My garden is unusable because of the smell

EmLovs

Hoping someone can give me some guidance. My attached neighbours oil tank is right next to our boundary wall and has a vent pointing over the fence. Every time there's the littlest bit of sunshine my garden and house stinks. I have to keep the back door and windows closed to try and keep it out but when you open the door to use the garden the smell of the oil tanks hits you right in the face, to the point you can taste it for hours afterwards. My eyes are steaming writing this and the odour can be trigger for my chronic migraines.

Is there anything I can do or do I have to just put up with it. We're not on speaking terms as it is (never have been, not done anything, when we moved in and said hi it was responded with "we don't talk to neighbours or trust anyone"). They are council renters, we own privately. Can I just message the council? Everyone else in the street are gas or electric, these neighbours insist on being "off grid" and pay oil company cash for the oil.

PC7060

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/197335/my-garden-is-unusable-because-of-the-smell

I’d reach out to code enforcement to see what set back requirement exist for fuel tanks.
You mentioned “council renter”; are you located in the UK? If so I’d definitely contact the council who owned the property or the body responsible for environmental code enforcement.

Let us know how it works out.

PC7060

Assuming you are in the UK, this site may be helpful.
Minimum setback appears to be 780 mm from boundary line (about 31”). This would also apply to any venting pipes.

Edit: the tank shown in the image at top of page appears to be right on property line. 🙃

https://www.tanksrus.co.uk/blog/oil-tanks-from-house#:~:text=760mm%20from%20a%20boundary.,example%2C%20a%20garden%20shed).

EBEBRATT-Ed

Hard to believe an oil tank could result in such an obnoxious smell.

But yes call code enforcement that is the first step.

Does this smell continue for 24 hours a day 7 days a week?

Mad Dog_2

Sounds more like a leak that has soaked in.Call your Local HealthDept too. This is an environmental issue..Mad Dog

Jamie Hall

If they are council renters — it's the council's problem, and only the council's to solve. Get in touch with them, but… well, good luck.

Mad Dog_2

I'd be concerned there is an active oil leak that has leached in to the soil. You shouldn't be getting such odors front Fuel oil tank vent..On fill up ? OK, but once it's settled all the vent is doing is keeping the tank from going in to a vacuum..Mad Dog 🐕

JUGHNE

I have worked on several leaking underground tank projects.

You could not smell anything until the digging started. Then the fumes would just about knock you out.

Diesel and gas both when in the dirt really cook up some smells.

Do you have a basement or cellar, do you smell anything under your house? If you dig in the garden close to the boundary line do you smell oil in the soil?

As stated above, this could be an "oil spill" environmental disaster.

mattmia2

I wonder if the UK uses some different grade of oil that has more volatile components.

Derheatmeister

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1804741#Comment_1804741

Probably the other way around… i.e Lower sulphur contend in Europe.

Derheatmeister

One of my ex neighbors in Bergen County NJ had a oil spill after a large amount of water entered the Burried oil tank..

This can be a Natural process…Water/Heavy downpour settled in the bottom and pushed the oil out of the top and into the Yard.

Bad stuff..😫

JDHW

if this is the uk there a few things to consider. Most council rented properties have been farmed out to housing associations so the local council/local authority no longer owns and manage the property. Whoever is responsble for the maintenance of the heating system will person who needs to sort this out. The maintainer of the heating system will inspect the storage tank and comment on conditon and report any leaks after every visit.

Modern/replacement oil tanks must be bunded (double skinned) and there are more strict rules on where they can be located. The tank being described could be old and located under much older regulations.

The body really responsible is the national Environment Agency but I don't know if they delegate responsibility to local authorities for domestic heating oil.

Of you believe there is an oil leak (the concensous here seems this is likely) contact the Environment Agency and ask for advice. On way or another this should get things moving.

John

D107

@EmLovs You wrote that every time there's a 'little sunshine' the smell comes—did you mean just early morning but not when it's cloudy or not at night?

ArthurTaylor

I wonder what the actual smell is. Could it be oil tank algae? That would be a very bad smell and she does not say that it smells like a diesel truck stop.

ethicalpaul

the sun heats the tank, causing oil fume air to be pushed out, it isn’t much of a mystery. Oil smells bad <shrug>

or like Matt said, it’s leaking or they spill it when they fill it.

PC7060

I believe the OP, @EmLovs has left the building. No visits since posting. Too bad. We may be left wondering.

Teemok

If it is just VOC off gassing from sun heating, a carbon filter might be a good mitigation. Protecting a ready made one from the weather and how long it lasts is a question. water is the enemy of charcoal when filtering gases. They aren't that expensive and one for that application isn't hard to make. Filling a vertical 4'-4" plastic pipe with activated coconut charcoal pellets with screen to keep them in at the bottom. Keep the bottom off the ground and use a water tight connection to the tank vent pipe at the top. That would be my college try. That is, if I knew for a fact the smell comes from JUST the vent pipe termination.

Teemok

@PC7060 The letter agencies have by now moved her and her neighbor out for safety to conduct three months of testing.