Ask real estate agents about underground oil tanks and they’ll be in almost unanimous agreement with their response: you don’t want them on your property. The reasons are obvious – lower real estate values, the danger of spills, making your property undesirable to prospective buyers, and so on – but just how overstated are these dangers?
We talked to an expert in oil tank removal NJ to get the scoop on whether it truly is vital to get unused underground oil tanks off your property or if the doom and gloom pronouncements of real estate agents are blown way out of proportion.
The fact is, many experts on these tanks say that unless they are very old, the chance of leaks is actually quite small. A representative of Kirks Fuel on Quakertown, PA once told The Morning Call, “The public perception is that they’re in the ground and they might be environmentally unsafe, but there are plenty of them out there that are fine.” In some ways, he added, underground tanks are safer than aboveground tanks, where accidents, storms, falling trees and careless owners can cause problems with the tanks that just won’t be experienced with underground tanks.
Oil tanks have been buried for about 100 years now, and the reason is surprisingly simple: to get what was seen as an eyesore out of the way. That’s understandable. Who wants to look at a big steel drum in their yard?
But over the years, leaks, spills, and costly cleanups occurred, prompting a boom in the oil tank removal NJ business. This is in part because people just weren’t diligent about maintaining their tanks. The average lifespan of an underground oil tank is between 15 and 30 years. Get beyond that and you’re asking for trouble.
The fact that tanks rarely rupture does not mean those looking to buy a new home shouldn’t do a thorough investigation to see if a tank is on the property, however. After all, the oil tank removal NJ business exists for a reason. Though increasingly rare, these tanks do sometimes leak or rupture, and in the case of an underground oil tank such a leak or rupture can be extremely costly too cleanup. You’re talking about the removal of massive amounts of soil, repeated testing, and more, all of it overseen by the Department of Environmental Protection or Environmental Protection Agency.
And let’s face it, who enjoys dealing with government red tape?
Experts recommend monitoring their tanks year round. Leaking tanks will leave behind obvious signs of trouble, including an unexplained increase in oil usage, excessive water in the tank, and loss of oil even during the off season when you shouldn’t be using any oil. Any of these signs could be a red flag that you have a leak on your hands that will need to be addressed by New Jersey oil tank removal experts.
If you can’t or don’t monitor your usage, don’t worry. Just ask your oil company. They should have good records of your oil usage from year to year and season to season, and will be able to identify anomalies in your oil consumption.