All Domestic LPG Bulk Storage Tanks should now be fully compliant with the Industry Codes of Practice for Fixed Bulk Tank Installations.

Summary

The area around your tank (Above Ground or Below Ground) and to a distance of 1m, must be free of all screening, debris and overgrown vegetation. A line-of-sight must also be maintained between the vessel and the tanker to ensure the continued safe delivery of LPG to your home.

Home Bulk LPG storage tanks with a gas capacity of 1200 litres (1410 water capacity) or 2000 litres (2400 water Capacity) must also be located at least 3m from all buildings, boundaries and any source of fixed ignition.

A fire-wall, also known as a blast-wall, can be present on one or even two sides of the tank with a separation distance of 1m to 1.5m from the tank.

Home Bulk Tank LPG delivery is normally made by way of a industry standard mini-bulker with a width of 2.6m (8’6”) requiring a minimum gateway width of 2.75m and a minimum access road width of 3m.

Vessels must not be sited directly beneath electric power cables and where the voltage is below 1kV the tank must be sited 1.5 metres from a plane drawn vertically downwards from the power cable. For cables operating at a voltage of 1kV or greater the distance should be increased to 10 metres.

Screening – There are many screening options, the most common being:

• Panel, lattice or ranch type screening can be present on up to 2 sides of the tank but no closer than 1m from the tank
• Hedging may be present along one or two sides of the tank but no closer than 1m

If screening is ever present on more than two sides of a gas tank, then two clear points of entry/exit must be visible and on opposite sides of the tank area. The reason this is important is because if the tank is screened on more than two sides the tank area becomes a compound and a Delivery Driver must always plan their escape from the tank area before dispensing liquid gas.

Below Ground Gas Tanks – There can be nothing built up or around the lid of a Below Ground gas tank. The tank lid should sit flush to the ground around it, or the tank turret raised out of the ground by no more than 20cm. The reason this is important is because the reach into the tank chamber to fill the gas tank or to work on, or even replace, the important tank controls, has been set at an agreed safe working depth, so the reach into the tank chamber can never be increased.

Keeping your installation tidy – All ground vegetation around a gas tank, must be cut back to ground level and all ground obstructions, such as pots, planters and general garden debris, relocated away from the gas tank.

Other than screening at 1m from the tank, there should be nothing else within 3m of a gas tank. Gas deliveries do take place in all weather conditions and at times, in poor light or even no light, and a Delivery Driver or visiting Engineer, must always be afforded a clear, unobstructed pathway from Tanker to Tank and a safe area within which to work.

Trees and Tree Branches – A gas tank should never be located close to trees. This is because the tree, its roots, and its canopy, all pose a potential risk to the gas tank. .

Power Cables – All overhead Power Cables <1kV must be 1.5m from the gas tank and in a plane drawn down from the cables to the point on the ground where the cables would fall. If cables are >1kV, then this distance is increased to 10m.

Property / Boundary-lines – There can be no property boundary lines, public or shared roadways within 3m of the gas tank. All of the land around a gas tank to a distance of 3m must be under your own control. If it is just open fields or a neighbour’s garden beyond, then we can look to reduce this distance down to 2m.

Buildings, Stores and Garages – There can be no buildings or stores (without a firewall being present), within 3m of the gas tank, this includes neighbouring properties, sheds and garages. If you have a garden shed or greenhouse, and it contains no flammables or no permanent source of ignition, then we can reduce this distance down to 1.5m.

Source of ignition – There can be no source of ignition, electrical items, combustible materials including BBQs, log stores, recycle bins etc. located within 3m of the gas tank.

No vehicles are permitted to park, pass or turn within 3m of a gas tank without permanent, secured tank protection, located at 1m from the gas tank. Increasingly, and when it can be seen that vehicles can now pass, park or turn within 3m of a gas tank, we are all being asked to provide a more clearly defined area for the tank together with secured tank protection. At a Commercial location this would require an Armco type crash barrier but at a domestic home, there must now be secured bollards, very large rocks or very large planters (all non-removable) and at a minimum distance of 1m from the tank. These must be robust so that they are not easily relocated and so a driver would see them, or knock them, before they hit the gas tank, the gas tank lid.

There can be no drains, ditches, manholes, streams, rivers or ponds within 3m of a gas tank.

Line-of-sight – A Deliver Driver must always be able to gain a line-of-sight between both Tank and Tanker. This can be achieved either directly, or as though stood back on a point of a triangle, looking one way to the Gas Tank and the other way to the Delivery Tanker.

Tank Plate – The Tank Plate is located on the dome end of an Above Ground gas tank or under the tank hood, on the curvature of the tank itself, on a Below Ground gas tank. This is only important to ensure that the correct tank (capital asset) is purchased by an incoming supplier from the outgoing provider.

Delivery Tanker Access & Parking – The incoming supplier must always be able to see the access road and parking for the delivery tanker. There are differing size tankers now across the suppliers and by depot, so they must be sure, prior to Supplier Switch, that no deliver issues are expected, narrow lanes etc.

Should you have any questions in relation to the location and suitability of your Home Bulk Tank LPG installation please call or email us at any time.

You can also send a photograph of your Home Bulk Tank Installation to team@lpg-save.co.uk

If you are a domestic user of Bulk Tank LPG (Propane) with a dedicated LPG storage tank (Above Ground or Below Ground) then from 13th April 2009 you are able to switch LPG supplier without the need to exchange or uplift your Bulk LPG Tank. Instead, ownership of the tank will simply transfer to your new LPG supplier making the switching process easier and quicker for both you and your new Bulk LPG Tank supplier.

All Home Bulk Tank LPG Supply Agreements are for 2 years only.

If you are outside of your 2 year Supply Agreement or you are within 28 days of your most recent Supply Agreement, then you are immediately eligible to switch your supplier.

Importantly, you do not have to give your current supplier 42 days notice, your new supplier will do this for you so, you don’t need to lift a finger!

New Owners: If you are new to the property then you are immediately eligible to select your own Home Bulk Tank LPG Supplier.

If you sell your property, or if you are a tenant and you vacate the property, then the Supply Agreement will immediately terminate

Switching your Bulk Tank LPG supplier is FREE. There are no charges to you what so ever.

During the switching process your domestic LPG supply will not be interrupted. Because your tank is not being exchanged you are guaranteed continuity of supply, your existing supplier being obligated to provide you with gas right up until the tank ownership has been transferred to your new supplier.

A ‘Telemetry Unit’ may be fitted to your Home Bulk LPG tank upon switch completion. This will allow you and your LPG provider to see ‘remotely’ how much gas is in the Tank.

Should you wish to do so, you can also select to be on ‘Top-up’. When your tank reaches the agreed safety stock, normally 25-30%, a delivery will be created for you automatically and your tank ‘Topped-up’, ensuring that you never run out of gas!

You can choose the delivery and payment option that is just right for you. Budget DD; where you spread the cost of your gas over 12 months; Variable DD where the full amount owed is taken by DD, Credit or Debit Card, Cheque or BACS.

The typical tank rental is between £60pa and £70pa for an ‘Above Ground’ LPG Storage Tank and £90pa to £130pa for a ‘Below Ground’ LPG Storage Tank.

Once you have switched your supplier you will only pay the tank rental to your new supplier as they will now own the LPG tank.

If you decide to switch suppliers then ‘LPG-Save’ and your new LPG supplier will take care of everything (all of the paperwork!), from putting your existing supplier on notice, to organising a payment and delivery plan that’s just right for you!