Oil Tank Removal and Installation

[secondcurve]

Hello

Does anyone have a recommendation for the removal and installation of a home heating oil tank in the Wolfeboro area?

Thanks

[camp guy]

Call (on the business line, Wolfeboro Fire, at 1-603-569-1400) and ask them your questions. When I had a tank removed a number of years ago, I had to arrange for the local Fire Chief to be physically present when the tank was removed so he could inspect the ground for any evidence of leakage.
Good luck.

[secondcurve]

That makes sense. However, I assume the contractor might coordinate this review with the fire department?

[WinnisquamZ]

Foley Oil removed mine a few years back. Converted over to propane and they are our supplier


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[The Real BigGuy]

The on-site review of an underground tank removal for leakage is required by state law. It is usually the local Fire Marshall/chief. Arranging this is usually managed by the removal contractor to coordinate schedules. If it is an above ground tank I don’t think you need this over site unless the tank is not on an impervious surface. Anyway, make sure your agreement with the contractor specifies that they are responsible for all permits.


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[secondcurve]

Thanks. It isn’t underground but it is in a crawl space on dirt so maybe the fire department will need to be involved? I’ll leave that to the contractor. If anyone has a contractor recommendation it would be appreciated.

[camp guy]

Check with whoever will be your new supplier. The fewer people involved, the better. Your propane supplier may not actually do the removal, but he may have a business relationship with someone who does removals- everybody will be happy.

[secondcurve]

Originally Posted by camp guy

Check with whoever will be your new supplier. The fewer people involved, the better. Your propane supplier may not actually do the removal, but he may have a business relationship with someone who does removals- everybody will be happy.

Right now I’m trying to find that supplier to remove the tank. I’m not taking out the tank to put in propane although that is a possibility. I’m taking out the tank because it is old and I’m afraid it will fail. It’s in a seasonal cottage that isn’t kept open during the winter anymore so I don’t need heat since no one lives there off season. I haven’t paid attention to the tank as the heating system rarely gets used which was a mistake. I’ve got a few emails out to companies that hopefully will be interested in the job.

[The Real BigGuy]

Call New England Disposal Technologies (508) 234-4440 or CommTank 603-377-3473


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[Triboro]

C&M Heating in Brookfield just replaced my oil tank about a month ago. My tank was very old and out of code. They did a great jo explaining to me the what and why of the job. New tank went in and the old tank was removed. They also came back when I got my first fill to make sure everything was in order.

[secondcurve]

Originally Posted by The Real BigGuy

Call New England Disposal Technologies (508) 234-4440 or CommTank 603-377-3473


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Thanks for the CommTank referral. They gave me a competitive quote. I went with a local contractor whose name I received through Eastern Propane because he was able to get the job done earlier. He completed his work this weekend and was a real professional. I got lucky as the tank was near failure. I would have been screwed had the tank failed as the home is close to the water, up gradient from the water and it sat on a dirt floor. CHECK YOUR OIL TANKS. Tank failure can turn your property into a hazardous waste site and clean up costs can escalate into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, especially if you are near the water.

[WinnisquamZ]

Yup, before I had mine removed the service reps said the same thing. “If this tank ever fails and leaks into the lake you just toss them the deed”


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[The Real BigGuy]

Not necessarily true. It depends on your insurance coverage. When I was in the cleanup business, if the contamination reached “waters of the state” (ground or surface water) insurance usually covered 100% of the clean up. However, I will say it was never a fun time for the homeowner.


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[secondcurve]

I’m not sure how it would have played out and thankfully I’ll never know. The guy mentioned if the tank had failed to gain access to the contaminated soil the cottage likely would have been torn down. Yikes. Thanks again for your help.

[The Real BigGuy]

We did one that was a leaking 500 gl underground tank. The engineer estimated it had been leaking for 3 to 5 yrs. Had to jack the house up and remove the basement concrete floor, remove 500 cu yds of soil underneath & around foundation, remove 2 60 ft oak trees that sat in contaminated soil outside the foundation and replace with like trees (owner demanded), repour new basement floor, reset house on foundation, relandscape. $1.5 million from ins co.

After thinking about it, I’m going to replace my tank next spring. It is about 32 yrs old, in a shed with poured concrete floor but even so probably near end of life.


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[secondcurve]

Originally Posted by The Real BigGuy

We did one that was a leaking 500 gl underground tank. The engineer estimated it had been leaking for 3 to 5 yrs. Had to jack the house up and remove the basement concrete floor, remove 500 cu yds of soil underneath & around foundation, remove 2 60 ft oak trees that sat in contaminated soil outside the foundation and replace with like trees (owner demanded), repour new basement floor, reset house on foundation, relandscape. $1.5 million from ins co.

After thinking about it, I’m going to replace my tank next spring. It is about 32 yrs old, in a shed with poured concrete floor but even so probably near end of life.


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I have another property that is closer to the water so I brought the technician there after the tank removal for evaluation. He tapped around the tank and said it seemed solid. He estimated it was 15 years old. We then checked the backside of the tank and found a tag that indicated it was 27 years old! I’m changing that one out next year. It’s not worth the risk. This tank sits a couple feet from a drain in the floor which I’m not really sure where it feeds to but clearly it goes outside and again I’m on a slope above the water. This winter I’m going to research mini splits and propane units. It’s always something.

[tis]

Originally Posted by The Real BigGuy

We did one that was a leaking 500 gl underground tank. The engineer estimated it had been leaking for 3 to 5 yrs. Had to jack the house up and remove the basement concrete floor, remove 500 cu yds of soil underneath & around foundation, remove 2 60 ft oak trees that sat in contaminated soil outside the foundation and replace with like trees (owner demanded), repour new basement floor, reset house on foundation, relandscape. $1.5 million from ins co.

After thinking about it, I’m going to replace my tank next spring. It is about 32 yrs old, in a shed with poured concrete floor but even so probably near end of life.


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OMG. That wasn't your own was it?

[tummyman]

Had our old tank in the garage that then fed underground to house. Feed pipe wasn't protected and just a few inches below surface. Removed tank and installed new one in our crawl space. Little tricky to get it in there, but we had a floor in the house that we were going to replace, so just cut an opening and "air-mailed" it into the crawl space. Actually installed a 100% fiberglas tank from Canada that was approved for USA use. No more worries about corrosion ! And these tanks are perfeect for outdoor use as well as no worries about rust, etc.

[The Real BigGuy]

Originally Posted by tummyman

Had our old tank in the garage that then fed underground to house. Feed pipe wasn't protected and just a few inches below surface. Removed tank and installed new one in our crawl space. Little tricky to get it in there, but we had a floor in the house that we were going to replace, so just cut an opening and "air-mailed" it into the crawl space. Actually installed a 100% fiberglas tank from Canada that was approved for USA use. No more worries about corrosion ! And these tanks are perfeect for outdoor use as well as no worries about rust, etc.

1st I’ve heard of homeowner fiberglass heating oil tanks. It’s about time. They been available in commercial sizes for quite a long time. How many gallons? Are the oval like the steel 250s or round?


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[tummyman]

It has a capacity of 240 gallons and looks just like the usual US black steel tanks. It is made by VILCO out of Nova Scotia. Check out their web site under Granby Industries..... My tank came with side outlets so I could orient it horizontal instead of vertical. All UL approved.

https://www.granbyindustries.com/pet...ass-oil-tanks/

[The Real BigGuy]

Originally Posted by tis

OMG. That wasn't your own was it?

No, 1 of many I was involved in over 40+ years in the environmental & hazardous waste cleanup business. Fortunately for the homeowners the vast majority were covered by insurance.


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[tis]

Originally Posted by The Real BigGuy

No, 1 of many I was involved in over 40+ years in the environmental & hazardous waste cleanup business. Fortunately for the homeowners the vast majority were covered by insurance.



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I just can't imagine having to raise your house or tear it down! How awful!! I'm glad ours isn't underground!! We do have a gas tank underground though.

[The Real BigGuy]

May be just as bad. If it leaks, gas could contaminate the water table and potentially get into surface water (lake, pond, stream, etc) and have the added issue of a fire hazard. Both scenarios present very costly cleanups.

Underground gas tanks are subject to the same corrosion as underground oil tanks. At one point single wall ust’s over a certain size were subject to regs requiring removal after 20 yrs. due to corrosion expectation. I’ve always believed they didn’t regulate smaller tanks because they didn’t want any part in regulating the millions of home heating oil tanks out there. The same reason a homeowner can throw things (bleach, ammonia, drugs, etc) in the trash with no repercussions and a business that does the same thing gets fined large amounts.

There are differing points of view with regards to gas tanks. Fire departments want them underground to prevent fires and state/federal environmental regulators want them above ground & in containment to prevent environmental issues.


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[tis]

Originally Posted by The Real BigGuy

May be just as bad. If it leaks, gas could contaminate the water table and potentially get into surface water (lake, pond, stream, etc) and have the added issue of a fire hazard. Both scenarios present very costly cleanups.

Underground gas tanks are subject to the same corrosion as underground oil tanks. At one point single wall ust’s over a certain size were subject to regs requiring removal after 20 yrs. due to corrosion expectation. I’ve always believed they didn’t regulate smaller tanks because they didn’t want any part in regulating the millions of home heating oil tanks out there. The same reason a homeowner can throw things (bleach, ammonia, drugs, etc) in the trash with no repercussions and a business that does the same thing gets fined large amounts.

There are differing points of view with regards to gas tanks. Fire departments want them underground to prevent fires and state/federal environmental regulators want them above ground & in containment to prevent environmental issues.


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Interesting.. But it's all scary, isn't it?

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by The Real BigGuy

May be just as bad. If it leaks, gas could contaminate the water table and potentially get into surface water (lake, pond, stream, etc) and have the added issue of a fire hazard. Both scenarios present very costly cleanups.

Underground gas tanks are subject to the same corrosion as underground oil tanks. At one point single wall ust’s over a certain size were subject to regs requiring removal after 20 yrs. due to corrosion expectation. I’ve always believed they didn’t regulate smaller tanks because they didn’t want any part in regulating the millions of home heating oil tanks out there. The same reason a homeowner can throw things (bleach, ammonia, drugs, etc) in the trash with no repercussions and a business that does the same thing gets fined large amounts.

There are differing points of view with regards to gas tanks. Fire departments want them underground to prevent fires and state/federal environmental regulators want them above ground & in containment to prevent environmental issues.


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Another reason heat pumps are gaining in popularity.

[The Real BigGuy]

Sure is!


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[The Real BigGuy]

Heat pumps and switching to natural gas & propane. Although with some of the videos I’ve seen of houses blowing up from gas/propane leaks I think I’ll stay with my heat pump/oil burner set up.


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[The Real BigGuy]

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[The Real BigGuy]

Out of curiosity, what was approximate cost of tank?


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[tummyman]

In 2012 when I purchased the tank, it was $1800 delivered without installation. My boys and I installed the tank in the crawl space on a 6 inch reinforced concrete pad and each end is anchored to the pad with an eyebolt in the concrete and stainless steel cable attached to anchor points on the tank. I have lots of pictures...send me a private message with an email and I'll send along some pictures if you want. Fred

[TiltonBB]

Two stories:

A friend had his basement oil tank replaced and the new one was put in a different basement location. The old fill pipe was never removed and the next time the truck showed up to deliver oil they pumped over 200 gallons into the basement through the disconnected fill pipe. The cleanup, including removing the concrete slab, was extensive and the lingering oil smell in the whole house was significant.

In 1985 purchased a house with a 1,000 gallon in ground oil tank that I assumed was installed when the house was built. That was about 35 years before my purchase. Each summer I was glad to fill the tank, the first year it was 42 cents a gallon. (I am old). About two years in, worried about the lifespan of the tank, I had it removed. I replaced it with three 330 gallon tanks in the basement so I could still enjoy the savings of filling it during the summer. I was told by someone in the oil business that the weeks after the Fourth of July were usually the lowest price, so every year I called a few companies and got the best cash price.

[The Real BigGuy]

I think it was a cold winter evening in the early 80’s. A company was filling a 250 gal tank in town. It was cold so the driver went and sat in the cab of his truck . . . And proceeded to empty the entire contents of his truck (about 1,800 gals) thru a similarly disconnected fill pipe into the finished basement of the house. What a frigging mess.

Whenever the company I worked for did a basement tank removal the fill pipe was removed or cut off flush with the foundation and the hole was sealed with hydraulic cement.


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[tummyman]

While I used a fiberglass tank for a sepcific location and need, if I had a choice, I would only use a Roth double wall tank. And if used outside, i would protect it from storm damage with a protective cover. Also, with new high efficiency burners, I would install a Tiger Loop at the burner to remove air bubbles from the oil that occur when filling the tanks and take forever to dissipate.

[Charlie T]

Also, with new high efficiency burners, I would install a Tiger Loop at the burner to remove air bubbles from the oil that occur when filling the tanks and take forever to dissipate.

I'll second the Tiger loop recommendation. I"ve had my house for over 20 years and never had a winter where the burner didn't fail to light on occasion. I had a new boiler installed and had the same issue. Finally I found a Great service tech who suggested a tiger loop and the long standing problem was solved. I didn't live at this house full time so it wasn't apparent that the burners failure to light was tied to the oil deliveries. Once we figured it out and put the Tiger loop in, Problem solved !