Heating Oil Underground & Above ground Oil Storage Tanks
- Oil Storage Tank Abandonment Procedures & Oil Tank Leak or Oil Spill Cleanup Companies InspectAPedia® -
Directory of Oil Tank Locating, Testing, & Tank Removal Companies (separate page)
Oil tank removal or abandonment procedures - basics (this page)
Oil tank removal or abandonment procedures - details (separate page)
Oil Spill Cleanup Companies and Resources (this page)
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This article discusses oil storage tank abandonment procedures and then lists storage tank leak or oil spill cleanup companies
who handle abandonment or leak cleanup for buried oil tanks as well as for above ground oil storage tanks.
This is a chapter of our "Heating Oil Underground & Above ground Oil Storage Tank Leaks, Testing, Problems & Solutions, Home Buyer's / Home Owner's Guide"
which offers extensive free un-biased oil storage tank inspection and testing advice for property buyers and owners.
An separate directory of companies specializing in
locating, testing, and removing or abandoning above ground or buried oil storage tanks
is at TESTING COs. Qualified service providers may be listed at this website at no fee.
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.
Buried tank removal is handled by environmental services companies. Usually the specialist arranges testing, excavation, and disposal. Or tanks
can be abandoned in place.
Environmental Issues & Regulations for Oil Tanks
In the U.S. and many other countries state DEP/DEC/DNR (Departments of Environmental Conservation or
similar agencies) have programs for registering buried tanks at any site storing (typically) more than 1100 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. (C)trap DJ Friedman.
The directory shown below lists companies specializing in the cleanup of oil leaks & spills, with focus on residential
and light commercial properties, though some of these companies may also address large-scale above
oil spills on land or at sea.
Environmental and Information Resources, Inc. markets
a low cost way of cleaning up petroleum hydrocarbon releases called
bioremediation using naturally occurring soil microbes. EIR also performs biologically based cleanups of inorganic contamination such as heavy metals and radio nuclides using
phytoremediation to uptake contamination from soil or groundwater.
Government Contacts - Contact the DEC/DEP/DNR office in your state
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Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
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OIL TANK REGULATIONS U.S. State and Federal environmental regulations regarding oil leak reporting, oil and other storage tank registration, oil tank abandonment, tank removal, tank testing, and other
storage tanks, U.S. state regulations, and regulations in other countries are discussed in detail at this link where we also give contact information for various federal and state agencies.
Home buyers of a property with an oil tank should be sure to reviewHOME BUYERS GUIDE TO OIL TANKS as well as these detailed articles:
OIL TANK TESTING - Leaky Heating Oil Tanks - How Oil Tanks are Tested for Evidence Leaks, of Current or Previous Oil Spills
OIL TANK LEGAL ISSUES - Home Buyers and Home Owners Guide to Leaky Heating Oil Tanks - What to Do About & When to Report Oil Tank Leaks.
Leaky Heating Oil Tanks. OIL TANK ABANDONING PROCEDURE - Abandoning Commercial vs. Residential Underground Oil Storage Tanks (UST) - Procedures & Regulations for Home owners who have old oil tanks above ground or any age oil tank below ground
Septic Tanks A separate website for onsite waste disposal tank.
OIL TANK ABANDONING PROCEDURE - Abandoning Oil Tanks - provides a detailed discussion of
Abandoning Commercial vs. Residential Underground Oil Storage Tanks (UST) - Procedures & Regulations
More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs
Oil Tanks - The Oil Storage Tank Information Website: Buried or Above Ground Oil Tank Inspection, Testing, Cleanup, Abandonment of Oil Tanks
Abandon a Buried Oil Tank, How To - Abandoning Commercial Underground Tanks, Russ Brauksieck, ASHI Tech. Journal, Vol.3 No.1 Spring 1993, P. 40-41 [Reprint]
Buried Oil Tanks - Finding How to Find Buried Oil Tanks and "Nearly Hidden" and Leaky Oil Tanks - photos and text.
Buried Fuel tank - Advice - Buried FUEL Tank - GAS or OIL advice for home buyers, home owners, inspection report language for homes where a buried oil tank is or was installed
Petroleum Bulk Storage J. Sibblies, NY State DEC, Advice to Home Owners and Home Inspectors about Oil Storage Tanks - summary from ASHI Chapter Seminar.
Septic Tank inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair
OIL TANK FAILURE CAUSES - Oil Tank Failure Causes - oil tank leaks are caused by corrosion, damage, soil conditions, other factors
Tank Failure Rates - Oil Tank Failure Rates - Oil Tank Leak Probability as a Function of Tank Age, Location, Condition, Soil Conditions and Other Factors
OIL TANK TESTING - - How Oil Tanks are Tested for Evidence Leaks, of Current or Previous Oil Spills
"How do you choose the right tank testing method?", Cynthia Johnson, Fuel Oil & Oil Heat Magazine, November 1995
.
National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, PO Box 380, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407
"Homeowners Guide to Fuel Storage," Agway Energy Products, Verbank, NY, November 1990
Web Link Exchange: Contact Us to list your website or contact information for oil tank testing, tank corrosion research, oil industry experts
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