Those buried oil tanks...still

It has been years, I mean years, that we've been dealing with the fallout, or seepage, if you will, of buried oil tanks.

At this point, many tanks have been decommissioned, by someone, using some method.  There may, or may not have been some sort of paperwork may have been generated.  And the homeowner may, or may not have kept that paperwork somewhere.

I can't tell you how many houses I have sold (representing the buyer or seller) where the seller is pretty sure the tank was done at some time.  They have no paperwork, but are sure its fine.  Enter the buyer, who wants proof that the tank was decommissioned DEQ standards, and registered with DEQ.

That last step of registration with DEQ can be a lifesaver.  Once its registered with DEQ, even if the paperwork is misplaced, all is good, and proof of decommission can be provided.  Registration is usually done as a part of a decommission, and is handled by the company completing the decommission.  The fee for registering with DEQ has varied over the years, but has generally been below $200. We just did one which was $195.  Don't cheap out!

In the absence of paperwork, the oil tank decommission needs to be verified by searching for the tank and actually looking at it.  This means sampling the soil beneath the tank looking for leakage, digging down and opening the tank to verify the work was done, and done properly.  Allowing for scheduling, lab results, and so on, this process can take a few weeks, adding costs and delays to the transaction. Then the invoice and certification letter (from the company performing the work) will be generated, and the decommission (if it is agreed upon) submitted to DEQ.  It can take weeks to months for DEQ to issue the actual certification.

Not all decommissions involve removal

The cost of such a verification will vary with the conditions.  Where is the tank? Was the soil tested before, or maybe not, in which case there could actually be something to clean up.  Is the tank under a deck, patio or in some other location that will prove challenging?   Who restores the patio, landscape after the work is done?

In a recent transaction, we lucked out, with the tank being under a fairly high deck, so we weren't disturbing the deck. We got clean soil samples, and when they opened the tank, they could see it had been properly decommissioned!  Hooray!  The cost was $1290 to the seller, and we delayed our normal close date by ten days.

If you are thinking of selling, and think you had a tank at one time, but can't find the paperwork,  get in touch,  If I represented you on the purchase, I'll most likely have the information in my files.  If there was an actual leak, and clean up/decommission, I can usually find that information on one of the DEQ databases.  And if the decommission was registered with DEQ I can track that down.  Sometimes I can track down the company that did the work and get paperwork that way.  And maybe you'll have the paperwork in an old email or in the cloud.  If not...its best to get the decommission verification done before marketing the property.  This avoids delays in closing, getting the buyer involved in the process and we'll have that invoice and cost.  In some cases, the cost can be paid from your proceeds at closing, so you don't have to write the big check now.

If you are in the City of Portland, Portland Maps may show a permit for an oil tank; buried in the yard, or in the basement.  The lack of a permit doesn't mean there is no tank, it just means there is no permit.  And yes, plenty of properties had not one, but two buried tanks. Double bonus points for that (not really).

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has some good information for home buyers and sellers.    If I represented you in your purchase, and you have questions, I'm glad to see what I have in my files.  If you bouhgt trough someone else, I'm glad to see what I can find in the various databases. 

The owner said the tank had been "taken care of"...

My friends at Eco-Tech LLC do great work, with oil tanks and radon, among other things.  We call on them frequently to search properties for buried and sometimes abandoned heating oil tanks.  I've written and posted about their adorable dog, Terra, who is trained to sniff out oil, so she can find a spill, even if the metal of a tank isn't there to be detected.

We're going on 20 years in the real estate industry since oil tanks became a topic, and a concern to buyers. Early on,mostly, many sellers preferred to "decommission" their own tanks, rather than pay a professional, and get bogged down with Department of Environmental Quality standards.

DEQ does allow for the in-place decommissioning of tanks. The tank is opened and any remaining oil is removed. The tank is then cleaned, and filled with a clean, inert substance such as concrete slurry, sand, or sand and soil. The tank is then closed up, but tell tale markers of the existence of the tank are left so its existence is knowable. 

Tanks are also decommissioned by removal.

This week, Eco-Tech was engaged to do a tank search of  a property for a buyer.  I don't know the particulars, but that a tank was found. It had leaked a minor amount. I don't know the specifics of how it was that Eco-Tech LLC came to open up the tank. Decommissioning, removing, checking on a previous decommission?  But what they found in the tank was shocking. No, not THAT bad but...

 

 

They pulled out oil soaked carpet, a tripod, and a barbecue, among other things.  Oh yes, there was sand...contaminated with old oil.  Wow.

 

So,  should you have a tank search done on that house you are buying?  Yes!  Don't try to save a few bucks up front by skipping the tank search.   And hey, if you are lucky, you might even get Terra on your search.

 

 

 

I know some of you have abandoned oil tanks on your property. You bought long enough ago that we weren't making a big fuss about them.  It may not be a fun way to spend money, but deal with it now, and you'll sleep better at night.  And, when you do eventually sell your house, the scary buried oil tank won't drive good buyers away.

 

Call or email me if you want to talk tanks.  503-312-8038  leslievjones@gmail.com



Leaking oil tank supply lines?

And now I'm supposed to worry, not only about underground oil tanks, but the material of which the lines connecting them to the furnace are made?

It makes sense.  A property my clients are buying had a search for an underground tank done by the folks at Eco-Tech LLC. As with most every inspection anywhere, I always learn something. 

We know this house had an oil storage tank in the basement as the sellers took it out and provided us pictures.  But I thought it would be prudent (and so did my clients) to be sure  there wasn't another tank buried in the yard somewhere.  We certainly wouldn't want their future buyers, twenty years from now, finding a leaky tank.

Oil tanks were connected to the furnace via fuel lines to carry the oil.  Most often, we see evidence of this; usually copper lines coming up put of the floor, or maybe through the foundation wall.  Professional decommission jobs will leave the fill lines as past evidence that a tank existed.  You aren't supposed to remove ALL evidence of the tank as it is important for future owners to know a tank had been there.

Sometimes, oil lines were made of...galvanized metal.  Which rusts.  And can rust through when in moist conditions, like buried in soil and concrete in Portland, Oregon.

I had never really thought about this before.  And if I had, I'd most likely think of the of copper lines, which didn't have near the risk of rusting through.  But today, we saw the thicker and bigger, obviously galvanized line.  Which led the tech to educate me.  Apparently, Eco-Tech has done a clean up or two of leaks caused by the lines. 

Ack!  None of us have been worrying about lines.  Does this mean samples need to be taken along the buried line?  All the way?  For oil tanks themselves, samples are usually taken at each end of the tank, as failure most often is at the welded seams on the tank ends. 

This new "worry" isn't just new to me.  Eco-Tech is only now starting to learn the extent of this.  I expect we'll see DEQ put out some new rules and procedures to help clarify the issue.  Along with that,  perhaps testing and decommission protocol may now extend also to the supply lines.  In the meantime, we'll be glad most tanks had copper lines.

If you have a question about buried oil tanks, or any thing else related to real estate, give me a call.  503-312-8038