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Also, tank is located on side of house in ground that is maybe 4 1/2 to 5 ft. incline from next house down on corner. It's not underneath house. Does that make a difference? Since it was done over 28 years ago, would it still have to be disclosed to prospective purchaser?. The house is using natural gas for all these last 28 years.
How deep does an oil tank go into the ground? How many ft. long is it? Wide?
Many people buying homes in NJ get soil testing for contamination whether or not a known oil tank is on the property. I personally would not buy a home without soil testing no matter what the disclosure states. The reason is many of the homes are so old and have had so many owners the current owner may have no idea whether a tank is on the property. Furthermore, you have no idea what other environmental problems could exist on the property without paying someone to investigate. Years ago when oil tanks became an issue in NJ it was virtually impossible to sell a property without abating an underground oil tank. Years ago many were left in place and filled with sand. Permits were required and testing was required as I recall. Then from what I understand standards changed and now those certified closed tanks many people want yanked now.
If the seller refuses to remove the tank and you want the property you should have a company take soil borings from the tank area; a minimum of 4 borings should be taken and sent to a laboratory for analysis.
ACTANK;
What is the approximate anticipated cost of having soil boring performed? I have an unwilling seller with an UST and want boring peformed to see if the tank leaks.
You need to ask a qualified person. Look in phone book under underground oil tank removal, or tank removal, oil tank, and you should get some info. for your state or town. You should also do a search on internet, and read about it ahead of the actual removal, so you know alll the ins and outs of the process.
Call and ask for prices, but make sure the person knows about the rebate, if you live in NJ. I believe they still have it where you pay the contractor that does it and the contractor provides you with paperwork, so that you get a rebate from state. If you do not, however, have a buyer for your home, and are just removing, have them test soil first, and don't remove unless you have buyer. They should tell you that. That's what I was told, but if you fear problems underground than certainly check with a removal soil testing company.
Good luck to you whatever you decide.
essexocean
I am planning to remove a underground oil tank and I am looking for a contractor.
Any suggestions or recomendations?
meridian2
Start by going to the NJ Economic Development Authority. You will find information about a grant & loan program to facilitate the removal of underground storage tanks (USTs). There's also an application there, as well as a phone number to call for more info. Basically, you can get some or all of the cost of the removal refunded to you, if you meet the qualifications, and use a certified contractor to do the work.
I can't, for the life of me, understand why the above person suggests not removing the tank until you have a buyer. That would be a big potential holdup, in my opinion. Buyers are MUCH more likely to be interested in the house if the tank is already gone than if you tell them you are going to have it removed. Since very few buyers (on the advice of their real estate agents & attorneys, if they didn't already feel this way) will buy a house anymore with a UST, you're better off getting it done before you even list a house for sale.
Start by going to the NJ Economic Development Authority. You will find information about a grant & loan program to facilitate the removal of underground storage tanks (USTs). There's also an application there, as well as a phone number to call for more info. Basically, you can get some or all of the cost of the removal refunded to you, if you meet the qualifications, and use a certified contractor to do the work.
I can't, for the life of me, understand why the above person suggests not removing the tank until you have a buyer. That would be a big potential holdup, in my opinion. Buyers are MUCH more likely to be interested in the house if the tank is already gone than if you tell them you are going to have it removed. Since very few buyers (on the advice of their real estate agents & attorneys, if they didn't already feel this way) will buy a house anymore with a UST, you're better off getting it done before you even list a house for sale.
Also - note for when you do sell. Keep all documentation related to the underground tank removal, city approval, etc. The documents I got barely looked official from the city. They didn't really have anything on it indicating the city inspector approved the job. this is mostly the city's fault for crappy documentation, but if you can control it, make sure it's clearly stated that the tank was removed, any environmental issues remidiated, and the city official approval is clearly documented.
It makes a buyer feel better about it. I sprung for a $400 soil test when I purchased, and I'll keep that for future when I eventually sell.
This thread has been very informative. I am planning on selling my home in the near future and my realtor has recomended removing my UST. I agree with her recomendation but want to understand, step by step, the process to have it removed and to insure that I have performed all the necessary steps to not only satisfy potential buyers but also to eliminate any liabilty (if any) associated with the UST.
Here are the facts: I purchased my first home in Morristown, NJ in 2004; I was presented an abandoned tank certificate during the seller's disclosure process. Unfortunately, I recently discovered that the UST was abandoned in-ground; at the time of the sale, it was represented to me that the abandoned tank was an above-ground tank was removed prior to the house going on the market (shame on my lawyer, agent, home inspector for not catching this in the first place).
Based upon the paperwork I obtained from Morristown, in November 1999, the abandonment work was performed by All American Oil Recovery. According to the paperwork, 83 gals of oily water and 15 gals of sludge were disposed of and then the tank was filled in with sand. No soil tests were performed at that time.
Based upon what I have read in this thread, I believe the following should be my course of action:
1) Notify my insurance company -- NJM -- of my discovery and hope that they will insure any potential damages caused by the tank
2) File for the removal permit from Morristown
3) Bid out the job to NJ state licsened oil tank removal companies
4) Pray, cross my fingers and have the tank removed
5) Get the Morristown certificate stating the tank was removed and no leaks were present
Your list will be complete with the addition that the licensed contractor hired to remove the tank should have a "U" Hot certification. This certification allows the contractor to get a "no further action" letter within a few weeks from the NJDEP. Without this special certification if any release is detected it will require that the State of New Jersey handle this as an open case and that could take many and I mean many months to obtain a clearance for the site.
To all others reading this, to avoid being in a bind like this, finding a tank many years later, a tank search of the property should have been conducted. We recommend to all our customers purchasing a house 20 years or older to have a search of the property to find any buried tanks. Also as in this case even if the seller had disclosed that a tank was closed in place, no soil testing was performed and I would bet that most people will accept the Towns certificate stating no contamination existed. In our companies experience when we are asked to evaluate the soil around a tank closed in place we find about 40% of those evaluated have contamination in the soil. This is usually not a case of someone trying to hide the fact the tank leaked but is probably due to the fact the company and Town inspector could not see the holes because the tank was in the ground not allowing for light to penetrate the holes. I cannot emphasize enough if you are closing the tank in-place have at a minimum 4 soil boring taken from the tank area an each boring analyzed in a laboratory for hydrocarbon contamination. As a seller if you have the option to remove the tank, remove it, but in some cases you cannot remove the tank because of location just have soil samples taken an evaluated.
Thank you for your thoughts and suggestion to hire a tank removal company with a "U" Hot certification.
I have an additional question about my situation: When the "U" Hot certified company removes my tank, should I them test the surrounding soil IF the town inspector cannot find evidence of leaking and therefore is ready to approve the Abandoment certificate?
Thanks again!
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Soil Boring Costs?
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