Bunded Diesel Tanks: Health & Safety
What is a Bunded Diesel Tank?
Think of it like a tank within tank if that makes sense? Or
like a flask with an outer wall and an inner wall. There is reason behind the
design aspects of this which i will go into detail in a minute. Bunded diesel
tanks are more commonly used in the commercial industry but they can also be
used by home owners when a natural gas supply is unavailable to heat their
home. Homeowners usually fill them with Home Heating Oil (HHO) which is
delivered by a tanker truck. Commercially they can be filled with dangerous
chemicals and toxic materials such as acids and alkalis.
How does it work?
This part shouldn’t confuse you too much but just try to
keep up! As I mentioned before the tank contains two walls, an inner and an
outer wall. This then creates a void between the two walls which can be filled
with materials to protect the contents from leaking. An example would be if
there was a hole punctured on the outside if the tank then it wouldn’t reach
the inside tank because of the bunding material stopping the liquid acting as a
emergency barrier.
The bunding is usually concrete or cement and this can hold
back liquids such as oil really effectively while the actually material used to
build the tank can vary from plastic or metal depending on the model and
manufacturer. The reason for this type of tank is to project the environment
from being contaminated due to a leak. This reduces the possibility greatly and
believe it or not if your home is run on Home Heating Oil then some insurance
companies actually require a Bunded tank to be installed and used rather than a
single skin tank before they will even consider insuring you!
The same applies to commercial companies, it is a must rather
than using single skin tanks because the environment is top priority when using
hazardous and toxic chemicals. In the event of an accident the chemical will
more than likely do much more damage and have a bigger impact rather than the
initial accident itself and cost a lot more to repair and clean for that
matter!
Should I Purchase One?
If you are considering changing to Home Heating Oil or are
just looking to upgrade your tank then purchasing a Bunded tank is a much more
better and sensible option. If give you piece of mind and security knowing
there is an extra layer of protection in the event you should have a leak. It
might even lower your insurance as we all know insurance companies love to see
you are prepared and they reward you by charging you less!
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