Heating Oil Theft Protection

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: 

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Purchase a strong and well-installed fuel tank & try to camouflage it – you can read our blog about how to do this effectively here.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.