Domestic heating oil tanks are essential for many properties, especially rural homes, as they are used to store the oil needed to heat their homes. Regardless of their necessity, heating oil tanks aren’t the most attractive of objects to have in your garden.
As well as making your tank more aesthetically pleasing, disguising your tank can also help to prevent oil thefts.
Here are a couple of tips on how to disguise your oil tank:
- Build a shed around your heating oil tank. The shed will need to have large doors so that the entire tank can fit through, in case the tank needs replacing, and preferably not be of a wood construction in the event of a fire. The tank also needs to be well lit and easily accessible for filling, including sufficient roof height. Making the shed bigger than required for the tank will also ensure there is enough ventilation around the tank.
- Put a trellis fence around your oil tank. Trellis is a great way to disguise a tank and can be incorporated with your garden theme and colours. Make sure you have a gate or entrance on one side so that the tank is easily accessible for filling and maintenance. You could even cover the trellis with hanging vines to create even more of a disguise.
- Build a wall around your domestic oil tank. Using concrete blocks or cement you could build a wall around your oil tank, but be sure to leave plenty of space for ventilation around the tank. Be sure not to block the tank in as it’ll need to be accessible for the driver to inspect before his delivery and for filling and maintenance. Once the wall is in place, you can decorate the area with plants; however these you will need to move these out of the way before your delivery is made to ensure that there are no hazards to your delivery driver. Potted plants would need to be moved before the delivery. If any plants are put in permanently, they need to not be of a height that would impede the delivery, and not have thorns that would cause injury to the driver during the delivery.
- Surround the tank with tall plants. You’ll need to leave adequate space around the tank, but plants and bushes such as holly and boxwood provide good coverage when they are fully grown. Grasses such as pampas grass are also quite popular as they don’t take long to grow. Pots in plants would need to be moved before the delivery.
- Get creative. If you’re feeling particularly creative you could choose to paint your oil tank – although done poorly you could attract even more attention to it! We’ve seen everything from Dougal (the Magic Roundabout Character) to giant watermelons and marrows, to Thomas the Tank Engine!
Whatever disguise you opt for, accessibility and safety is key. Let us know your favourite option below.