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Hey guys, Town of Oyster Bay. We have a house we have been in since 2011. We converted it to gas heating in 2013. It has a buried oil tank that has been sitting there ever since. Never had evidence of leaking (I know there is no guarantee but Im not worried about that) all sorts of green plants grown over it, it was drained of oil, etc. I'd have to go look it up, but I recall it being a smaller tank (its 200 something gallons, 250, or 275 maybe?). Anyhow, we ran the oil burner til we were out of oil right before we switched to gas. If its not empty, its damn close/sludge. I plan on selling the house in a year or 2, and while part of me wants to just pretend it isnt there, I am going to do it right and get the surrender certificate done. I am NOT calling DEC, I am NOT testing pressure, I am NOT testing soil, I am NOT removing the tank. I want a hole cut in the top, sludge scraped out if there is any, and filled with sand, pictures taken and certificate done. My question is, can I do this myself, take a zillion photos of the process, head over to TOB and get a certificate from them? Or do I HAVE TO have a "certified whoever" come and do it? If so, for a smaller tank and a surrender only, anyone have a ballpark $$$ range? Or have a company they like/have used??? Windmilloil, C2G, etc? I just want the certificate in case a buyer aks. Thanks, Chris
Just call a company and they will "abandon" the underground tank and fill it with foam or sand. Then you will get the certificate (you can actually view the certificate on Nassau County's website).
This is not something you can DYI. I had this done a few years ago, and it was less than $1000 which including I believe filing fees, etc. I believe if there's oil in the tank there may be an extra charge to remove.
There's no reason to test soil or remove the tank and you shouldn't entertain a buyer that requests you do so as it has the potential to open up a whole can of worms.
Why didn't the plumber who converted gas for u abandon it properly?
It's not the plumber's job (or expertise) to abandon an oil tank. A suggestion to do so would have been good of course.
Both Windmill and C2G are experienced and do a good job.
A house without a proper abandonment form can't be sold without lots of complications. At the closing, copies of the abandonment form went into everyone's hands, including the bank rep and insurance people. The r.e. agent and lawyer asked me about it several times, as they needed reassurance the abandonment paperwork was in order.
Don't be a cheapskate and get the tank abandoned by a reputable company. We used Windmill as part of a complete oil to gas conversion package. I think this particular service cost around $800 in 2009. Don't lose the paperwork, ever.
The benefit of paying someone qualifies to do it plus getting the paperwork is to shift liability and to avoid problems.
The last thing you want during a sale is to have your DIY abandonment questioned, have demands to take soil samples and then find contamination of any kind. Your $1000 savings will end up costing 10x or more not including holding up a sale and making a mess.
A house without a proper abandonment form can't be sold without lots of complications. At the closing, copies of the abandonment form went into everyone's hands, including the bank rep and insurance people. The r.e. agent and lawyer asked me about it several times, as they needed reassurance the abandonment paperwork was in order.
Don't be a cheapskate and get the tank abandoned by a reputable company. We used Windmill as part of a complete oil to gas conversion package. I think this particular service cost around $800 in 2009. Don't lose the paperwork, ever.
My house was in TOH but it doesn't matter where.
Windmill files the paperwork with the dept of health which is a nice bonus and lessens worry of losing paperwork.
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