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Pipe indicates buried oil tankReport Evidence of a Buried Oil Storage Tank
Report Language for Visual Evidence of a UST

This document describes and provides home inspection report language for reporting evidence of buried heating oil tanks.

Beyond the costly problem of leaky heating oil tanks, this series of articles lists other important safety or oil-fired equipment operational defects in home and light commercial heating oil storage and piping systems - see the links listed at the ARTICLE INDEX the bottom of this article .

This sample home inspection report language may assist home owners or home buyers in understanding risks associated with both buried and above ground oil or other fuel storage tanks at their property. The oil tank and oil piping inspection report language explains the need for action and indicates where more information can be obtained. Contact us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

How to Report the Presence or Suspected Presence of a BURIED OIL Storage TANK - Found or Suspected at a Property

Evidence of a buried oil tank Watch out: old buried fuel storage tanks at a property may be of un-known use, un-known fuel, un-known condition, and they may be quite dangerous. Hazards include sudden collapse (someone walking over the tank could be injured), and even explosion.

Two workers died when a backyard fuel tank exploded in Westchester County, New York in 2015. Initial reports indicated that the type of fuel storage tank was un-known, possibly oil, LP gas, or liquid gasoline. On 7 May 2015, two workers who were removing the tank, located in Hastings-on-Hudson, were killed as the tank exploded and flew 75 feet through the air.

An environmental consultant cited in a New York Times report posed that the tank probably contained gasoline and that explosive fumes may have been ignited by a spark from a hand-tool or by static electricity during the tank removal. - The New York Times, 8 may 2015.

Beginning at OIL TANK, BURIED, FINDING we provide a series of articles explaining how, beginning with a visual inspection and a review of the history of a building's heating equipment, an inspector or property owner can find evidence that there is or was a buried oil storage tank, also known as underground storage tank or UST, at a property.

Some visual clues can provide compelling evidence that a UST is or was at a property, such as the cut-off abandoned copper tubing oil lines a foundation wall such as in the photograph above.

[Click to enlarge any image]

The presence of these abandoned copper pipes does not tell us whether or not the underground storage tank has been tested, abandoned in place, or removed.

The oil filler pipe found on the property shown at the top of this page is firm evidence that the underground oil storage tank is still in place - it would be improbable that a buried oil would or even could be removed while leaving its filler pipe in place.

In fact home buyers need to be alert for the opposite possibility - that a buried tank remains in place, without proper abandonment, but someone has simply unscrewed and removed the oil tank fill and vent piping that previously were visible above ground.

Sample oil tank inspection report language for buried oil tanks where an oil tank sweep was not performed

Here are some example inspection report statements useful if an inspector sees evidence that could or does point to a UST having been at a property.

A buried fuel tank [heating oil storage tank] [LP gas storage tank] [unknown type of fuel storage tank] is [was, or appears to have been] installed at this property. Such components are not inspected during a home or building inspection unless specific prior test arrangements have been made for advice by an appropriate expert. Some general advice is below.

[For clients in New York, you should call the US Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for advice in this matter. The Southern New York area office is in New Paltz, NY, at 914-255-5453. For clients in other states or provinces, call your local department of environmental protection for advice.]

Other inspection report language where evidence of a UST is visually apparent:

A buried oil tank is installed, appears to still be connected to oil burning equipment, and could not be directly inspected.

We saw the following evidence that a buried oil storage tank is or was in use at this property:

Oil tank tank piping connected to oil burning equipment exits the building through a floor or wall, as we found at ...

Oil tank fill and vent piping were observed outside the building on the surrounding property, as we observed at ...

Before completing purchase of a property that has or had a buried oil tank, to avoid what could be a very significant oil tank removal or oil spill cleanup cost, you need to have satisfied one of the following: conditions:

What to do if a buried oil tank is or was present but is no longer in use

Old heating oil tank being removed (C) Daniel FriedmanPhoto: a large underground oil storage tank (UST) being removed at a property during other construction work.

Watch out: Even if we are told that a tank has been "removed" or "abandoned" we need to review the documentation to gain confidence that the tank abandonment in place or tank removal were done properly and that proper inspections and (where appropriate) tests were performed to assure that the site is not contaminated.

Ultimate cleanup costs where buried oil tank leaks were discovered at properties we have examined have varied between $8,000. and $675,000. in site cleanup costs. We issue a warning to the property buyer or owner. This warning has led to further site investigation, tank testing, and savings in avoiding costly surprises for our clients.

What to do if a buried oil tank continues in use

At end of the day, you need reliable documentation that shows that either there has been no leakage and a proper tank abandonment has been performed, or if there was leakage, that a proper cleanup has been performed.

If the oil storage tank is a newer buried model (perhaps a fiberglass or multi-walled oil storage tank) and if the oil tank is in good condition it may not need to be abandoned.

But if older oil storage tanks were used, were removed, or remain abandoned at the property you still need to satisfy the requirements of this paragraph. The discussion which follows explains the risks and gives detailed advice about what to do about buried or above ground oil tanks and tank leaks.

Also see text and oil tank defect photographs at ABOVE GROUND OIL STORAGE TANK (AST) INSPECTION

Should and can a home inspector report casually-observed clues pointing to a buried oil tank?

In our opinion, a home inspector should report the observation of these visual clues, even when she or he was not hired to perform an actual inspection for the presence of a UST, also known as an oil tank sweep - a procedure that we describe separately

at BURIED / UNDERGROUND OIL TANK (UST), LOCATION METHODS.

Really? OPINION: Some inspectors take the position that they don't want to report on visually obvious clues indicating a possible environmental problem or expense because they fear opening the door to liability for having done an environmental inspection for which they were niether hired nor paid. I [DF] disagree.

The appreciation expressed by inspection clients for an inspector who provides more than the bare minimum rquired and the reputation as someone who truly works for his or her clients' best interest rather than only for speed and maximum income (by doing the minimum work) is a reputation that pays for itself many times over.

Simply including a statement that the inspector was not engaged to perform and did not perform an environmental-hazard inspection is sufficient.

 

COPTRIGHT & RE-USE NOTICE: while example report language is provided here, reproduction of this or any of our web pages or their contents online at other websites or in printed documents for sale is prohibited. Readers are welcome to use the text directly in home inspection reports, with citation of the website source.

 




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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2020-08-08 - by (mod) -

Abandoned oil lines indicate prior (or current) buried oil tank at this property (C) InspectApedia.com OliverOliver,

I would hire an environmental test company to screen the site for a buried oil tank; when you have a probable location then it's appropriate to at least do some soil tests at the depth of a tank bottom.

I add that that plastic tubing is certainly a very modern product - nothing from the 1950s.

On 2020-08-09 by Oliver

Thanks! No documentation can be given by the seller since the pipes were there we he puchased the house and the previous owners are now dead. We do not know if a tank was buried underground in the past, if a tank is still there or if the soil is contaminated. What tests do you recommend before buying the house? A soil test for contamination? But this will not tell us if a tank is still buried and could leak in the future?

On 2020-08-08 - by (mod) -

Oliver, those oil lines usually indicate that there is or was a buried oil tank at the property. When an oil tank is removed it would be common to leave the abandoned oil lines at the foundation wall or floor slab, as removing them is unnecessary and worse, is a terrible project requiring drilling and chopping concrete or other masonry.

Most technicians will crush and bend over the copper tubing to be sure that in the future it doesn't serve as a point of water entry, and also to make clear that the line is no longer in use. If one of those lines is just plastic, that's not an option.

In any event, As buyer of a property where an oil tank was removed you would either get satisfactory documentation from the seller that the work was done properly and that testing either showed no leaks and no oil spill cleanup required or that any leaked oil was properly cleaned up and contaminated soil removed.

Without that documentation, in my OPINION, no reasonable amount of escrow could cover the worst case of future discovery that an oil spill cleanup is needed, so you'd proceed with the purchase with the understanding that you could face such costs.

On 2020-08-08 by Oliver

We are about to buy a house built in 1951. The current owner removed an interior oil tank in 2007 but an inspector found two pipes in the foundation. The pipes are in plastic but can it be a sign of an old underground tank? See image.

On 2020-06-29 by willie

need documentation on oil tank removal from thr corner of rosewood rood and perkins mill road road goldsboro, nc

On 2019-02-26 by jacqueline stein

I had oil to gas in 1995 ish. Need documents asap to satisfy a buyer for my house

On 2018-05-15 - by (mod) -

Matthew

With the apology that of course neither of us has x-ray vision, the pipe looks too small to be an oil tank vent and certainly too small to be a tank filler. It looks like an old water stand pipe. Before doing much digging I'd look for pipes leaving the building that head in that direction, say from a basement or crawl space, and that are of similar material. Let me know what you find.

On 2018-05-15 by Matthew Maynard

Trying to figure out what this is and what's underneath

IMAGE LOST by older version of Clark Van Oyen’s useful Comments code - now fixed. Please re-post the image if you can. Sorry. Mod.

On 2018-03-11 - by (mod) -

I can't rule out an above-ground oil storage tank, although those two copper pipes make no sense to me.

On 2018-03-11 by RS

Hi, Hoping to find any inputs regarding our situation - we are in the inspection stage of buying a home. The oil tank sweep found a wooden box filled with gravel but caused the metal detector alarm to go off.
This is in the utilities basement. We see copper pipes going down into th box but no other evidence of UST. The problem is since the box is covered with gravel and shut we can’t access and check this out.

Could this be an oil tank?

IMAGE LOST by older version of Clark Van Oyen’s useful Comments code - now fixed. Please re-post the image if you can. Sorry. Mod.

On 2017-10-14 - by (mod) -

Court

At OIL TANK LEAK & SIZE REPORTING -https://inspectapedia.com/oiltanks/Oil_Tank_Leak_Reporting_Laws.php we summarize regulations requiring the presence of USTs and for reporting leaks. Yes depending on oil storage tank size, and depending on where you live and thus what regulations pertain, reporting of underground oil storage tanks (USTs) presence may be required.

On 2017-10-14 by Courtmarie

There is a pest control business that has buried oil tanks that are not reported. Is this something that should be reported for safety concerns? And who would I call?

On 2017-02-25 - by (mod) -

Oil tank locating companies use ground scanning radar that can find such objects underground.

On 2017-02-23 by Amy

Is it possible that tanks could be located under a home renovation? We are looking to close on a home, but they cannot provide proof of the abandoned tank. The oil tank company has gone to the property several times and cannot find it. Is there any way to confirm its not under the house or another way to see if there is documentation?

On 2016-09-28 - by (mod) -

Charles, I would call the Call New York DEC'S Helpline at (518) 402-9543

On 2016-09-24 by charles

Someone told me there is an environmental website that lists failures of underground oil tanks in Westchester county ny. Do you know what that site is?


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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to HEATING OIL, OIL BURNERS, OIL FIRED HEATERS, OIL TANKS

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