What sizes do heating oil tanks come in?

**NOTE: It is possible that a piece of information in this previously posted blog may have changed due to manufacturer warranty changes, therefor any reference to a 10-year warranty on basic Granby tanks is no longer accurate. The new warranty period on basic single wall tanks is 1 or 3 years depending on installation method. Note this does NOT effect 20, 25 or 30 year warranty tanks they are the same as stated.**

Heating oil tanks come in many, many different sizes, and if you have read some of our other blogs you will know there is a big difference between Underground Storage Tanks or UST’s, and Aboveground Storage Tanks or AST’s. There is also difference between commercial and residential. Today we will focus on residential tanks.

First lets start with Aboveground tanks, they will range from a small 110 gallons up to a 1,000 gallon. There are 2 major manufacturers of residential heating oil storage tanks, Granby & Roth. Granby is a tank manufacturer based in Canada, with over 60 years of experience, and the major tank supplier for tanks installed in Maryland. They manufacture residential heating oil tanks in many sizes, colors, double wall, single wall, and many warranty options ranging from 10 to 30 years. Single wall tanks come in vertical models and horizontal models. The standard are vertical tanks, with horizontal tanks typically being reserved for under porches, under decks, and in basements/crawlspaces with low headroom clearance.

Single wall Vertical tank model sizes with a 10 year warranty sizes are as follows:

• 120 gallon
• 138 gallon
• 220 gallon
• 230 gallon
• 240 gallon
• 275 gallon
• 330 gallon

The 3 most common sizes used in Maryland in order of most frequently used are #1 – 275,

#2 – 330, #3 – 240 gallons. 275 is “the standard” that you see outside of many peoples houses and when you get quoted a price for a tank install this is the initial size that is quoted. This size is typically sufficient for many homeowners, with a few exceptions. If you have more than 2 units – ie. 2 furnaces or boilers or 1 furnace and 1 water heater, you may need a larger tank. You may also need a larger tank if you live in an area where it may be difficult for the oil delivery truck to reach you in a large snowfall.

For Single wall 10-year warranty Horizontal tanks, the sizes are:

• 138 gallon
• 240 gallon
• 275 gallon
• 330 gallon

20-year Warranty tanks are Polyurethane coated, single wall & they are called Standard 20 PLUS

Vertical tanks come in 275 gallon and 330 gallon sizes

20-year Horizontal model only comes in 275 gallon size

25-year Warranty tanks come with a double bottom for an added layer of protection

These tanks are vertical and come in 275 and 330 gallon sizes

30-year Warranty tanks are Polyurethane coated & come with a double bottom

These tanks are vertical and come in 275 and 330 gallon sizes

For the larger tanks they are in the light commercial line of tanks and come in single wall and double wall. These tanks are cylindrical in shape and are on skids.

Single wall skid tanks are either: 

• 500 gallon
• 1000 gallon

Double wall tanks are available in the same sizes.

ROTH TANK also manufacturers aboveground residential heating oil tanks. These come standard with a 30-year warranty and $2,000,000 of leak insurance from the manufacturer. All ROTH tanks are double walled, with the inner wall being high density polyethylene and outer wall being galvanized steel. Roth tank must be installed by a factory certified person or the warranty is void. ROTH tanks come in the following sizes:

• 110 gallon
• 165 gallon
• 275 gallon
• 275 gallon (Low Profile)
• 400 gallon

Again, with the 275 gallon being the most common size installed in Maryland. However the 400 gallon is an excellent choice if you are looking for more storage volume and a long lifespan.

UNDERGROUND TANKS (or BURIED TANKS)

For an OLD existing in the ground buried tank the sizes are also widely varied. They can be:

• 275 gallon (that was never meant to be buried, but was common practice many years ago)
• 290 gallon
• 300 gallon
• 550 gallon
• 1,000 gallon

Some residential properties in Maryland do have tanks that are larger than a 1000 gallon, but that is a much less common one of the heating oil tank sizes. Baltimore City & Baltimore County are two such areas that we have seen over our many years of experience, that could possibly have tanks larger than a 1,000 gallon at a residential property. We have removed buried tanks from residential properties in these areas that have been 1500 gallon, 2000 gallon, 4000 gallon, 4500 gallon & 6000 gallon. However those are by no means common for homeowners.

For New underground tank installations in a residential setting the options in todays market are much less.  The tanks are only single wall & size options are:

• 300 gallon
• 500 gallon
• 1000 gallon

There is also an option for a Cathodic Protected Underground Tank that has a 30 year warranty, and comes in a 500 or a 1000 gallon.

So, as you can see the tank size, warranty and style of tank options are varied. Call GreenTRAX and let us help you decide which tank size and warranty best suit your needs.