No tanks: Homeowners needing to replace oil tanks could be out in the cold

Islanders with an oil tank due for replacement this year might find it hard to track down a new one.

The province is sending out letters to P.E.I. homeowners warning that fibreglass heating oil tanks are in short supply, with COVID-related supply problems to blame.

"The replacement fibreglass tanks are a little difficult to get and there may be a scarcity of them come on at the end of the year, so please book and order them now," advises Steven Townsend, the province's chief boiler inspector.

"We don't want you come November, desperately trying to find some oil tank that is not there."

Townsend said there's a shortage of staff and raw materials at the two factories in the Maritimes that manufacture fibreglass tanks.

More than 1,300 single-bottom steel-wall tanks are due for replacement this year under rules introduced back in 2014.

When the rules changed nearly a decade ago, homeowners were told their existing tanks had to be replaced as early as 15 years from the date of manufacture, as shown on the tanks' inspection tags. 

New tanks "must be non-metallic material or a double-bottom tank with bottom outlet," according to an online summary of the provincial regulations. 

Leaks from outdated metal tanks can cause expensive environmental damage, and thus huge liability issues for property owners.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada has warned that depending on the circumstances, homeowners could find themselves 100 per cent responsible for cleanup costs if there's a leak — and the bill could be hundreds of thousands of dollars.