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What if an oil storage tank is installed at your property?
 | Buried oil tanks raise increasing environmental, safety, legal and
economic concerns for
home owners and home buyers because oil leaks underground or even within
buildings
can lead to both environmental damage and very costly cleanup operations.
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| Other types of storage tanks, such as above ground oil storage tanks
and septic tanks
present similar issues.
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Environmental issues:
| heating oil leaks and soil or water contamination. Economic issues:
cost and risks of testing,
tank removal, site cleanup.
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Safety:
| tank collapse. Major costs can be involved.
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| Regulations regarding identification, testing, and removal or
abandonment of buried tanks vary
widely from state to state in the U.S.
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| Home heating oil tanks are excluded from Federal Regulations about oil
storage tank reporting
and monitoring, but in some states and provinces, are addressed by state
or local DEP/DNR/DEC
agencies and regulations.
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| In any case, should a home heating oil tank causes a release of oil
into the environment, at that
point the owner of the tank is not exempt from the other provisions of the
Federal Regulations--the
source of leak/spill would have to be stopped, a site characterization
would have to be completed,
and appropriate corrective action (cleanup) would have to initiated, and
the incident would have to be reported.
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| Such components are not inspected during a home or building inspection
unless specific prior test
arrangements have been made. Tank inspection, other than casual visual
inspection, tank tests, as
well as removal or abandonment require that you use an appropriate expert.
Some general advice is below.
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Life Expectancy of Buried or Underground Oil Tanks:
| The 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. Buried
tanks should be tested
for amount of water present in tank bottom, and water should be pumped
out. Water corrodes the tank
and leads to leaks. Leaks can also be due to damage at time of
installation, improper installation,
corrosive soils, or piping defects. If the tank is to remain in use, ask
your fuel supplier about using an
additive or other methods to help remove water.
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Oil Tank Leak Failure Causes:
| Underground 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, bacterial action, and other factors. External rust, unless
very heavy, isn't highly
correlated with internal rust. Leaks can occur due to tank damage or at
piping connections.
A new tank involves significant expense.
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Oil Tank Testing Procedures:
| Specialty companies and some oil companies have equipment to test
buried tanks for leaks.
Both simple pressure-testing and very sophisticated electronic testing are
commonly used,
mostly on commercial equipment rather than residential tanks. Testing for
water in the tank
is simple and can be done by any service person. Tank testing methods vary
in risk to the
tank, cost, invasiveness, length of time to complete, and more.
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Oil Tank Removal or Abandonment Methods:
| There are also proper methods of "abandoning" old unused buried tanks
without actually
excavating and removing them (provided there is not evidence of leakage).
If a tank is not
to be used, can involve significant expense. A proper abandonment
procedure involves
pumping out remaining fuel, confirming that there has been no leakage,
cleaning the tank,
and filling the tank with an approved filler, or removing it entirely.
These measures, if required,
involve significant expense.
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| Buried tank removal is handled by environmental services companies.
Usually the specialist
arranges testing, excavation, and disposal. Or tanks can be abandoned in
place.
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Environmental Issues & Regulations for Oil Tanks:
| Some state DEP/DEC/DNR (Departments of Environmental Conservation or
similar agencies)
have programs for registering buried tanks at any site storing more than
1000 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 local waterway or into the water
supply are a special
environmental concerns.
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Above Ground [Heating Oil] Storage Tanks:
| For years, factory-fabricated aboveground liquid storage tanks such as
those used to store
home heating oil were shipped to job sites where dispensers, flame
arrestors, vents and
other accessories were added. Installers verified that the proper
components were selected
for compliance with fire and environmental codes. Unfortunately, code
authorities still might
find that requirements were not met.
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| During the past five years, manufacturers have introduced complete
aboveground storage
tank (AST) systems with related accessories, such as dispensers, siphon
valves, overfill
protection systems and emergency venting devices, installed on the tank at
the factory.
Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) and manufacturers have requested
that UL investigate
entire factory-fabricated AST systems, to streamline the field-approval
process and minimize
problems associated with incompatible tank accessories.
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| UL has established a new product category and continues outlining
requirements for Subject
2244, Aboveground Flammable Liquid Tank Systems. UL has already completed
its first
product Listings to Subject 2244, and work on a proposed Standard was
expected to begin in 1998.
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| Subject 2244 identifies four AST installations: aviation-fuel storage,
motor-vehicle fuel dispensing,
motor-oil storage, and generator-base tank systems. AST systems include a
primary tank with
integral secondary containment, provided by a double-wall tank or an
integral tank and dike.
Required and optional components are assembled prior to shipping. However,
some components
may require limited field assembly detailed in the installation
instructions provided with each
AST system.
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| To assist code authorities in facilitating the field evaluation
process, UL has developed a Code
Compliance Verification List (CCVL) for UL Listed AST systems. The CCVL
documents how
the tank complies with U.S. model codes, including National Fire
Protection Association
(NFPA) 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids, and NFPA 30A, Automotive and
Marine
Service Stations, and the Uniform Fire Code (UFC). The CCVI, is included
with UL Listed
AST systems, and will be provided in the guide card information for
Aboveground Flammable
Liquid Tanks (ECRU) in the 1998 edition of ULs Gas and Oil Directory (gray
book).
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| The CCVL identifies the model code requirements for AST installations,
including: supports,
venting, piping and fittings, tank construction and openings, electrical
installations, spill-control
dispensers, and other accessories. The CCVL also documents installed
components, including
manufacturers' names, model numbers, ratings and UL Listing information.
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| For example, motor-vehicle fuel-dispensing tank systems have
requirements for sizing emergency
vents in accordance with the exposed side walls and top of tank. The CCVL
documents the
required emergency venting for the tank, and identifies that the
appropriately sized UL Listed
emergency vent was installed.
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| The UL Listing markings on a tank system will identify the primary
tank construction, For example,
UL 142 and Subject 2244 indicate a steel tank; UL 2085 and Subject 2244
indicate a protected-tank
system. UL markings affixed to ASTs that have been evaluated to Subject
2244 will also include the
AST system type, such as motor-vehicle fuel dispensing, generator-base,
aviation-fuel storage and
motor-oil storage.
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Government Contacts for Oil Tank Information &
Regulations:
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