decomissioning underground 275 oil tank

Steve Garson_2

Remove it completely. Otherwise, when you sell your house/building, you might end up spending big dollars cleaning up the soil around it.

ddenny

decomissioning underground 275 oil tank

what's the best way / ways of doing this. I pumped the oil out of an underground 275 tank. I was thinking of digging down to the top of the tank, cutting a big hole in it, pumping out what little oil is left, then filling it with sand. is that ok?

RADIOCONNECTION_6

contractor

I had a contractor decommission my 500 gal. tank. Cut it open, pumped it out, and had a kid go inside and wash it down. Inspection showed the tank was still viable and not leaking. The town fire marshall examined it, and it was then backfilled with sand. That meet our local requirements at the time. I'd check with the powers that be in your state, but looking forward pulling the tank would be the safest course as they clamp down on these things more and more. I wish I had mine pulled.

Pete

Steve Garson_2

The main reason I suggest removal, is that most real estate sales agreements make the seller responsible for any environmental problems that may arise from hidden problems. You don't want the risk.

Chris S

oil tanks

In some areas filling with sand is still acceptable but...
Home buyers hire home inspectors, and if they're not looking for tanks in your area now, they will be.
I had a 500 gallon tank cleaned & removed with paperwork & inspection & certificate of compliance in the file at town hall for 1100 + digging. This is well worth the potential headache when you go to sell. This in NYS, I heard much higher prices in NJ 15 years ago, but I think there are more contractors doing it now.

Robert O'Brien

On LI

A leaking tank must be removed and the site remediated.If the the tank is not suspected of leaking it can be abandoned in place.If a tank not suspected of leaking is removed and found to be leaking the site must be remediated.
Draw your own conclusion

Homeowner_6

removal

Around these parts, the local fire department makes the call on removal vs. clean & fill in place. Removal is generally less expensive because the logistics of cutting a hole through the bottom of the tank to collect a closure compliance sample can be tricky. Also, tank must be filled with concrete slurry, not sand.

scrook_3

location?

it primarily depends on your state, county and local regulations, though complete removal (i.e. fill the hole, not the tank w/ sand) is probably best regardless of other legal solutions.

Derheatmeister

New Jersey

When i lived in Closter NJ around 1990 i pumped our tank out and gave the oil to the neighbor, then i dug the tank up pulled it, cut it in half captured the sludge, wiped it out had the local authorities inspect it and scraped the to half's.

Back then a job like this was a couple grand..

Keith_19

The backfill can be of any material that the local fire inspector determines. Here in NYC the tank has to be rendered vapor free; sand, foam, wet slurry, are all options.