By Elisabeth Weber, ESS
In 1955, it was actually legal in Denmark for oil installations with a tank capacity of over 1200 liters of oil to be fitted with a siphon switch that could prevent the accidental outflow of oil, but this requirement, like other things, has quietly disappeared from the oil tank order.
Today, not many oil boiler technicians use an anti-siphon valve, perhaps they don’t know it at all. I believe this is a mistake, as the anti-siphon valve can go a long way in protecting against oil spills from leaking oil hoses that are under constant pressure from an oil tank, where the oil itself flows to the burner.
Even if the oil hoses are consistently changed every 5 years, a newer hose can also leak, as the lifespan of these is, as you know, highly dependent on the current conditions, influences and quality. If an anti-siphon valve is fitted between the oil hose and the melt protection valve, this will effectively shut off the oil supply when the oil burner is not running and thereby relieve the oil hoses.
If the oil hose leaks, the oil pump cannot establish a vacuum and the burner will stop, the OR technician will be called and the problem solved without oil spillage.
The advantage of the anti-siphon valve mounted after the melt safety valve is that the oil supply after the melt safety valve is always closed when the burner is stopped. This is particularly an advantage on all plants with above-ground tanks. It also works when the customer has gone on holiday, so that he does not come home to an unpleasant surprise in the form of oil spillage from a leaking oil hose and an empty oil tank.
It should be a requirement in the oil tank order that the anti-siphon valve be made mandatory on all above-ground oil tanks.
Installations where the oil itself runs up to the oil burner must be self-signed for this fuse with an anti-siphon valve.