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ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS - INSPECT, TEST, REMEDY HEATING SYSTEMS OIL TANKS INSPECT LEAK TEST ABANDON REGS ABANDONING OIL TANKS ABOVE GROUND OIL TANK INSPECTIONS BURIED OIL TANK ADVICE BURIED OIL TANKS, FINDING FLOATING UP OIL STORAGE or SEPTIC TANKS FUEL OIL TYPES & CHARACTERISTICS HEATING OIL EXPOSURE HAZARDS, LIMITS HEATING OIL SHELF LIFE OIL TANK ABANDONING PROCEDURE ABANDONMENT REGULATIONS EPA OIL TANK ABANDONMENT GUIDE OIL TANK ABANDONMENT DETAILED STEPS OIL TANK LEAK PREVENTION GUIDE OIL TANK TEMPORARILY OUT OF USE AVOIDING CAVE-INs at OUTDOOR OIL TANKS INDOOR OIL TANK ABANDONMENT OUTDOOR OIL TANK ABANDONMENT REMOVING OLD FUEL FROM OIL TANKS OIL TANK FAILURE CAUSES OIL TANK FAILURE RATES OIL TANK GAUGES OIL TANK INSPECTION REPORTS OIL TANK LEGAL ISSUES OIL TANK LEAK ADVICE OIL TANK LEAK ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES FREQUENCY of OIL TANK LEAKS HOME INSPECTOR OIL TANK REPORT OIL TANK LEAK IMPACTS OIL TANK LEAK CAUSES OIL TANK LEAK CLEANUP GUIDE OIL TANK LEAK REPORTING REGULATIONS - ALL OIL TANK REGULATIONS - CANADA OIL TANK LEAK TESTING LEAKY OIL TANK FILL PIPES OIL TANK LEAK REPORTING BASICS WHAT IF AN OIL TANK IS LEAKING? OIL TANK LIFE OIL TANK PIPING DEFECTS OIL TANK PRESSURE OIL TANK REGULATIONS OIL TANK LEAK REPORTING BASICS OIL TANK LEAK REPORTING REGULATIONS - ALL OIL TANK REGULATIONS - CANADA OIL TANK LEAK REPORTING in NEW JERSEY BULK STORAGE OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS OIL TANK REMOVAL COs OIL TANK REMOVAL FINANCIAL AID OIL TANK SAFETY OIL TANK SLUDGE OIL TANK STANDARDS OIL TANK SUPPORT OIL TANK TESTING Mesa 2-D TEST for OIL TANK LEAKS PRESSURE TESTING OIL TANKS SOIL TESTING FOR OIL TANK LEAKS STANDARDS FOR TANK TESTING ULTRASOUND TEST for AST OIL TANKS WATER in OIL TANKS, TEST FOR OIL TANK TESTING COs OIL TANK WATER CONTAMINATION More Information  InspectAPedia ® Home & Site MapInspectAPedia Blog - News Updates AIR CONDITIONING & HEAT PUMPS BOOKSTORE ELECTRICAL ENERGY SAVINGS ENVIRONMENT EXTERIORS HEATING HOME INSPECTION INSULATION INTERIORS MOLD INSPECT/TEST PLUMBING ROOFING SEPTIC SYSTEMS SOLAR ENERGY STRUCTURE VENTILATION WATER SUPPLY ACCURACY & PRIVACY POLICIES CONTACT |
This document informs readers in detail about the issues surrounding leaking oil tanks, describes oil tank inspection and tank testing methods, suggests what a home inspector is obligated to do and report if an oil leak is found, and provides links to more detail about above ground and buried oil and other storage tanks. Leaking oil tanks are not only a concern as contaminants of the water supply, but have become an increasing general environmental concern addressed by the DEC. Leaking commercial equipment and even simply-suspect equipment have been extremely costly to address. Such burdens were never anticipated when the equipment was installed. While similar regulations pertaining to residential installations are scarce, this topic is of growing concern to home owners and home buyers. This article explores opinions and suggestions culled from news articles, discussions in several states and provinces, and discussions among several home inspectors. © Copyright 2010 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website. INTRODUCTION - to Residential Buried Oil Tanks
New concerns about leakage and environmental pollution raise warnings about buried tanks. (Reference: Standards of the National Board of Fire Underwriters, as referenced by "Domestic and Commercial Oil Burners,", Charles H. Burkhardt, 1961, 3rd Ed., McGraw Hill Book Company, p. 172.) In states where oil is used for residential space and water heaters, oil storage tanks are found buried outside (550 or 1080 gallons), outside above ground (often a 275-gallon "indoor" tank never intended for weather exposure), and inside (275 to 550 gallons maximum). Leaks at any of these tanks are at risk of causing environmental damage. In one older property we found an indoor tank leaking directly into the casing of a private well which was located in the basement! New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation has been developing and enforcing a Petroleum Bulk Storage Program since the early 1980's. The goal of this program is to prevent leaks and spills of petroleum into the environment. The New York State DEC estimates that there may be as many as 185,000 above and underground tanks storing petroleum in New York State subject to DEC regulations. Many of the tanks installed in the 1950's and 60's are bare steel and have a fifty percent chance of developing leaks today. Currently the regulations apply to any facility with a combined capacity (liquid non-waste petroleum-based oils) which exceeds 1,100 gallons but is less than 400,000 gallons. No individual unregulated site can exceed 1,100 gallons; if the owner has a 1,000 gallon tank out by the garage and another 275 gallon tank for heating oil the regulations still apply. (Reference: Telephone conversation, author with Southern New York office of the Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC ca 1988.) The regulations require that these facilities must be registered with the state. Depending on the size, age, location, and type of product stored the system may have to be upgraded or tested. FREQUENCY OF OIL TANK LEAKS - Frequency of & Responding to Oil Leaks in Underground (Buried) Oil Storage Tanks - Residential
They also found 2.5 fuel line leaks per 1000 customers. (Fuel Oil and Oil Heat magazine, August 1985 p.18.) A study of 500 underground fuel storage tanks was completed for the U.S. EPA and studied tanks on Long Island in New York in 1988. See "[Fuel Storage] Tank Corrosion Study", U.S. EPA report on gasoline and oil tank corrosion, November 1988. Of those 500 storage tanks about half were used for gasoline storage and about one fourth were used for home heating oil storage. But significantly the underground storage tank leak rate did not depend on what fuel was being stored. More recent oil tank leak data scan be difficult to obtain. TANK FAILURE RATES gives details and statistics about the chances that an oil tank is leaking or about to leak or has already leaked. ABOVE GROUND OIL TANK INSPECTIONS discusses the visual inspection of above ground tanks for evidence of leaks or other defects. Usual Reasons for Oil Storage Tank Leaks - Rust PerforationUnderground fuel storage tanks usually fail from rust perforation due to several effects of water inside the tank including, in the case of heating oil, combination of water with sulphur in the fuel. External rust, unless very heavy, isn't highly correlated with internal rust. A new tank can involve significant expense. Oil tank leaks are also caused by mechanical damage during installation,oil fill, vent, or supply piping errors, corrosive soil conditions, possibly by oil tank manufacturing defects, possibly indirectly, by weather conditions and in-tank condensation, and finally, by delivery of bad oil that contains excessive amounts of water. OIL TANK FAILURE CAUSES gives details about the causes of oil tank leaks
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES - Regarding Underground Oil Storage Tanks (USTs)The U.S. Department of Environmental Conservation has a program registering buried tanks at any site storing more than 1100 gallons of heating oil. Requirements for gas (auto fuel), or other fuels may be different. Eventually this concern may spread to smaller residential tanks. The concern is for leaks
which contaminate the environment. Tanks located where they may leak into a OIL TANK REGULATIONS gives details about the regulations which require reporting leaks and which govern oil tank abandonment OIL TANK LEAK IMPACT vs REGULATIONS- How are we affected by oil tank regulations?On-site oil storage capacity can require tank registration: It is not unusual for a homeowner in the Northeastern U.S. to have installed additional storage tanks during the energy crisis of the 1970. The added storage can bring the capacity of the property above the 1,100 gallon threshold and under the DEC regulations. Many older homes with underground steel tanks have a good chance of developing a leak. We should provide our clients with this information. They can then make an informed decision to seek additional data and can also decide if testing should be performed. WHAT IF An OIL TANK IS LEAKING? - What if an oil-fired heating tank or system is leaking? Oil Tank Leak Reporting RequirementsA leaking above ground oil tank may be discovered by simple visual observation. Leaks in buried tanks require special testing methods to locate and then test the tank for leaks or the soil for past leakage. If you see a leaky oil tank or an oil spill: In New York (and in most other jurisdictions) anyone visually inspecting a petroleum storage tank of any size and finding that the system is leaking must report the leak to state environmental authorities. In New York State an oil leak must be reported within two hours to New York DEC. The New York Oil spill hotline is 1-800-457-6362. For other states see the state contact information listed at OIL TANK REGULATIONS. We do not consider a minor drip onto the boiler room floor at a bad fitting a reportable leak for these purposes. (Beware! A small leak at an oil line can result in air entry into the system which can create other dangerous conditions at the equipment.) Test oil tanks for presence of waterBuried fuel tanks should be tested for amount of water present in tank bottom, and any water should be pumped out. Water corrodes the tank and leads to leaks. So if there is a lot of water in the tank we are more concerned about the chances that inside-tank corrosion is severe and there is a greater risk of tank leaks. While we've found them lasting longer, a common life expectancy of buried oil tanks is 10-15 years. We do not have the same data for gas tanks. Life may be similar. If the tank is to remain in use, ask your fuel supplier about using an additive or other methods to help remove water. What should a home inspector report to a client about buried oil tanks?Inform clients that a buried heating oil tank is installed using at least the following text:A buried fuel tank is installed at this property. Such components are not inspected (tested) during a home or building inspection unless specific prior test arrangements have been made for advice by an appropriate expert. More information on what to do about inspecting, testing, abandoning, or replacing oil tanks is available at the "Oil Tank Home Page"InspectAPedia.com/oiltanks/tanks.htm . Share this Article
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