Keeping your Heating Oil Safe from Theft
Home heating oil is essential for any house with an oil boiler, especially during the colder months. Unfortunately, it’s also a prime target for thieves. The rising cost of fuel has made it an even more desirable prize, so it’s important to take precautions.
There are 3 main ways that thieves could steal your fuel –
Siphoning – Using a hose or a tube to siphon fuel directly out of the tank – favoured by thieves due to its speed and efficiency, allowing them to steal large quantities of oil in a relatively short time.
Puncturing the fuel tank – Thieves drill small holes in the tank, causing the oil to leak out slowly. These holes can be difficult to detect, making it challenging to discover the theft until a significant amount of oil is missing.
Tampering with fuel caps – They may attempt to manipulate or force open fuel caps to gain access to the heating oil inside.
Using a monitoring device and our tracking app, Barton Connect, you can track the amount of oil being used – if you notice your oil suddenly dropping or consumption levels are looking unusual, you can tell right away.
There are a few measures you can take to avoid your fuel being stolen, including the following:
- Install an alarm on your fuel tank. These can range from £100 – £900, but it’s the best way to scare an intruder and keep them away from the tank.
- When checking or adding to your fuel tank, check for any spilt oil around the area. This could be a sign that someone has been interfering with your tank.
- If possible, try to avoid installing your tank in a dark or remote area. When living in a rural area this can be harder to achieve, especially since it needs to be over 20 feet away from any structures, but if you have the space, opt for a less remote area.
- Purchase a strong and well-installed fuel tank & try to camouflage it – you can read our blog about how to do this effectively here.
- Install lockable gates – acting like a protective barrier around your tank, especially in rural areas, gates can put thieves off and make it harder for them to access your fuel tank.
- Install CCTV cameras around the area – this can act both as a deterrent and can also be useful for catching criminals in the event of a theft. Pair this with motion light sensors for some extra security.
- Use the built-in lock or padlock feature on your tank if it has one.
With fuel crime rising every year, it’s important to take precautions against theft. Barton Connect is our in-house app that tracks your fuel usage, alerting you when you may need a top-up, but also highlighting suspicious activity. We keep an eye on this at the Barton offices and you can track this on your app dashboard yourself – find out more about the monitor and app here.