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This is a cautionary tale to check your insurance and check for leaks !
Up the road in our village, there’s a house that has been empty for a couple of months but lots of pipes pumping air in and sucking it out.
Last night the owner was there collecting their mail.
A few months back they could start to smell heating oil, didn’t pay much attention. Month or so later they took more notice.
On checking outside they could smell the smell was coming from next door.
Further investigation it was next doors underground oil tank pipe that had been leaking.
As they are slightly lower the oil had predominantly leaked on to their property.
Best bit is the neighbours (where leak occurred) had only just recently bought the house and their insurance didn’t have oil tank cover on it 😳
So the house where leak occurred has now had to have majority of drive dug up , taken away and relayed.
Neighbours have had to move out of their house. Garden will be dug up and taken away. Foundations are being checked, apparently the fuel disintegrates brick/stone , likely some under pinning will need to be done. The ground floors are going to have to be ripped out.
This is all going to cost £10s/£100ks to put right and the bloke reconned he and family would be out of the house for 9-12months 🫣 and it’s all having to go on their insurance even though they didn’t cause the leak !
I heard something similar, only it was the whole of the ground floor. First thing I did when I got home was to check my insurance. Very pleased we got rid of oil a few years ago.
When we rented a house that was on oil it was often smelly, the whole installation was totally out of date. Doubt I would have noticed a leak for a while. Horrible stuff.
So the house where leak occurred has now had to have majority of drive dug up , taken away and relayed.
that seems a bit previous - surely in the current climate they've been sitting on a gold mine
Mate or mine had this happen. Insurance removed the middle of his house down to foundation level and then pumped sea water into it for about 6 months, while he was shacked up in a caravan on the drive. Bacteria in the seawater ate the oil up.
and it’s all having to go on their insurance even though they didn’t cause the leak !
Why is it not 3rd party liability on the insurance of the owner of the tank?
and it’s all having to go on their insurance even though they didn’t cause the leak !
Why is it not 3rd party liability on the insurance of the owner of the tank?
Insurance companies aren't known for their generosity in such situations - they will be doing everything to recover their losses you would think.
If your smelling heating oil then you have issues and they should be investigated other wise situations like the ops arrise.
If it's installed and working correctly then this doesn't happen.
When we rented a house that was on oil it was often smelly, the whole installation was totally out of date. Doubt I would have noticed a leak for a while. Horrible stuff.
Yeah mine doesn't smell at all.... i'd worry if it did! Works well and is cheaper than LPG.
It did have an ancient Rayburn installed and they did replace the boiler at one point. It probably improved after that.