is there an opening to the outside (window/door) which you could leave open?? to try and clear the smell ???
That fuel smell is horrible and difficult to track Marijke whether its from tank or boiler as it permeates all over 
They should be worried, as Florent told me āif you smell fuel then contact me straight away, itās not normal, unless after the fuel if filledā there is a problem and it needs seeing toā !
Also check outside and see what colour your smoke is and whether you have a smell in the air.
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Strange why they should have ābrickedā it up like that. All the plastic fuel tanks that I have seen are open all around, that way you can see the level.
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Thank you so much for your replies! It is very appreciated. I am having doubts about the company we signed up with as they are quite cavalier it seems. I will see if the man I contacted for a second opinion is able to come sooner.
We do have a carbon monoxide alarm. We have it in our bedroom.
We had one like that in our little gĆ®teā¦ been demolished and the cuve removedā¦ OH did it himself, not a major demolition workā¦ 
My memories from another life in UKā¦ tell me that H&S requires bunding around fuel tanksā¦ and the closer to the tank, the higher the bund/wall.
I am wondering if the farmer who emptied the tank for the Sellerā¦ damaged the tank in some wayā¦ no ideaā¦ just wonderingā¦
and I am wondering if you have had the tank filledā¦ which could/might have put pressure on an already-injured cuveā¦ 
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The tank is in a cellar which opens onto another cellar. In there there are two grates/former windows that are open and lead to the street. Last weekend our neighbour could smell the fuel smell wafting out. One thing that is probably happening as it is an old building is the smell is blowing back in again in places.
Sorry to bombard you with replies. Yes I think it is when it was emptied it was damaged. We also found out that whilst some work went on before the house was sold that the heating was used with hardly any fuel/a practically empty tank.
Hi Marijke
I honestly donāt know much about fuel heating systems, but have you been able to see/inspect the floor under the tank? You could use a cheap bendy fibre optic camera for a smart phone, or even a stick with some tissue paper on the end that might detect any spills. I would doubt just a cracked seal on the top of the tank would create the problems you have.
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Hi Annā¦ from one of the photos, it looks like a fuel gauge is fitted, which would make sense.
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OH has just looked at this threadā¦ his thoughts are along the lines that it is quite possible that a seal/gasket has been lost/damagedā¦when an unqualified person had a go at the tank (farmer perhaps)ā¦ and/or a cap has been over-tightened and imperceptibly cracked -in which case, it will seem OK but still leak fumesā¦
Get you chap to check the tank itselfā¦ and if the tank does seem OKā¦ OH recommends making sure that every cap has the correct seals, fitting NEW seals preferablyā¦ and that all caps are replaced (belt and braces)ā¦ if the smell still persistsā¦ then, it is possibly the tank itself.
OH is used to dealing with old carsā¦ so seals are something he never stints onā¦
Hope you get someone out soon, as it must be very worryingā¦
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Thanks Mark. Great idea! I will give it a try.
I hope you and Pauline are well X
Thanks a million. It is great to have all this feedback from everyone. 
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I have a fuel gauge but itās been broken for years.
I use a long plastic garden ācaneā to dip my tank, much more reliable 
Oh yes! Someone should open a National Museum of home made tank-djppers, it would surely be a huge draw.
Mine is a length of narrow guage copper pipe with a length of rubber hose as a handle at its upper extremity, designed to prevent it from knocking chips out of the buanderie ceiling. The timber ceiling itself has a decades-old black rubber stigma from many strikes at the hands of oil-dippers past and present.
I treasure my dipper, which stands in a tin can to catch oil drips, although I always wipe it clean after use. The measuring tape, oily rag, dipper and can all have their allotted places in the buanderie, and I get a warm glow thinking about them.
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We are talking fuel oil and not petrol?
Hey Peterā¦ I appreciate your initiative, but doesnāt that all leave a bit of a nasty niff ?? When the engineer services the boiler, I ensure he takes away with him every bit of rag (and whatever) that has become impregnated with the heating oil āpongāā¦
Perhaps your diet of kiwi fruit guards you against such pollutionā¦ 
(I am secretly jealous of your bumper cropā¦ pity we live at opposite ends of France)
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Good point, Stella! I will in future use essuie-tout; though our buanderie is well ventilated one doesnāt want any build up of flammable vapours.
I reckon I will manage to put the kiwis to good use, and Iāve been advised they will keep for months if stored in a cool place and arranged so they donāt touch each other. Two neighbours helped me pick the last 400 last week, using planks to negotiate the asbestos roof.
When I went round the neighbours with my basket and wearing my tablier de brasseur some more distant neighbours though I was an itinerant marchand de fruits et lƩgumes selling door to door! Apparantly I was a local talking-point for days until people sussed out it was me in disguise! 
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Just dipped my tank Peter and wiped off with kitchen roll.
I use a plastic cane with a bend on the end for a handle, the cane is flexible, hence when I raise it to dip in the tank it bends against the ceiling
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sounds to me as if you are settling-in nicely , Peterā¦ 
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There is something to be said for living in the centre of a commune, you see folk on virtually an everyday basis and get to meet more people.
I live 5 kms from my commune, I was a voulunteer for several things and even a commisar de comptes ! I did get to meet people that way, but now I am needed more at home so just join in when I can, generally in the Summer ! 
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