Heating oil theft prevention

donegalboy

Hi all,
Get your thinkin caps on.
I believe heating oil may have been stolen from my tank.
I rang the local handy man and he says waste of time putting a lock on the lid on top of the tank. He says they simply cut the pipe at the bottom and get the oil out quicker. Hes coming to have a look at it at the end of the week to see what he can come up with.
In the meantime, has anyone any ideas to stop these lowlife stealing home heating oil??
DB

FX Meister

Jasus, they'd steal anything up there. How about CCTV to catch the vehicle. Surely they would need a large getaway car

muffler

Dont think it makes much difference where you are - it happens. What you need is ideas as to how to prevent it so I will fire this over to the DIY forum where some of the regulars will most likely give you a few tips.

Citizen_Erased

Well a simple enough idea but put the lock on the top of the cap (thats a given no matter what, go go do it now if you havent already) then install a flowmeter in the pipe a a point higher up then where it is possible to cut off . Im guessing the flow when the system is in use verus the flow when oil is streaming out from a cut pipe is vastly different . Then you have two options then , the higher reading from the flow meter could either trigger and alarm or it could initiate a valve further up inside the pipe to stop the flow of oil ? A combination of the two would be fool proof although there is the issue of how to install it inside the tank so that it cannot be cut.

prospect

Put a lock on it anyway, then you'll know for sure if it has been stolen.


Get a dog.

Vegeta

If all goes to all they'll just put a hole in the tank I'd say and use a funnel and hose to direct the oil, they don't care if its messy

JamesM

prospect wrote: »

Put a lock on it anyway, then you'll know for sure if it has been stolen.

I would say, that's the first move. Then you will know for sure if someone is messing with your tank. If there is no evidence - like a cut pipe or something obvious, is there a chance that you have used it ?
I have never actually come across a case where someone has gone to the trouble and mess of trying to get oil out of a tank. Maybe the increase in price has made it worth while. My experience would be in Dublin - maybe a one off house in the open in Donegal would be easier to access.
Jim.

She Devil

I used to work for an oil company this was forever the case, its tough when it costs so much, firstly i would advice never fill your tank, that way they can't steal so much! If they are going to do it they will do it, Secondly Install a light near your tank, maybe one that comes on as someone passes ( a sensor light) that will scare them and if they are going to be seen it will make them pick an easier tank ... the locks are obvious i suppose, clients of ours used to have to move the tank or build huts around them with secure locks!

TKK

Why cut the pipe at the bottom of the tank when one spanner will disconnect it 99% of the time?

The weak points on most oil tanks include the lid, vent, access for watchman probe and of course the outlet. That's a nice few ways to get at the oil before even considering boring the tank. Then there's also the option, if an outside boiler is being used, of getting at the feed into the boiler, at the boiler, without going near the tank.

Like "securing" your house all you can do is make it awkward to get into your tank relative to the next mans.

As regards not filling your tank - this may well end up costing you more in the long term in fuel costs (less litres = higher cost)

DublinDilbert

Sounds like it would be quite useful if you could measure the level in the oil than, this would enable you to do lots of things:-
1) Log the amount of oil you use on a daily/weekly/monthly basis, which is quite useful.
2) If you differentiate the value for the oil level in the tank you'll be able to see how quickly the tank is draining hence raise an alarm.

Ideally some sort of data logger with a display would do the job... i'm not sure what's available off the shelf but surely there must be something....

blue shimmering

donegalboy wrote: »

Hi all,
Get your thinkin caps on.
I believe heating oil may have been stolen from my tank.
I rang the local handy man and he says waste of time putting a lock on the lid on top of the tank. He says they simply cut the pipe at the bottom and get the oil out quicker. Hes coming to have a look at it at the end of the week to see what he can come up with.
In the meantime, has anyone any ideas to stop these lowlife stealing home heating oil??
DB

This is definitely happening in Donegal, my brother got his whole tank drained and he hadn't moved into his new house so insurance wouldn't cover him! It cost him a full tank, he was to move in a week's time last August and had just got it filled up to the top! He now has locks, a dog, lights at the back of the house and an alarm set up in his house, he is thinking about closing the back with a wall and a high gate with strong locks on it!

I have heard recently that tanks are being bored and the oil taken out, they can probably do this very quickly - wouldn't you love to fill it with water and let them take it - I do know of some people that were having their drinks stolen by ..... they pee*d into their pints and I can tell you no more of their drinks were taken!

Do up security and try not to let these people get a cheap fill of oil for themselves, don't know if they are known by the gardai but obviously there is not enough proof to get them.

mukki

don't put a lock on the tank, they will still take it but by damaging your tank and it will be more expensive and time consuming to get up and running again, and the waste spilled will ruin your garden and maybe your well for years

do as many of these as you can...
a sensor light, security camera, lock your house gates get a dog and only buy €300 of oil at a time


wonder can you extend your house alarm to sense vibrations at the tank

blue shimmering

mukki wrote: »

don't put a lock on the tank, they will still take it but by damaging your tank and it will be more expensive and time consuming to get up and running again, and the waste spilled will ruin your garden and maybe your well for years

do as many of these as you can...
a sensor light, security camera, lock your house gates get a dog and only buy €300 of oil at a time


wonder can you extend your house alarm to sense vibrations at the tank

Maybe don't put a lock on it but I am not sure about insurance covering the cost of replacing the oil if it is not kept secure? I don't know about an alarm on the tank, I would be surprised if someone hasn't thought of it by now - the problem would be that animals would or could set it off and it could be a nuisance to other people around!

I would say before long it not already there is a solution to the problem like some type of sensor that is used internally in the house when you are out! Anyway, they wouldn't be that cheek as to take the oil when you are there, so the alarm going off would probably not make any difference to them!

Wonder if a notice to the affect that the area is CCTV'ed and sensor alarmed would make a difference even if you didn't have them fitted, they could be scared off by just seeing a sign like that?

wazzoraybelle

I think the only way to protect your tank is to clad around it in wood maybe with a hinged top ( felted) with a lock for access. I've certainly heard that these thieves will drill a hole in the tank if it is locked.

viking

Anyone hear of gas getting stolen from tanks like calor gas tanks? Is it even possible since the gas is LPG and under pressure (I think)...

niceirishfella

Put a Big Big CCTV camera facing it. And a few big big signs saying 24hr digital CCTV in operation.

and get a BIG BIG DOG..........

gsxr1

This happens in Kildare also.

we have had 500 liters nicked in maynooth. Green diesel.


A big lock and some kind of protective armor over the pipe work.


If they want it they will get it.

All you can do is make it akward for them.


Or get a big dog http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=55403079#post55403079

dublincastro

Lads,

I have had oil stolen from my tank. The first time we did not realise and then we were having problems with the boiler but it happened again and we know it has been stolen.

This is a real problem up and down the country (these are all recent stories):

http://www.kilkennyadvertiser.ie/index.php?aid=8885
http://www.boilerjuice.ie/news/12/Householders+warned+about+oil+thieves.html
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055256974&referrerid=59211
http://www.galwayindependent.com/local-news/local-news/slick-thieves-target-domestic-oil-tanks/
http://www.limerickleader.ie/2723/INCREASE-IN-THEFTS-FROM-TANKS.3849518.jp


We have since put a lock on the tank and will be building a concrete / block structure around it to protect it.

The general consensus is that you need to build something around the tank for all the reasons already mentioned.

Steel Sheds

http://www.steeltechsheds.com/index.htm
http://www.candssheds.ie/
http://www.cpf.ie/photo.htm

A little excessive in terms of a build, but a concrete shed (depending on where your tank is), is also an option:

http://www.tiglinsheds.com/frontend/broadband/content.php?contentpage=content_concreteshed

I'm working away at the moment so I'm only sorry I'm not there to catch the little f*&@#r at it.

blue shimmering

dublincastro wrote: »

Lads,

I have had oil stolen from my tank. The first time we did not realise and then we were having problems with the boiler but it happened again and we know it has been stolen.

This is a real problem up and down the country (these are all recent stories):

http://www.kilkennyadvertiser.ie/index.php?aid=8885
http://www.boilerjuice.ie/news/12/Householders+warned+about+oil+thieves.html
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055256974&referrerid=59211
http://www.galwayindependent.com/local-news/local-news/slick-thieves-target-domestic-oil-tanks/
http://www.limerickleader.ie/2723/INCREASE-IN-THEFTS-FROM-TANKS.3849518.jp


We have since put a lock on the tank and will be building a concrete / block structure around it to protect it.

The general consensus is that you need to build something around the tank for all the reasons already mentioned.

Steel Sheds

http://www.steeltechsheds.com/index.htm
http://www.candssheds.ie/
http://www.cpf.ie/photo.htm

A little excessive in terms of a build, but a concrete shed (depending on where your tank is), is also an option:

http://www.tiglinsheds.com/frontend/broadband/content.php?contentpage=content_concreteshed

I'm working away at the moment so I'm only sorry I'm not there to catch the little f*&@#r at it.

If putting a structure of some type over the tank wouldn't it be a good idea to get an alarm system set up - or even warn that one is there even if it is not? What are the Gardai doing, why can they not get them?

Did anyone listen to RTE Radio 1 today, where there seems to be a lot of low lifes going around old people, taking money off them for doing tarmacadam, guttering etc and not doing the job? They were supposed to have go up on €22,000 off an old couple who were intimidated into going to the bank and getting the money out in cash to give to them! I know this is different to the stealing of oil but to be honest think that these w*****kers are always on the ball trying to find some other way to take money off the rest of us!

The thing to do with these gobsh*ts is to put them in with someone who is more ignorant than themselves and let them battle it out, maybe then they would realise what they are doing to other vulnerable people - not very likely I suppose!

tradesman

only one way to stop all this sort of stuff happening.
Mandatory 10 years in a concrete cell for anyone stealing other peoples property
Reckon that should stop it fairly quick,
Should also stop a lot of other crimes

blue shimmering

tradesman wrote: »

only one way to stop all this sort of stuff happening.
Mandatory 10 years in a concrete cell for anyone stealing other peoples property
Reckon that should stop it fairly quick,
Should also stop a lot of other crimes

Good idea but won't happen - its against 'our basic human rights', no word about the people who are victims of these scum! Our laws have to change, if someone is caught (and they have been) trying to hoodlewink old people into parting with their money - maybe due to being feeble or suffering from memory loss etc... there should be some section in law that they can be tried under! At the moment there isn't and also seems to be that the Gardai have told some of them to pay up because there was a verbal agreement there - they paid and then had to go through the courts to get their money back because it was a below standards job!

Our law is wrong in the sense that these criminals seem to be able to walk rings around all of us and laugh all the way to the bank! By the way I think the banks were wrong to, when they would give out large sums of money to an elderly person without asking them if everything is ok and tell them their rights, or point them in the direction of the Gardai station if they are withdrawing their money under duress!

I feel this is another area that these fraudsters are going into and everyone should be warning their elder relations to not entertain anyone coming to their doors unannounced to do jobs around the outside or inside of their homes! TELL THEM NOT TO ANSWER THE DOOR, unless they know the person calling! These people seem to be in Dublin and down the South of Ireland and the moment but move on once they have fleeced and neighbourhood - taking money in advance and then not doing the job!

jayoman

hi. i am a electrical & security contractor here in the galway,i have a product coming on stream soon for detecting oil being stolen for domestic oil tanks,just give you a general idea in what it will do.this system involves a sensor located inside your tank and control unit located nearby or in the house depends oil tank location.this control system will detect rapid oil level decrease (oil being stolen)it will also detect low level oil to inform you to fill up,and all this information will be send to your mobile (and up to 4 other phones) as a text message through gsm network,theres no major modification to be done to your house or outside for this to be fitted,the excact cost of this unit fitted is undecided guide price would be 600 to 700 hundred euro,just putting the word out there would you consider in installing this system,your feed back would greatfull,jayoman

niceirishfella

jayoman wrote: »

hi. i am a electrical & security contractor here in the galway,i have a product coming on stream soon for detecting oil being stolen for domestic oil tanks,just give you a general idea in what it will do.this system involves a sensor located inside your tank and control unit located nearby or in the house depends oil tank location.this control system will detect rapid oil level decrease (oil being stolen)it will also detect low level oil to inform you to fill up,and all this information will be send to your mobile (and up to 4 other phones) as a text message through gsm network,theres no major modification to be done to your house or outside for this to be fitted,the excact cost of this unit fitted is undecided guide price would be 600 to 700 hundred euro,just putting the word out there would you consider in installing this system,your feed back would greatfull,jayoman

sounds ok, but its like my neighbours house out in rural ireland. He works 20 miles away and his wife works 25 miles away. Their house alarm goes off all the time and they both get txt's telling them that. However, its of little use to them.
I'm not knocking your innovation however. This system whilst useful,may not be practical in all cases, but could be fantasic in others - its all about location and the ability to stop these scumbags in the act, and not after.

jayoman

reino wrote: »

jayoman, not knocking your idea but i see a company called oilguard.ie have this done for as little as €150.00 seems to be similar to what your talking about. they are also based in the west of ireland and have bases across europe i have a unit ordered as it will also text or email to reorder before i run out to up to 99 mobile phones according to the paperwork with an option of remote access through their software!this is new to the market but i think you will have to go back and re look at your idea.

hi reino, ya im aware of oil guards products.im not knocking their system, im all for it companys setting up new ideas here in ireland,ya my system does sms.email.and network access but all this for 150euro.id check it out again,maybe if u install it urself.but u need to be in the electrical,security.or even IT.buisness for a system like this to work properly.

Payton

Aldi are doing a Wireless Camera on Sunday 25th http://www.aldi.ie/ie/html/offers/2867_8122.htm?WT.mc_id=2009-01-23-12-50 Also I think if you want to try and prevent oil theft, you might want to think like a thief, and then that way try and be one step ahead. Maybe people should write in and say what way their oil was stolen, is there a pattern e.g. a hole cut in the side of the tank?

Capt'n Midnight

how about sealing the lid so it's air tight so the oil flow is less,

a fake pipe filled with something not nice , with the real pipe hidden

is it possible to fit a solenoid in the tank so oil flow is cut off unless there is a signal

CamperMan

niceirishfella wrote: »

Put a Big Big CCTV camera facing it. And a few big big signs saying 24hr digital CCTV in operation.

and get a BIG BIG DOG..........

useless, we have a caravan sales yard and have a rottweiler, the scumbags simply hit the rottweiler over the head and then stole 2 caravans, CCTV was a waste of time as there heads were covered, no vehicle was seen on the CCTV either.

what I would do is have one tank in good view, and put about €20 of oil in it, then have your main tank hidden somewhere else, out of sight...., chances are, they will look in the first tank, see a little bit in, then fu*k off

slimjimmc

tankman4469 wrote: »

have a look at <snip> , great product . I bought two and they do just the trick:)

Talk about false advertising :rolleyes:

Don’t take any chances with your heating oil, install a high security Tanklok on your oil tank today, it only takes minutes, but it will protect your oil forever and it could save you hundreds of euros every year.

That yoke will stop someone filling your tank without your knowledge but it won't stop someone with one of these emptying your tank at the outlet pipe.

Joey the lips

Besides sheding it the only 2 solutions i can think of is

1. Lock... Not very successful but it confirms its being stolen.

2. Dog....

BumbleB

CamperMan wrote: »

useless, we have a caravan sales yard and have a rottweiler, the scumbags simply hit the rottweiler over the head and then stole 2 caravans, CCTV was a waste of time as there heads were covered, no vehicle was seen on the CCTV either.

what I would do is have one tank in good view, and put about €20 of oil in it, then have your main tank hidden somewhere else, out of sight...., chances are, they will look in the first tank, see a little bit in, then fu*k off

My old man was a foreman in america and he told me they used to get a lot of theft on the site. one of their solutions was to connect the gate up to the live wire ,very effective ,on another occasion they programmed the elevator so it would take off like a rocket and down like a rocket . The intruder would be physically sick.

slavetothegrind

Don't lock your tank in my opinon.

As a previous poster said they will then resort to next easiest way and may even get nasty with it,

a kero spill is serious. If it spills onto your neighbours property they can rightly insist on a clean up.
Removing contaminated soil is extremely costly as it has to be exported for disposal.

There is a move towards bunded tanks which you would think insurance companies would insist on given potential claim costs.

In fairness 20 seconds with a battery drill will have a hole in the top of your tank ! ( or bottom:()

Downbato

A Meath company, O'Reilly Oakstown, I think, makes a diesel defense concrete
cover that fits over an oil tank to prevent theft. Bombproof, I saw it at the ploughing show

klipdrift

Just had circa 600L of oil stolen from my tank. I hope the B.....D that stole it dies of carbon monoxide poisioning.
Anyway, the kids wanted a dog for xmas, i was dead against it...but guess what, there gettong one, A ROTWILLER



HE WILL BE FED ONCE A WEEK ONLY.

So come on back for some heating oil gents.

funnyname

klipdrift wrote: »

Just had circa 600L of oil stolen from my tank. I hope the B.....D that stole it dies of carbon monoxide poisioning.
Anyway, the kids wanted a dog for xmas, i was dead against it...but guess what, there gettong one, A ROTWILLER



HE WILL BE FED ONCE A WEEK ONLY.

So come on back for some heating oil gents.

If you don't mind saying, where did this happen?

Thinking of getting a lock for the tank.

slimjimmc

funnyname wrote: »

If you don't mind saying, where did this happen?

Thinking of getting a lock for the tank.

A lock won't prevent a thief cutting the outlet pipe though, which could be far more damaging since you could have spillage contaminating your site. If they're going to steal it then better they take what they can from the top, imo. A pair of bolt cutters will sort out the lock in no time anyway.

Any one thought of encasing their tank in a fake LPG vessel, who steals LPG ?

crossmolinalad

just finished today to put an oil tank in the ground in my backyard
Tomorrow we start building the dogs kennel over it
A smart ass who s getting the oil out of it again

badoobie

hi there all worried oil users.
firstly insurance covers up to but not more than €650.00 for oil stolen this is to include the oil tank in most cases, secondly oil being stolen is not the only problem that plastic tanks throw up they leak at the fittings after a few years and often the tank will split after a spell of adverse weather frost and snow etc. none of the plastic manufacturers give any more than a one year warranty on their tanks with all the top manufacturers cutting their warranties to a year from as much as ten years, that tell its own story.
the only way that you can honestly secure your oil is to place the oil tank inside in a garage . there is a guyup in dundalk making steel oil tanks brand new on done deal, i have seen one in the flesh and they are strong and have a very strong locking point. the steel tanks cannot be drilled or bored with a hot pipe and dont have a seperate vent point.

Billy Bunting

badoobie wrote: »

hi there all worried oil users.
firstly insurance covers up to but not more than €650.00 for oil stolen this is to include the oil tank in most cases, secondly oil being stolen is not the only problem that plastic tanks throw up they leak at the fittings after a few years and often the tank will split after a spell of adverse weather frost and snow etc. none of the plastic manufacturers give any more than a one year warranty on their tanks with all the top manufacturers cutting their warranties to a year from as much as ten years, that tell its own story.
the only way that you can honestly secure your oil is to place the oil tank inside in a garage . .

I feel your the one telling your own story, you obviously know very little if anything about oil tanks, their manufacturers or regulations on installation.

badoobie

have to be honest no i dont know a lot about them but i know when something doesnt work and plastic tanks hold oil but they are not secure and you cannot make them secure. was making a point the only place your oil is secure is in your garage. i keep mine inside my garage.

Billy Bunting

badoobie wrote: »

i keep mine inside my garage.

Then i hope you had it done professionally, or hope your insurers dont find out.

badoobie

insurance is not a problem providing you notify them that you have put your tank inside and that the garage or shed is not attached to the house and dont share a roof. most oiltanks are parked up against either the back wall or gable of most houses which doesnt make much sence to me . as for the security cages a comlpete waste of money and time around a plastic tank, all the theives will need os a longer piece of piping to heat and breech the tank. its happening around us all the time.

Boiled-egg

Get a dog and build the dog run around the tank.

ArraMusha

As indicated in previous posts above one of the best options (along with the hungry big dog option) is an enclosed mass concrete dome/igloo. These thiefs use battery powered drills with hole saws, so a wire mesh, timber box or holly bushes are no obstacle.

Below is an example....note: leave an access hole at the top or a door like below for filling it, and dont forget to cover the route that the piping takes to the house from the tank in concrete or similar.

Hope this helps some one.

Billy Bunting

Amazing what you can do with a wire cage.........

Elfinknight

A friend of mine was telling me that aircraft use an item called a hydraulic fuse on hydraulic pipes for the wheel and brakes.

The way they work is that under normal circumstances it will allow normal flow of oil to the rams that use it but if the pipes break, the increased flow of oil will cause the fuse to close and latch so it cannot open again.

Maybe something like this could be adapted for the outlet pipes of oil tanks.

puzzle factory

put the tank as close to the ground as you can, they cant get a barell under it to drain it into and lock the top, even if they burst the lock, there going to need a lot of time to be pricking around with pumps and hoses to drain it, theres tanks of oil robbed around here every other week and there all done the same way, by cutting the pipes in front and letting them run in to barrels.