Feed pipe for oil

[Anna Kettle]

In a few weeks time my driveway will be dug out and I'm trying to get prepared for this

At the moment the (1/4"?) feed from the oil tank takes a circuitous route to the boiler and the route will be even more circuitous and inconvenient when I eventually move and replace the boiler, so I'd like to take advantage of the digger to bury a new feed pipe under the drive

Googling around on the subject, 10mm plastic covered copper seems to be recommended. I plan to buy extra so I can leave a curled up coil at each end - by the oil tank and where the new boiler will be located, with the ends gaffer taped to stop livestock getting in

Does that make sense? Is there anything else I should think about at this stage, bearing in mind that my knowledge of oil fired heating systems is minimal. Can anyone recommend a brand name and an online supplier?

Anna

[Grunff]

Yes, 10mm plastic covered copper is the stuff you want. Ours came from local plumbers' merchant, in a 50m roll.

You can use plastic oil pipe, but this must be terminated outside the building, which is a bit of a pain. My preference is for copper.

Instead of gaffer tape, it'd be worth using end caps - either compression or pushfit, to keep the pipe inside nice and clean.

You will need some buried pipe marker tape too.

[Nigel Molesworth]

Lay the oil pipe in a length of 32mm waste pipe (or large conduit), so you can pull it out if it breaks. Also consider laying conduit to take power or telecoms to outbuildings, front gate etc.

[Andy Burns]

Better leave a tied off cord in there too, as you can't pull a new one through using a broken old one ...

[John]

Why online? Its not a small parcel so you will be better off going down to your local plumb centre branch. Rolls of 10, 25, or 50metres are available

Since an "acceptable" position for the oil firestop valve is outside the building this is not a valid argument.

To the OP - I would suggest the use of a suitably sized "sleeve" or duct buried beneath the new drive which would permit access in the event of a future pipe replacement being required.

If the length is sufficient simply squash the ends closed. The flat end can be cut off later when needed.

The pipe should be laid in sand or pea gravel beneath the marker tape. Take a look at the OFTEC site for more info.

[Pete C]

I'd use some black MDPE pipe as a duct, cheap as chips, contains any leaks and means the feed pipe is replaceable without disturbing drive.

Some more info here:

If the install has to be inspected sometime, it might be well worth checking what you plan to do with them.

BES do a range of stuff for oil fired boilers:

cheers, Pete.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Ring up Ridgeons and order it Anna.

A reel will fit in the back of an estate car tho.

I did the same thing on the new house.

It works well EXCEPT use as few compression joints as possible. I.e. arrange that the pipe gets to the tank and fliter (boiler end) by a series of smooth curves. DON'T try and make it neat with right angle elbows and the like. 10mm compression fittings are fragile, and always leak - especailly if the pipe gets knocked. Use gast type reed sealer on them.

Go deep enough under the drive - 600mm - so that trucks won't crush the pipe. I'm guessing you are on clay there, and that backfills well, but if there are large stones in what comes up, either bury the pipe in a layer of shingle first, or get the stones out.

make sure the pipe is firmly fioxed above ground, as otherwise you knock it and it leak at the joint.

Expect a devil of a job getting the air out. 10mm pipe does NOT flow well over distance - I've got about a 25m run, and the first fill was a bastard. I ended up sucking it through...once through it flowed just fine. I don't know why this was, because its only a U going down and up, but it was.

It is all utterly worth it though. Now my filters and fire valves are tucked in the corner of an angle, the pipe is under the drive, and the tank is tucked in a corner of the garden, with russian vine and albertine all over it.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I wouldn;t. That pipe does not drag through anything undamaged. Ive got a busted reel of it to prove it. If it breaks under the drive, dig the drive up. Nothing else will do.

yeah yeah yeah. How many flower gardens is she going to dig in the drive?

Just go down half a meter Anna, and sod the tape.

Shingle is mandiatory in stony ground, far less so in our clay.

[Anna Kettle]

Thanks for all your comments - I'll get the pipe locally as several of you suggest but I shall try to avoid sucking fuel oil through the pipe - sounds disgusting! Luckily my fuel will be flowing downhill all the way from the tank to the boiler

Anna

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not if it goes underground...unless your boiler is below ground level. At some point it has to rise up to boiler height.

Still, get someone else to suck your pipe.

Diesel is nasuaeting and sticks around until several whiskies later ;-)