If you have an underground heating oil tank, I highly recommend that you replace it with an above-ground tank. There are a plethora of reasons for why you should remove them. Due to their age, these tanks are prone to leaking and can cause environmental damage. This can be a serious hazard for your home and can be problematic in the future. When you remove the tank, you’re going to want to follow the steps in this article on what you’ll need to do!
How to Know if You Have an Underground Tank
If you’re new to heating oil, it’s crucial that you know the basics. If you use heating oil to heat your home, then you’ve got to have a tank on your property to store your oil. This tank will be located somewhere on your property. This is usually above ground either outside or in your basement. To ensure that your home is warm during the winter, you need to get a tank fill up regularly. To do this, you will need to order heating oil on a regular basis.
Most commonly, heating oil tanks are located above ground. But, occasionally tanks will be located underground. These underground tanks can vary in size but they tend to be roughly 500-1,000 gallon tanks. These types of tanks are rare now, but were very popular in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Nowadays they are far less common. By the 90s, they became environmental hazards and they started to be removed.
It’s very rare in today’s day and age to see an underground tank be installed in a home after the 80s. However, if you’re unsure if your tank is underground or not you can go outside and look for the tank’s vent and fill pipes! They tend to be two pipes that are sticking out of the ground that are close by like in the above photo.
Reasons Why You Should Remove your Underground Tank
Replacing your underground tank is important to do as soon as you can. Even if it hasn’t already, the tank is bound to leak at some point. Underground tanks that are leaking can cause serious environmental issues. The leak can pollute the soil which can also lead to thousands of dollars in tank repair costs. This is why you should remove it for the following reasons:
- The Tanks Age is Beyond 30 Years Old: If your home was built in 1990 or later, then your tank is 30 years old. With tanks that are this old, the exterior and interior of the tanks are prone to corrosion. After corrosion begins, the tank now has a significantly higher chance of leaking. This is because the walls of the tank become too weak and thin to be able to hold the oil properly. This is what causes the tank to leak. You can test the soil around the tank to see if there’s a leak, but it’s usually not a simple process. If this sounds like it could be something happening to your tank, it’s important to replace it ASAP! There are some great options for new tanks to choose from. If you’re not sure which tank to go with, you can look at this article here.
- Your Tank is Leaking: This is the most urgent reason on the list. As mentioned above, a tank leak can be problematic for your property and the surrounding environment. Leaking oil can taint the soil. This can be harmful to the environment, can disrupt the ecosystem and it can possibly get into ground water which can affect our health! Tanks that are underground are nearly impossible to inspect. This is one of the reasons they are so dangerous to keep around. But, if you keep a close eye on your usage and how much oil you’re using, you can possibly snuff out a leak. Regularly stick measuring your tank helps too as that’s the easiest way to check to see how much oil is in your tank. It’s also important to keep out for water infiltrating your boiler. If this happens, then you’re at a very high likelihood of needing to change your tank due to a leak.
- You Plan on Selling your Home: If you’re selling your home, then you’re going to want to remove your underground tank. Sometimes these tanks can be potential deal breakers for the above mentioned reasons. Very few banks will even mortgage a home that’s got an underground tank because they’re a massive risk. Removing the tank and repairing the surrounding environment are expensive and not something a new home owner would want to do. Removing the tank is a smart decision for the property owner because you remove that risk for potential buyers, which will give you better changes of selling.
Should You Remove your Underground Tank?
You should absolutely remove an underground tank as soon as possible. Especially if the tank itself is thirty years or older. With the tank being buried underground for several decades, the tank will experience wear and tear. Because of this, it’s hard to really know what the condition of your tank is. You’ll have to contact a tank removal company to get the tank itself removed.
Your next course of action should be installing a new tank above ground. You can get an above ground tank at either your local Home Depot, Lowes or any other hardware store. You can even purchase tanks and have them delivered to your home!
The good thing about above ground tanks is that you’ll be able to keep better track of your oil consumption. These tanks are also much easier to maintain compared to underground tanks. You also won’t have to worry about the tank leaking if it’s brand new!
Happy Heating,
Hunter
