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I got a copy of the amdendment for her policy, they'll pay (with a defined limit) for remediation costs associated with a liability claim only, meaning a claim against her policy by a 3rd party, associated with contamination on an adjacent neighboring property. So they would pay for soil remediation on the neighbors property, but not hers. Nor would they cover for any of the tank removal work.
My last parent passed away in 1/08. I wanted to put the house on the market but was told that I had to get her underground oil tank pulled. It was pulled on 9/08 and of course it's leaking!!! I am still dealing with it and waiting for the cleanup to be completed. They have removed over 70 tons of soil (more to go) and now I find out it's on the neighbors property as well. I was told this has been leaking for 6 years. Good news is that the insurance is going to pay 50%. Currently my sister is living at the house - not even sure if I would qualify for a loan or grant on my deceased mothers house? I cannot wait for this to be over with - I am having way to much stress!!!
Sorry for anyone else who is going through this as it is not fun....
My last parent passed away in 1/08. I wanted to put the house on the market but was told that I had to get her underground oil tank pulled. It was pulled on 9/08 and of course it's leaking!!! I am still dealing with it and waiting for the cleanup to be completed. They have removed over 70 tons of soil (more to go) and now I find out it's on the neighbors property as well. I was told this has been leaking for 6 years. Good news is that the insurance is going to pay 50%. Currently my sister is living at the house - not even sure if I would qualify for a loan or grant on my deceased mothers house? I cannot wait for this to be over with - I am having way to much stress!!!
Sorry for anyone else who is going through this as it is not fun....
I feel for you, its not fun. Mine was completly covered by insurance except to replace things like Sod, and a large deck. I lived wth that smell in the house, was $235K to remediate. It did not go on my neighbors property, mostly under the house. Mine hit groundwater.
I'm trying to help my mother out, who I beleive is in a rock-and-a-hard-place type of situation. She is an 80 y.o. widower who lives in the same house for 50 plus years. She's getting on in years and would like to probably sell her house and live in a nice retirement complex.
Her dilemma is this; the house has an underground tank, and early on the kitchen was extended and built out over top of the area where the tank is situated. 30 years ago, the house was converted to gas. Dad, to the best of my knowledge never completely drained or abandoned the tank. I would hazard a guess that it still had a little oil in it, and chances are it has leeched (just guessing). As I understand it, if sh has a soil test done, and comes back positive for leakage, the testing company HAS to notify the NJDEP, and the clock starts ticking for mandatory remediation. Given that the house was built out over the tank, we're talking cubic amounts of money to potentially remediate. That's money that she quite frankly does not have, she's a retiree on a very limited budget.
If she could, she'd like to move, but any move is going to, at a minimum involve testing, and if positive, worst case, it could leave her bankrupt and homeless. Is there ANY way to get a test done without the potential overhead liability of an NJDEP remediation order hangin over her head just to see if its feasible fo her to move. At this point, it looks like her only option is to suck it up and stay chained to the house, and then will it her children, who will probably have to keep it a rental property just to avoid the same scenario.
Any thoughts from anyone who was in a similar situation?
[SIZE=3]Reputable companies will have the soil tested before they foam the tank and if the laboratory results show no contamination they foam the tank. Most tanks that are foam filled are filled due to the tanks location. The reasons for foaming in place are removal may damage the structure of the house, tank is under the house flooring or it will do thousands of dollars of damage to the landscaping. If the tank is in the middle of the yard or in a place where it could easily be removed be suspicious of the choice of foaming and insist the tank be removed. My point here is if there is an obvious reason the tank was foam filled and there is a record of the soil condition it is not necessary to destroy the house to remove the tank.[/SIZE]
This is not an impossible situation. I have been involved in a number of these where someone extended the building over the oil tank. The usual way of dealing with this is to hire a company that does foam filling of tanks. They will try if at all possible to determine if the tank has leaked and than remove the contents of the tank, if any, and foam fill it. If they find that there is contamination you should check your mother's homeowner's policy to see if she is covered. There are still policies that pay for clean-up in side the house. If her policies do not pay than you should go to the State of NJ that has a grant program that will pay almost all of the cost associated with the clean-up. Your mother will have no problem qualifying for this money. In fact even if the tank has not leaked the State of NJ will pay for the foaming of the tank up to $1200. You can apply for the grant money by going to the NJ State web site or you can contact a company like mine and we will guide your mother through the process. Make sure the house stays in your mothers name until the work has been completed so that she qualifies for the money.
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Now I'm really upset! I may not be quite as bad off as the lady with a tank under her kitchen but I'm scared to death to even begin to look into having the tank which I "think" is under my living room window in my front yard removed. In 1991 we converted to gas and no one bothered to tell us to remove the tank. It was there when we bought the house in 1983 but didnt seem to be a concern. I remember that a friend drained the oil for his own use (I think the tank is 500 gal.) and cut off the fill cap.
This past year I lost my husband and am thinking about selling my very small house simply because I can't afford to take care of such a big yard. Needless to say I could never ever afford all of this expensive cleanup I see everyone talking about. Also, there is no basement; the house sits on a very tight crawl space.
Can I get some advice from ACS and Wiley? I'm in South Jersey and for all of the years I've lived here the ground above this "THING" has served as a flower bed which always produced a showcase of gorgeous flowers.
Now I'm really upset! I may not be quite as bad off as the lady with a tank under her kitchen but I'm scared to death to even begin to look into having the tank which I "think" is under my living room window in my front yard removed. In 1991 we converted to gas and no one bothered to tell us to remove the tank. It was there when we bought the house in 1983 but didnt seem to be a concern. I remember that a friend drained the oil for his own use (I think the tank is 500 gal.) and cut off the fill cap.
This past year I lost my husband and am thinking about selling my very small house simply because I can't afford to take care of such a big yard. Needless to say I could never ever afford all of this expensive cleanup I see everyone talking about. Also, there is no basement; the house sits on a very tight crawl space.
Can I get some advice from ACS and Wiley? I'm in South Jersey and for all of the years I've lived here the ground above this "THING" has served as a flower bed which always produced a showcase of gorgeous flowers.
Yours may be covered by insurance because you removed the tank so many years ago. It may not even have leaked if it was drained dry.
I wish you the best.
Thanks Diane but the tank WAS NOT removed - just had the oil drained (who knows if it was drained dry) and the fill cap cut off. Do you know if there's any way to have things tested before I proceed with having the tank removed? I just want to be prepared for whatever I'm in store for.
This is not as drastic a situation as you may think. The things to keep in mind are check your mother's homeowner's insurance policy to see if underground tanks are excluded. If they are not and contamination is discovered they will pay for the clean-up. If the homeowners policy excludes underground tanks and contamination is discovered the State of NJ has a grant program that will pay the clean-up cost. If you plan on applying for the grant money because of a clean-up, make sure the contractor you hire agrees to only charge the rates in accordance with NJ grant guidelines. If the contractor agrees to follow the guidelines the out of pocket expense will be minimal. I have personally helped people get the clean-up cost from the state and I can attest to the fact the program is real.
The question I have is the filler pipe still visible. Usually there is an off-set filler pipe outside the house that is connected to the tank, if that is the case you are allowed to have the tank foam filled. You are not required to drill through the flooring in the kitchen to determine if the tank leaked. Soil samples can be taken from the perimeter of the house or any place where there is access near the tank without destroying the interior. If this is the case and the tank can be filled with foam you can apply for grant money that will cover most of the cost of foaming. In the State of NJ there is no reason for anyone to go bankrupt because of a clean-up.
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I'm in the process of buying a house which had an oil tank in the ground. The property was converted to gas in 1991. When the oil tank was found during our home inspection the seller had it removed (which took forever) but they found corrosion holes in it. We are waiting patiently for the soil samples. The property is a corner lot and the tank is on the side of the house with no neighboring homes around it. Does anyone know if there are ever cases where a tank is found with corrosion holes but the soil comes up clean? After the tank was removed I did notice a smell from the hole in the ground but the soil around it wasn't black. Any info would be greatly appreciated...
The soil would not be black. Fuel oil is basically clear. If you smell it, it's there. If there are corrosion holes, the odds are strong that there is contamination. Not a big deal for you, it will be up to the seller to remediate. However, do not close on this property until the situation is resolved and the DEP issues an NFA letter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shnthomson
I'm in the process of buying a house which had an oil tank in the ground. The property was converted to gas in 1991. When the oil tank was found during our home inspection the seller had it removed (which took forever) but they found corrosion holes in it. We are waiting patiently for the soil samples. The property is a corner lot and the tank is on the side of the house with no neighboring homes around it. Does anyone know if there are ever cases where a tank is found with corrosion holes but the soil comes up clean? After the tank was removed I did notice a smell from the hole in the ground but the soil around it wasn't black. Any info would be greatly appreciated...
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Another Widow with an Underground Tank
oil tank removal
