specs. Our regs on oil are very strict and follow OFTEC guidelines and some local ordinances that go above and beyond as the whole island is classed as a water catchment area.

No galvanised steel is one reg also in the OFTEC books too, just in case anyone was tempted to use that.

The "Not allowed to use elbows" is probably a miscommunication because You quite simply have to use elbows, unless you want to go all medieval and start heat bending 2" steel, something I only ever did at college. In most situations, sometimes quite a few elbows are required depending upon the route. Unless something has changed I don't think changing direction with elbows is a problem but rather a necessity.

 

[DevsAd]

Thanks, Stig - that's useful confirmation.

I'd assumed it was a misunderstanding by the person who'd taken the message.

We will arrange another viewing of the property and take along a different OFTEC person to advise on all the possibilities.

Cheers.

 

[Stigster]

Thanks, Stig - that's useful confirmation.

I'd assumed it was a misunderstanding by the person who'd taken the message.

We will arrange another viewing of the property and take along a different OFTEC person to advise on all the possibilities.

Cheers.

Also, with regard to drilling through the property, I was the diamond drilling guy for the last company I worked at. I could drill a hole up to 8" in diameter through any common building material to a depth of 5 feet and could go longer with another extension piece. I regularly drilled through walls made of granite stones, sometimes to several feet in depth. The hole can be drilled and the remote line can be fitted by the right people. Oil lines can be run through domestic properties. Sleeving requirements must be met but it has been a while since I did such work so cannot advise on the current regulations but there will be a way to do it.

 

[DevsAd]

Cheers, Stig - thanks for the reassurance.

I have had a local drilling company confirm they can sort the 'hole' part of the job. I'm guessing it wouldn't have to be more than 3" diameter, and sleeved?

I'll report back once we've had a further viewing with the new OFTEC fellow.