If you are planning to remove your oil tank at home, you should be adequately informed and any of your doubts be clarified. Here are some of the frequently asked questions people want to be answered before deciding to remove their oil tanks.
When should I remove my oil tank at home?
There are a few valid reasons why it is imminent that your oil tank needs to be moved out of your house.
- If it’s just too old that it needs to retire.
If your oil tank was installed from 1975 to the early 1990s. That is because most of the oil tanks installed in homes during this period are made of bare steel. As per professionals at www.simpletankservices.com, bare steel corrodes through time. Thus leaving you with a structurally unsound oil tank that can wreak havoc to your home and your finances. If you have an underground oil tank, it might have been leaking for some time now and contamination would be a major problem. Corroding overhead oil tanks could give way at any minute and this also has disastrous consequences.
- If it has weak or unstable legs.
The instability of the legs of your oil tank usually reflects its overall condition. This usually happens when a) the equipment is just old, b) faulty manufacture, c) it’s the foundation is not as stable as it should be. If after inspection of a professional, your oil tank has a weak foundation, you just have to make a new one. However, if it’s because of the oil tank’s structural integrity, it’s better to remove and replace it with a new one rather than repairing it. You will never know if the repairs are sturdy enough to render your oil tank serviceable for a long time. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
- If it has damaged major components.
An oil tank that has a faulty oil tank vent alarm or a broken fuel gauge must need to be removed and replaced as soon as possible. Leaving these two critical components unchecked will pose a serious threat to your heating system and the safety of your home and family. Seek help with an oil tank replacement company if you can replace just those parts or your need to buy another oil tank. The best advice would be to buy a new one if your oil tank is more than 10 years old.
- Signs of Leaking
Telltale signs that your oil tank is or will leak are:
- Wet spots around the oil tank
- Oil around the tank or near its piping system
- A persistent odor of heating oi.
These are obvious indications that your tank or its piping system has been gradually corroding and thinning inside.
Can I just hire anyone to do the job or do it myself?
It’s a NO-NO to leave anyone not authorized and knowledgeable about the task of decommissioning an oil tank, especially you. Some standard protocols and procedures need to be done to chuck down your oil tank as safely as possible. Contamination, explosion, and other major problems may arise if you attempt to do this yourself or hor someone incompetent to do the job.
How do I find the right contractor for the decommissioning of my oil tank?
You can search online or visit your state’s Department of Environmental Protection for licensed and certified companies that were trained and duly tested to perform the delicate procedure. They will procure the necessary permits and have trained personnel including engineers, geologists, excavators, and hygienists that will team up to carry out the removal of your tank.
What’s the procedure for pulling out of an oil tank?
The works start with the hired contractor applying for the necessary permits and issuances. For every state, locality, and county, there are different sets of permits to be obtained. Then it follows fieldworks of the team that will remove the tank, soil management, and health and safety plans will be established for the job site. lIquid extraction is first done followed by the excavation around the perimeter of the tank and its actual removal. Spoils will be coordinated to the designated environmental departments for proper disposal. Contamination tests follow suit together with backfilling and compaction of the area. If the oil in the tank did not leak, all the necessary reports will be submitted to different agencies for a “No Further Action” letter and a Final Case Closure is given for the job.
How long does it take for my tank to be removed after I hired someone?
The exact duration will typically depend on the number of agencies that will need to give their heads up for the work to be done. Also, the issuance duration for each local, county and state departments vary. But after all the permits are done, a day to three days will be sufficient enough for the contractor to move your oil tank from your premises, backfill and compact the excavation. This is if contamination lab results come negative. But if there is, you would have to ask your contractor to do the remediation which can take weeks and months depending on the extent of the pollution.
What is tank certification?
When a non-serviceable oil tank is removed from the premises, in the case of underground storage tanks, a report of the material integrity of the tank, the surrounding area is described in the report. This is sometimes referred to by others as tank certification. This provides a detailed account of what transpired during the removal of the tank and if there has been any indication of leaks. Leakage presence can be documented through soil contamination samples and results inspected by a reputed lab, visual inspection of the immediate area where the tank has been, and thorough inspection of the oil tank itself. If there is evidence of corrosion or perforations.
There might still be lingering thoughts inside your mind that need to be addressed. You can call any agency in your county that oversees the removal of oil tanks to get more clarification. One thing is certain, don’t ever decide to remove your oil tank if there are still questions running in your mind. It’s better to have sufficient knowledge than regret it.