Crowley Fuels Alaska Guide to Home Heating Oil Tanks - What to do before installing a tank
Channel: Crowley
Date: 2018-11-27

Alaska's winters are among the most severe in the Northern Hemisphere especially in the interior regions where low temperatures can reach minus 80 degrees. Industrial, commercial and residential property owners rely heavily on a variety of heating systems that use wood, coal, propane, or fuel oil to keep working and living spaces warm in such a hard climate. To ensure safety, it is critically important that heating appliances are properly installed. 

In this new video, Crowley Fuels' Jim Fowler, manager of business development, explains the best practices for installing or replacing an above-ground home heating oil tank.

These are general guidelines about home heating oil tank installation. Inspect tank and filtration systems regularly as freezing temperatures may cause damage, cracks or ruptures. Always check with local building authorities and fire departments before installing a heating oil tank. Local codes may be more strict than state or federal codes.

You can also read more details about what you need to know about home heating oil tanks in the following content:

Before Installing a Home Heating Oil Tank

Before you do anything, it is important to talk to either the fire marshal or a home building inspector in your location and find out what the local codes are as they may be more strict than state or federal codes. Confirm any size restrictions on your tank, and how far from the windows or doors the tank must be. These are all things that you need to know prior to starting an installation so you don't have to reinstall the tank, downsize or make costly and time-consuming changes.

Consider the location

The above ground tank should be accessible for the fuel delivery provider. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation recommends locating the tank and its piping away from areas with high foot traffic and plowed snow storage areas. They also recommended to install the tank on the gable side of the house or at least 18 inches from the drip line off the eve. This is to avoid damage to the tank from ice and snow falling off the roof. If your eve or overhang is long enough to completely cover the tank, it's fine to put the tank underneath that eve.

A well-built foundation

You need to put the above ground tank on a cement pad equal to or larger than the outside diameter of the tank and it should be three inches thick. The tank's legs should be made of steel, up to 12 inches high, and provide six inches of clearance between the bottom of the tank and the pad. The tank can also be put on a pressure treated wood platform on top of the pad if elevation is needed to protect it from heavy snowfall. Once it's on a pad and/or platform, the tank needs to be secured with threaded floor flanges.

Foundation rules of thumb:

- Three Inches: The minimum thickness of the pressure treated wood platform or cement pad

- Six Inches: Clearance between tank bottom and platform or pad

- Twelve Inches: Steel pipe tank leg height; threaded into a flange and lagged into platform or pad

- Eighteen Inches: Location away from the drip line or on the gable side of the house
 

Selecting the right hardware: shut off or ball valve

A shut off, or ball, valve will allow you to stop the flow of fuel at the source. This is especially useful if maintenance work is needed on the tank, or in case of a spill. The valve will let you immediately stop the flow of fuel.

Water-block filter

It is important to have a good filtration system on your heating tank to prevent damage or harm. A water-block filter is recommended as its absorbing polymers swell and trap the water and other microscopic particles to prevent them from flowing into your home heating appliance.

Fill access and tank vent

Every heating tank needs to have a fill access with a locking cap and a vent. A fill access is where the fuel is pumped into the tank, and the locking cap prevents debris, water or snow from getting in. The vent allows the tank to breathe. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation requires home heating fuel tanks to be vented to the atmosphere, tanks 660 gallons or larger are required to have a two-inch vent with a weatherproof cap or a gooseneck, and the vent should be located at least two feet from any building opening. 

Pipes and piping

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation states that fuel lines that run underground, in or under floors should be continuous, with no connections, from the tank to the home heating appliance. Supply and return lines in the ground or encased in concrete should be in a non-metallic, liquid-tight conduit.

If you have additional questions, you may contact one of Crowley Fuels home heating fuel tank experts by using the form on this page or call one of our professionals at 1-888-457-1422 or visit: www.crowleyfuels.com.

Since 1953, Crowley has transported and delivered home heating fuel to 280 communities throughout Alaska via our extensive terminal network.