These tanks were not designed to be buried and, if left in place, will eventually corrode and leak. Even larger tanks that were specifically designed for underground use will leak if they are not protected from corrosion. If you notice an unexplainable increase in your home heating oil use, your tank may be leaking.
Proper support is vital for your tank, which will be very heavy once it's full of oil. Steel tanks need to be supported off the ground by purpose built brick piers. Depending on the type of installation, plastic tanks can sit at ground level, but must be supported adequately by a proper, level base.
Denatured alcohol does an excellent job of absorbing the excess moisture remaining inside the tank. Insert the air hose into the tank, turn on the pump and let the alcohol evaporate along with the moisture captured. This will take less than an hour and completes the oil tank cleaning process.
We recommend your oil tank is installed outside, above ground within a secondary containment system. Position your tank to minimise risk of pollution and maximise its security. Consider placing it in view of a frequently occupied room so you can keep an eye on it.
Corrosion commotion
If water is left in an oil tank for a long period of time, the inside of your tank will begin to corrode. So unless you get regular checks, you won't be aware of the problem until operational problems begin to occur. Corrosion is one of the most common culprits of injector problems.
Leaks from underground oil tanks can cause a variety of serious hazards. The EPA says fumes and vapors released from the tank can accumulate in basements and other areas of a structure, increasing the risk of a fire or explosion. Fuel can also pollute the surrounding area, including groundwater sources.
Rainwater or runoff can enter your tank through any opening – a crack or puncture, a poorly fitting or loose filler cap or inspection lid, an uncapped fill pipe, a corroded seal, or an open or damaged vent.
The average life expectancy for an aboveground oil tank (which also includes heating oil tanks in a basement) is 25 years. Underground tanks last much less time, an average of 15 years. If your heating oil tank is at the end of, or past, its life expectancy, be proactive and replace it now.
Most oil tanks are only buried about 1 to 3 feet underground. They're usually located no further than 10 feet from the home's foundation.
How Deep are Oil Tanks Buried? The depth of the oil tank can range between 1.5 feet to 2.5 feet. However, the best way to determine the location is to look for galvanized piping that emerges from the ground, otherwise known as the vent pipe.
Oil tank removal cannot be completed on your own since specialized knowledge and experience will be necessary to meet the oil tank installation code and removal regulations. Homeowners should turn to oil tank replacement professionals, especially for removing and disposing of old heating systems.
In certain cases, tank removal is prohibitive (expensive). In these cases, a tank closure in place is the preferred option. Petroleum storage tanks once cleaned can be filled with an inert material, such as sand, concrete slurry or foam.
Over time, rust, water, bacteria, and other refuse will settle into a thick sludge at the bottom of your tank. So after the salvageable oil is sucked out, the next step is cutting open the tank with a metal cutting blade and carefully cleaning out the remaining sludge inside.
Underground oil tanks were common from the 1930s to the 1980s. Due to their size and unsightliness, as well as the risk of vandalism and theft, tanks were often buried, explains real estate attorney and investor Rajeh Saadeh.
An oil tank has to be a minimum of 1.8 metres away from any part of a building or construction that isn't fire resistant, such as doors, windows, eves and cladding.
Motor oil poured onto the ground, into storm drains, or tossed into trash cans (even in a sealed container) can contaminate and pollute the soil, groundwater, streams, and rivers. It's also illegal.
The U.S. EPA has determined that over 50% of the regulated underground storage tanks are leaking. If your tank is more than 20 years old, or if you don't know its age, immediately make a special effort to determine whether leaks exist.
According to tank-removal companies, leaks occur in 30 – 50 percent of the cases.
So the construction code allows property owners to excavate enough to expose a portion of the tank, evacuate oil and then fill the void with an inert material such as sand, concrete or foam.
Environmental Impact
A slow leak that occurs over time can spread with ease from the soil into ground water — and from ground water into surface water. The ground water may become unusable for irrigation, which can be devastating to many, especially nearby farmers.
Double-walled oil storage tanks also last significantly longer than their all-steel, single-wall counterparts – about twice as long. You read that right: a properly maintained double-walled heating oil can last 50 years or more, according to inspectapedia.com.
Yes, the water is the most dense and sinks in the oil. The alcohol is the least dense and floats on the oil.
Water can get into your home heating oil tank in a number of ways; rainwater ingress due to an ill-fitting filler cap, lose inspection lid, corroded seals, damaged vent, a split or hole in the tank or the normal itself, or more regularly through condensation build up.
Pump and treat is a common method for cleaning up groundwater contaminated with dissolved chemicals, including industrial solvents, metals, and fuel oil. Groundwater is extracted and conveyed to an above-ground treatment system that removes the contaminants.