Oil Tank Locating
Homes built prior to the mid-1970s frequently had oil as the primary heat source. Such residences relied on underground storage tanks (UST) to hold the excessive oil. As natural gas became more common, lines ran throughout urban and outlying areas. The gas lines supplied fuel to the residences that once relied solely on oil for heat. Readily available natural gas made oil heat almost obsolete and underground tanks were frequently forgotten as the years passed.
These underground storage tanks often still contain a degree of oil. If the tank becomes compromised, ground water can seep into the tank, mix with the oil, and leech into the surrounding soil. Leaked oil contaminates the soil and groundwater.
Recent laws require that underground oil tanks be removed prior to selling the property. In the city of Vancouver, any oil tank that has not been used within the last two years must be removed. Some homeowners also have a difficult time getting homeowner’s insurance if a tank is believed to be on the property. Locating a tank as early as possible is paramount to getting it removed quickly to mitigate costly soil remediation if the tank’s contents should start to leak into the soil and contaminate the surrounding area.
If you plan on purchasing a home that was built prior to the mid-1970s or if you believe that an oil tank might be located on your property but you are unsure of the exact location don’t despair. At Tanktech, our team of professional technicians can perform a tank scan inspection to locate any tanks that might be on the property. The technique will record the tank’s exact location and depth.
Most tanks sit at a depth of 1 meter below grade. Tanks generally measure about 2 meters in length by a meter wide. Many times the tanks were located within 2 to 3 meters of a home or business. In many cases, a property owner might have a general idea of where the tank sits because of visible above ground vent pipes or fill pipes. Also if the home has a basement and the basement contains shut off valves then the chances are good that somewhere on the property there is an underground oil tank.
At Tanktech, we utilize ground penetrating radar in combination with non-destructive techniques to find the tank on the property. The penetrating ground radar gives us an image of the tank so we can determine the diminishes. Once we find the tank, we will know the tank’s exact location and depth. After locating the tank, we might need to excavate the area by hand or machine to further evaluate the tank’s location and condition.
After finding a tank, we will give you an estimate of the cost to remove the tank. We will also evaluate the area around the tank to determine if there is a likelihood that the tank’s contents have leaked into the soil. If you opt to have Tanktech’s team of professionals remove the tank then we will credit the cost of the tank location services to the cost of removing the tank to help save our customer’s money.
If we do not locate an underground tank on your property then we will provide you with a certificate stating that no tank was found. The Certificate of Metal Detection that we issue you is accepted by financial institutions, insurance agencies and most real estate transactions.
Please contact Tanktech Environmental to learn more about our underground oil tank locating services.
Leave a Reply