Buried Oil Tanks

A home buyer s guide to buried oil tanks the risk of oil leaks means risk of major cleanup costs.

Buried oil tanks.

The risks of an underground oil tank range from environmental and legal to financial and health related. Underground heating oil tanks. Ast s are visible and when a leak or spill occurs it is apparent. Most home heating oil tanks are not regulated by new york state s petroleum bulk storage pbs regulations because they have a capacity of less than 1 100 gallons see the pbs registration fee worksheet pdf 11 65 kb for more information.

Risks of buried oil tanks. This is not always true with ust s. The buried oil tank risk. Typically these tanks are constructed of steel and can range in size from 50 gallons to 20 000 gallons.

However some delegated counties have regulations that do apply. Remove the underground oil tank. First if your oil tank sprouts a leak the cost of cleaning the contaminated soil and water can stretch into thousands of dollars. In some cases a residential mortgage lender may make a residential buried oil tank s removal a.

If you are purchasing a property where there is or was an oil storage tank that has been abandoned or removed you should be sure to read home buyers guide to oil tanks. For those that use oil heat this means replacing it with an above ground tank. There are two basic types of home heating oil tanks above ground storage tanks ast and underground storage tanks ust. The only way to eliminate the hazards that come with an underground oil tank is to remove the tank from your property.