If your home heating oil tank or supply line is leaking, the first hour matters more than any other. Kerosene moves quickly through soil and towards drains, and what starts as a patch under the tank can become contaminated ground and groundwater. Work through the steps below in order — and for an active leak, call Verdé's 24/7 line on 0818 714 002 while you do.
How to know if you have a heating oil leak
The clearest signs are a strong fuel smell around the tank, boiler or hot press, visible oil or a rainbow sheen on the ground or water, and oil reaching a drain. Any one of these means treat it as an active incident rather than something to watch.
The first hour, step by step
Make the area safe
Keep people and animals away from the oil. Avoid anything that could ignite vapours near a strong fuel smell.
Stop the supply — only if safe
If you can reach the tank valve safely, closing it stops more oil escaping. Do not put yourself at risk to do it.
Keep oil away from drains and watercourses
Oil reaching a drain, stream or well is the outcome that matters most. Contain the spread if you can do so safely.
Call 0818 714 002
Verdé's 24/7 line for an active leak, a strong fuel smell or oil reaching a drain. Discuss immediate safety and mobilisation with the duty team — site arrival is confirmed on the call.
What happens after you call
Verdé handles the full response, not just the first call-out. Three staffed Irish offices — Kilcoole in Co. Wicklow, Castlebar in Co. Mayo and Cork — support nationwide cover, and your duty engineer confirms mobilisation and arrival arrangements on the call.
| Stage | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Containment | Stopping oil spreading along the ground, drains and watercourses using suitable interception and absorbents |
| Recovery | Recovering free oil and segregating contaminated materials for appropriate transport and treatment |
| Remediation | Treating affected soil and groundwater using a method selected for the actual contamination |
| Validation | Checking the result with sampling and preparing reporting and waste records for the relevant parties |
Insurance and reporting
Verdé prepares sampling, validation reporting, waste documentation and insurer or regulator liaison where required — but no guarantee that an insurer will pay is given here or on a call. If a spill may affect the public water or wastewater network, Uisce Éireann's contact details are on water.ie. Raise the incident with your insurer promptly and keep the records the clean-up produces.