Northern Irish pensioner's warning after home heating oil tank cracks in the sun

Trevor McCusker is warning people to check their tanks for any problems

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A Co Antrim pensioner has issued a warning to people with home heating oil tanks after his cracked in the sun.

Trevor McCusker from Ballyclare is asking people to check their home heating oil tanks for any possible signs of damage after finding that his had split in the recent warm weather, leaving the oil inside exposed and the 75-year-old having to purchase a costly new one.

He told Belfast Live that he discovered the split this week, just days after spending hundreds of pounds putting new oil into the tank.

Read more: Cost of Living: Northern Ireland energy firms announce price cuts

Trevor says that he has had the single-skin tank for around 15 years and has found that they only have a 10 year warranty. Due to warm weather and exposure to the sun, he says that the tank swole before splitting and is worried that others could be facing the same issue.

He has had to have the oil drained from the broken tank and spent over £1,000 on a new double-skinned one.

Trevor said: "I think that it is important that people are checking their oil tanks for any sign of damage in this warm weather, particularly if they are over 10 years old and exposed to the sun.

"The tanks can swell which can cause them to later crack, leaving the oil inside exposed which could cause a lot of problems.

"I would be worried that there is anyone else out there who's tank might have similar issues because they need to be dealt with urgently and it can be very expensive to purchase a new tank, which can be more than £1,000 itself.

"These single skin tanks can only have a 10-year warranty, so any after this could be at risk, and I would advise people to get a double skinned one for extra protection."

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