Oil Tank Pipe work.

[Jez]

I'm currently building a new house and have bought an underground storage tank. The tank is 50m from the boiler room where I will have 2 boilers ( 1 for UFH/HW and 1 for the swimming pool). What I need to know if what size pipe do I need to run from the tank to the boiler room to make sure there is sufficient supply to both boilers if they are operating the same time. I have a tiger loop as the tank is below the boilers. Cheers, Jez.

 

[SimonG]

Your OFTEC engineer will advise accordingly.

 

[Jez]

Simon, Tried that and he said to look on the OFTEC website for the calculations. Problem I have is that the basement company are starting to back fill and I need to get the pipe in before they complete or I'll just have to dig it out again. Cheers, Jez.

 

[SimonG]

You need a new OFTEC engineer then. Nowt wrong with running some 25 or 32 alkathene before it's backfilled to put the oil line through at a later date.

 

[gwplumbing]

hi jez
the reasons why engineers say use an oftech engineer or the oftech charts are as follows
1st you would need the size of your boiler/boilers
2nd total suction head = this is the distance from the bottom of your oil tank to the burner oil pump
worked example
pipe length = 50m = your supply length
x total suction head
2 metres=8mm
2.5 metres=8mm
3.0 metres=8mm
3.5 metres=10mm
4.0 metres=10mm
this is a worked example on a 30kw boiler
they recomend a de aerator for each burner

over 30 kw
calc = pipe length = 50 metres
volumn of fuel = this is both boiler nozzle capacities added together kg/h = look at boiler kw manufactures instructions
nozzle sizes(capacities)
suction height = your height of tank and height of pipe suction
add these together
you can now see why its good to have oil supply capacity charts
give us your calcs and we will try to work it out
10mm-12mm@ 60kg/h-120kg/h depending on suction height
i hope this all makes sense ,dont you just hate equations

 

[lame plumber]

you need to run your pipe in a conduit whatever happens to allow you to change it if its damaged or doesnt work in the future and save on hassle

 

[Jez]

Tank is fitted with an Atkinson TankTop which has a 10mm outlet. Spoke to Atkinson and they say a 10mm pipe will pass 110litres per hour, so best option is to fit a second tanktop and run a 10mm pipe for each boiler. Looking at the "equations", the boilers are 30kw, suction height is 2.5M, so 2 x 10mm runs would work? Regards Jez.

 

[lame plumber]

Not being clever, but why on earth are you heating a pool with oil in this day and age, havent you come across renewables and thermal stores etc, you really should be taking proper advice from someone on site who knows what they are about, unless your a lottery winner or worse still a banker and fuel costs arent an issue. Either way you need to reconsider what your doing!

 

[Jez]

Good question, but we have done the numbers and payback is 12 years just for the installation. GSHP was going to cost £60k and the government has delayed consultation time and time again and there is nothing on the table. So for £4k we have 2 boilers and a tank and when/If the feed-in tariffs do arrive everything is future proofed, so we just change the heat source. Jez.

 

[happyflyer]

Jez,

Looks like you have do a bit of rehearsed on all of this the renewables they sound good but you need a lot of money to through at them and you are probably right 10 year payback is about the best you will do, I design a lot of UFH systems and heating systems for bespoke dwelling last one I did sold for £12M, and they have not gone down the green green route, I don't hug trees either, I am into energy conversation and conservation. Hell Jez that oil tank can't you get it a bit further away 30 metre is a long long way to be pumping. Have you looked a propane you won't need a pump slightly more expensive to run but clean not like oil, better efficiency overall, more boilers to choose from, I am just doing a 4000 litre Propane job with two 50Kw boilers for ITV Yorkshire out in the sticks.

Tony