Lots of liability. I would look for another house to buy that has an inside tank.
ok ,anyone have any info on under ground tanks in pa. or any where .i need code info laws,dep,or personial thoughts.
its a old tank with some oil in it, my thoughts are to drain in and fill it(pulling is not a option here cause of the home owner)
and get soil samples(to make sure it has leaked over the 25 years its been there.
the home owner is selling the home, and is willing to drain and fill, but doesnt think they should do the soil samples(to prove to the new owner it has never leaked)
with codes being harder and harder,i would want the soil samples to make sure if your leaving it in the ground.?
let me know any input here please!!
Lots of liability. I would look for another house to buy that has an inside tank.
Last I knew, if you don't get the soil sample done, and they find ground contaimination 10 years from now that can be traced back to or near that tank, then the current owners have to pay for ALL clean up, and any fines by both epa, and dep.
If they find oil in a stream, fish and game levy a minimum fine of 5 bucks a dead fish, and they don't have to prove how many died. They just guess.
Next the coast guard gets involved, they start at 10,000 dollars.
Why yes, i was involved with a 4000 gal oil spill.( 4" flange broke on an oil pipe at loading dock)
What a fricken mess, and I'm not talking about the fricken oil clean up.
So they can pay now for the sample and have proof of no contaimination, or later when someone can't find another sourse, but has to point the finger some where.
mishka75 welcome
Costs alot more later than it would now it has to be done right to protect everyone involved
you should definatily have soil samples tested otherwise you are just guessing
Mishka----Hungarian or russian? I used to work with a guy from hungary named Mishka----very interesting storys he had to tell
If you are thinking of buying that place you had better get soil samples because you can just about bet that tank has leaked and you will be stuck for the cost of the cleanup
like the oilman said " look for a house with an indoor tank
every tank I have seen that has been in the ground any length of time has leaked somewhere, and out here in Cali they had to replace tanks in every gas station a few years ago and do the cleanup at the current owners expence
Best way is to drain it , remove it, fill in the hole,and replace with above ground. Even if it hasn't leaked,it will eventually if it's direct contact with soil. if owner insists it stays as is......... RUN!!!!!
If everything was always done "by the book"....the book would never change.
sounds like the owner knows something and it is time to run as fast as you can
Our local codes used to allow a drain of the old tank and then fillup with sand or similar. But of course, the owners rarely refilled the tanks with sand and the tanks would collapse years later, ala sinkhole. So now it's mandatory to remove the underground tank, do a soil analysis, and then install an inside tank (outside if no where available...yuk). Cost is horrendous, but with home prices being horrendous themselves, it's no different.
I live in NJ. I would not buy a house with under ground tank. It would have to be removed and written certification of clean soil. Some home owner are having Insurance cancelled unless they pull the tank. Most important, check with township for there rules. Some will not allow it to be filled. If its abandoned it must be removed by some. Good luck,
All I can add to this conversation is to learn & abide by ALL state & local codes regarding underground tanks. Here, if the tank is <1100 gallons, the regulatory agencies don't even want to know about the tank. BUT if the tank is removed, soil samples are taken & come back as contaminated, a cleanup must be done.
Work is for people who don't know how to fish.
we do this all the time in a town call levittown in bucks county pa.we just dig out the old tank and put new one in,and if is leaking we just put some kind of chemical powder that eat away the oil bacteria.inspector,home omner and supervisor are happy and on we go to the next one.I guest all depend with your local coding.