Commercial fuel tank replacement in London with a HIAB crane lifting a new 9,200-litre oil tank over a hedgerow
Case Study — Tank Replacement

9,200 Litre Tank
Replacement & New
Underground Fuel Line

London September 2026 3 days on site
9,200L
Tank Removed & Replaced
2 inch
New Underground Fuel Line
3 Days
Two Engineers On Site
0.5 bar
Pressure Test Passed
Project Overview

A full tank replacement and a new buried fuel line

Site survey showing the route between the existing 9,200-litre oil tank and the pump house in London
Site survey — measuring the distance and angles from the tank across to the pump house wall

A commercial site in London needed its ageing 9,200 litre oil tank replaced — and the buried line feeding its pump house renewed at the same time.

Britteco removed the old tank, lifted a new bunded tank into the existing bund by Hiab, and installed a completely new two-inch underground fuel line from the tank to the customer's pump house. Every joint was sleeved and set beneath an inspection chamber, and the finished run was pressure tested before any fuel went back in.

The customer had already excavated the main pipe runs and lifted the pathway, so the team had full access from day one. An initial site inspection found no unexpected works, and RAMS were submitted and agreed with the customer before anything started.

Written from the site engineer's own job record. Every photograph below is from the project's own photo record.
LocationLondon
ScopeTank Replacement & Underground Fuel Line
Programme2 Engineers, 3 Days
Before & After

Same bund.
A tank with decades left in it.

The original tank had reached the end of its service life. The replacement sits in the same bund — cleaned and prepared — with new pipework and alarms around it.

Original 9,200-litre commercial oil tank before removal during a replacement project in London
Before — the original 9,200 litre tank, with its old feed pipework and gauge
New 9,200-litre commercial oil tank installed inside a masonry bund in London
After — the new bunded tank in the prepared bund, fill line running out to the filler cabinet
The Challenge

Good access.
No room for shortcuts.

Nothing on this site was difficult on its own. What made it a three-day job was the sequence — fuel, tank, pipework and alarms all had to come apart and go back together in the right order.

01

Fuel Still In The Tank

The old tank still held usable fuel. It had to be uplifted into IBCs, kept on site and returned to the new tank rather than written off as waste.

02

No Vehicle Access To The Bund

A hedgerow sits between the access route and the bund, so the new tank had to be lifted over it by Hiab, with a banksman in attendance throughout the lift.

03

A Buried Run Under The Path

The new two-inch line had to step down roughly a metre from the tank, pass under the pathway beside the pump house, then rise and enter through the wall.

04

Joints You Cannot Dig Up Twice

Every joint on the buried run had to stay reachable for inspection, so a chamber was set over each one before any of it was backfilled.

Programme

Three days on site.
Two engineers, one sequence.

Everything was sequenced so nothing stayed open longer than it had to be — fuel out, old tank away, new tank in, then pipework, alarms and testing.

01

Tank Removal & Lift-In

Fuel uplifted into IBCs, old tank cut up and taken away for recycling, new tank craned into the prepared bund.

02

Pipework

Old pipework cut out and isolated, new two-inch line threaded, sleeved and run under the path into the pump house.

03

Alarms, Testing & Handover

Filler cabinet and alarms fitted, the full run pressure tested, fuel restored and the site reinstated.

Day One

Tank Removal & Lift-In

The first day cleared the bund and put the new tank in place.

Any fuel left in the old tank was uplifted into IBCs so it could go straight back in once the new tank was commissioned. With the tank empty, it was cut up on site and taken away to be recycled.

The new tank arrived at midday. The existing bund was cleaned and prepared while it was offloaded, then the tank was lifted over the hedgerow by Hiab — a lift that required a banksman under the site's health and safety arrangements.

  • Remaining fuel uplifted into IBCs and retained on site
  • Old tank cut up and removed for recycling
  • Existing bund cleaned and prepared for the new tank
  • Hiab lift over the hedgerow with a banksman in attendance
HIAB crane lifting the new 9,200-litre oil tank over the hedgerow into the prepared bund in London
The new tank lifted over the hedgerow by Hiab, with a banksman in attendance
Day Two

Old Pipework Out, New Line In

With the tank set, the second day was all pipework.

The customer's old pipework was cut out and disconnected from the pumping station. Isolation points were locked off and equipment switched off before anything was opened up. The pipework that came out was sent away for recycling in line with Britteco's ISO 9001 processes.

The new two-inch line was then installed: stepped down roughly a metre from the tank, run under the path beside the pumping station, then up and through the wall. Each length was cut to size, threaded and made up with PTFE tape and joint paste on every joint, before being enclosed in a plastic sleeve and painted.

  • Isolation points locked off before anything was disconnected
  • Old pipework removed and sent away for recycling
  • Two-inch line cut, threaded and jointed with PTFE tape and joint paste
  • Full run enclosed in protective casing and painted
Excavated trench and wall entry point prepared for a new two-inch fuel line into the pump house in London
The entry point into the customer’s pump house, where the new two-inch line passes through the wall
Day Three

Fill Point, Alarms & Pressure Test

The last day connected everything up — and proved it.

The underground run was completed and connected to the customer's equipment, with inspection hatches added over the joints. The filler cabinet was connected to the bund with two-inch pipework: 1.5 metres to a 90 degree elbow, then a levelled run above the tank to a second elbow feeding into it.

A digital bund alarm and an overfill alarm were fitted inside the filler cabinet, with their wiring fed up the pipework and into the tank. Every length of pipework was then pressure tested for leaks to 0.5 bar before fuel went back in and both alarms were tested.

  • Inspection hatches fitted over every buried joint
  • Digital bund alarm and overfill alarm installed and wired
  • All pipework pressure tested for leaks to 0.5 bar
  • Fuel restored, valves locked off, every joint visually inspected
Filler cabinet with digital bund and overfill alarms installed beside a new commercial oil tank in London
The completed filler cabinet, with the digital bund alarm, overfill alarm and gauge
Photo Record

The buried run,
start to finish.

The part of the job that disappears underground is the part worth photographing. This is what went in — and how it was protected before it was covered over.

Original underground fuel pipework exposed in an excavated trench during a commercial tank replacement project in London
The original buried pipework exposed in the trench, new sleeving stacked ready to go in
New two-inch underground fuel pipe installed in protective sleeve with an inspection chamber in London
The new two-inch line inside its protective sleeve, with a chamber set over the joint
New underground fuel line marked with oil pipeline warning tape before backfilling in London
Warning tape laid the full length of the run before backfilling, at the entrance to the property
Project Results

One tank replaced.
One buried line renewed.

The site went from an end-of-life tank on old pipework to a new bunded tank, a fully sleeved and chambered two-inch line, and two alarms proven on handover — inside the three days allowed.

9,200L
Tank Removed and Replaced
2 inch
New Underground Fuel Line
0.5 bar
Pressure Test Passed
2
Alarms Fitted and Tested

Left Clean, Documented and Working

With both alarms proven and every joint checked over, fuel was restored to the locked valves and sand and warning tape were laid along the full length of the run before backfilling. The site was left clean and tidy, and the project paperwork was completed and handed over.

Commercial Tank Replacement Bunded Oil Tank Installation Underground Fuel Line Hiab Lift Inspection Chambers Overfill Alarm Bund Alarm Pressure Testing Tank Recycling

Common questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a commercial oil tank replacement take?

It depends on access and the pipework. This London job, with a 9,200-litre tank and a new buried fuel line, took three days on site with two engineers, including removal, lift-in, pipework, testing and handover.

What happens to the fuel still in the old tank?

It is pumped out before the tank is moved and, where the fuel is in good condition, transferred into the new tank so it is not wasted.

Can you replace a tank when vehicles cannot reach the bund?

Yes. When a lorry cannot get close, we plan the lift from the nearest suitable position or move the tank in and out by other means. The method is agreed during the site survey.

Why replace an underground fuel line at the same time as the tank?

Old buried pipework can leak without anyone noticing. Replacing the line while the site is already open avoids a second disruption and means the whole supply, from tank to pump house, is new and tested.

What do you hand over at the end of a tank replacement?

A working, tested system with fill point, alarms and pipework checked, plus project records and photographs for your files.

Discuss Your Project

Need a tank replaced or a new fuel line run?

Britteco replaces commercial oil and fuel tanks across the UK — removal and recycling, bunded tank installation, underground pipework, alarms and pressure testing, all handled as one managed project.

Get a Quote Call 0800 677 1155
Call 24/7 Get a Quote