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How to Find Buried Oil Tanks
OIL TANK HOME
ABOVE GROUND OIL TANK INSPECTIONS
BURIED OIL TANK ADVICE
BURIED TANKS, FIND
SITE INSPECTION
SIGNS OF BURIED OIL TANKS
Outdoor Clues to Buried Tanks
Indoor Clues to Buried Tanks
INSPECT THE GROUNDS
REVIEW TANK HISTORY
FLOATING UP TANKS
FUEL OIL TYPES & CHARACTERISTICS
SLUDGE IN OIL TANKS
TANK ABANDONING
TANK FAILURE CAUSES
TANK FAILURE RATES
TANK LEGAL ISSUES
TANK LEAK ADVICE
TANK LIFE
TANK REMOVAL COs
TANK REMOVAL FINANCIAL AID
TANK REGULATIONS
TANK INSPECTION REPORTS
TANK SLUDGE
TANK STANDARDS
TANK TESTING
TANK TESTING COs
WATER in OIL TANKS
More Information
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How to Find Underground Oil Tanks - Visual Evidence of Buried Oil Tanks, Part 1
OilTankAPedia ©
- How to find buried oil tanks
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This is a photo guide to visual clues spotted first outdoors and second indoors to help detect and locate abandoned or buried oil tanks or the detection of
evidence that an underground (or even an above ground) oil tank is or was in use at a property.
The article and photographs used to show the reader ways to find buried oil tanks include examples of clues leading to the discovery of
"nearly hidden" buried or underground oil tanks which were found at residential properties and which avoided very costly surprises later for the new owner.
Underground oil storage tanks, or UST's, whether still present or previously removed, involve a
risk of costly oil leaks and soil contamination which may need to be addressed.
Here are some investigation methods that any home buyer, owner, or home inspector can apply to
reduce these risks by looking for evidence that a buried oil tank is or was at a property.
Also see Above Ground Oil Tanks: Visual Inspection.
© Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use the links at page left to navigate this document or to go to Other Website Topics. Green links at left show where you are in our document & website.
SIGNS OF BURIED OIL TANKS- A Photo Guide to Visual Clues for Finding Buried Oil Storage Tanks - Part 1, Outdoor Clues
How to find buried oil tanks: Evidence that a buried fuel storage tank exists at a property may be direct and visually obvious,
or the evidence may be subtle.
Often a series of small observations, individually not apparently very important, can add up to an increased probability that a buried fuel storage tank is or was at a property.
While environmental investigators and oil tank test companies may use magnetic scanners or even ground
scanning radar to locate buried steel tanks, an astute visual inspection can often discover the presence or probable presence of a buried fuel storage tank at a property, thus suggesting that
further testing is definitely in order. Here are some clues to the possible current or past presence of a buried tank at a property.
Photographs of Outdoor Evidence of Buried Oil Tanks
Visible oil tank fill or vent pipes protruding from the ground or flush with the ground anywhere on a property.
Oil fill pipes may be directly over a tank, near a tank, close to a building wall, or located at a considerable distance from the building and from the tank as well.
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Curbside oil fill pipes: Look for remote & curbside oil filler pipes: In some neighborhoods we've observed oil fill valves located in a curb box at the street for oil tanks which were buried more than 75 feet away.
The vent pipe for an oil tank filled in this manner will probably be nowhere near the curb and may be not even too close to the oil tank. At the property served by this curbside oil tank filler, the tank was buried uphill near the home and the tank vent pipe appeared near the home's foundation wall.
- Depressions near a building suggesting recent excavation, particularly if the depression is outside a wall where it would have been logical to install a buried tank, such as at a building foundation near the location of indoor current or previously installed oil-fired heating equipment.
Areas of dead grass or plantings in a small spot where a buried or previous fuel tank fill pipe may have been installed - from spillage of fuel.
At one site this clue led to the discovery that the tank "removal" had consisted of nothing more than the unscrewing and removal of the fill and vent pipes from the leaky oil tank.
Age and type of property: often older buildings, farms, and commercial buildings will have had a buried
tank installed even if more recently the fuel has been converted from oil to gas. Our photo shows a red pump control in front of the mowing tractor to the right of this barn.
The pump served a buried diesel fuel tank used for farm equipment. At other properties where farm buildings were present buried diesel fuel tanks have been found with no initial evidence other than the age of the property and the probability that such tanks would have often been present close to farm buildings.
Sites distant from a village or town are more likely to have required a larger onsite fuel storage facility. Farms may also have
had fuel oil stored for diesel tractors or other farming equipment, so remember to look for clues of buried oil tanks at a central location near old farm buildings. Even if an old indoor oil tank is in view at an old property, don't assume that a still-older tank is not also buried nearby.
Oil Fill and Vent Piping Location:
In the confusing photo at left, we see an oil fill and vent pipe close to the building wall. We don't know if those pipes serve an indoor tank or a buried outdoor tank until we look further. But my black notepad in the photo lower left corner marks another vertical standpipe which could mark the end of a large underground oil storage tank.
If the oil tank fill pipe is a straight line down from above ground into the tank, and if the tank is buried close to a building wall, measure the distance from the center of the fill pipe to the building wall.
If the distance is small, perhaps 20" or less, we suspect that an indoor-tank, not rated for outdoor use, may be buried there. The typical dimensions of a 250 or 275 gallon oil storage tank, usually oval in shape, are 5' long x 4' high (excluding legs or other support.)
These oil tanks are roughly 27" in width. The threaded tappings used to mount fill and
vent pipes are located in the center of the width of the fuel or heating oil storage tank.
A storage tank buried close to a building wall and with a fill pipe going straight down into the tank, would display a filler pipe which is as little as 14" from the building wall
(measured from the outside of the wall to the center of the filler pipe). So if a filler pipe is located close to the wall and passes straight down into the tank, the distance can indicate the probable tank cross section or width and can indicate an indoor tank which has been improperly installed outside.
Unexplained oil tank vent pipes may be found at building foundation walls nowhere near currently-installed heating equipment or oil tanks.
Be sure to investigate pipes like the one in our photo at left. It may lead to a buried oil tank or to an oil tank which has been abandoned in a building crawl space.
 Amateur oil piping installations may be found still in place. Is a buried oil tank still present or not?
This undersized oil filler line indicates either that the installation is quite old or that the plumbing was not done by a professional.
Similarly, you may trace oil piping to an old "lost" oil tank in an inaccessible or hidden crawl space or even a basement closet.
Follow backwards oil fill or vent piping or oil supply piping between to oil tank from he oil fired equipment it supplied.
Use links just below at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
BURIED TANKS, FIND
SITE INSPECTION
SIGNS OF BURIED OIL TANKS
Outdoor Clues to Buried Tanks
Indoor Clues to Buried Tanks
INSPECT THE GROUNDS
REVIEW TANK HISTORY
More Reading::
ABOVE GROUND OIL TANK INSPECTIONS - "Visual Inspection of Above Ground Residential Heating Oil Storage Tanks - ASTs"
Advanced Home Inspection Methodology - Developing your X-Ray Vision
A Promotion Theory for Forensic Observation of Residential Construction. Discussion of methods to accumulate clues to enable
the detection of hard-to-find defects on buildings or other complex systems.
Technical Reviewers
Particular thanks are due to experts and also consumers who read these articles and suggest corrections, changes, and additions to
the material. Content suggestions, technical corrections and content critique are invited for any of the content at our website.
- Daniel Friedman - principal author/editor of the InspectAPedia © Website
- Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.
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OIL TANK HOME
ABOVE GROUND OIL TANK INSPECTIONS
BURIED OIL TANK ADVICE
BURIED TANKS, FIND
FLOATING UP TANKS
FUEL OIL TYPES & CHARACTERISTICS
SLUDGE IN OIL TANKS
TANK ABANDONING
TANK FAILURE CAUSES
TANK FAILURE RATES
TANK INSPECTION REPORTS
TANK LEGAL ISSUES
TANK LEAK ADVICE
TANK LIFE
TANK REMOVAL COs
TANK REMOVAL FINANCIAL AID
TANK REGULATIONS
TANK SLUDGE
TANK STANDARDS
TANK TESTING
TANK TESTING COs
WATER in OIL TANKS
More Information
InspectAPedia TM Home & Site Map
Air Conditioning
InspectAPedia Bookstore
Electrical
Environment
Exteriors
Heating
Home Inspection
Insulate Ventilate
Interiors
Mold Inspect/Test
Plumbing Water Septic
Roofing
Structure
Accuracy & Bias Pledge
Contact Us
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More Information: Buried and Above Ground Oil Storage Tanks References & More Information on USTs
- Oil Tanks - The Oil Storage Tank Information Website: Buried or Above Ground Oil Tank Inspection, Testing, Cleanup, Abandonment of Oil Tanks
- Abandon a Buried Oil Tank, How To - Abandoning Commercial Underground Tanks, Russ Brauksieck, ASHI Tech. Journal, Vol.3 No.1 Spring 1993, P. 40-41 [Reprint]
- Above Ground Oil Tanks: Visual Inspection of Oil Storage Tanks for evidence of leaks, damage, improper piping - photos and text
- Above Ground Oil Tanks Checklist, an Oil Company's advice
- Above Ground Tanks UL Standards, UL Tank Listing Standards, guidance for home owners, buyers, and inspectors
- Buried Oil Tanks - Finding How to Find Buried Oil Tanks and "Nearly Hidden" and Leaky Oil Tanks - photos and text.
- Buried Fuel tank - Advice - Buried FUEL Tank - GAS or OIL advice for home buyers, inspection report language
- Environmental Issues & Regulations for Oil Tanks, Registration, Abandonment, Leak Reporting
 Home Inspection Report Language Library: Buried Oil Tanks, Basic home buyer advice - home inspection report language suggestions- Home Inspection Report Language Library: Visible Defects in Oil Tank Installations, Tanks, and Heating Oil Piping
- Home Inspection Report Language Library: Gas Fuel Piping or Tank Faults Basic advice - home inspection report language suggestions
- Home Inspection Report Language Library: Oil Tanks text file list © Oil and Other Storage Tank Leaks, Testing, Abandonment, Inspection - UST home inspection report language files - Reference List
- Indoor Environment Website Indoor Building Environmental Hazard Detection, Testing, Repair, & Prevention - Main Web Page
- Leaky Heating Oil Tanks - Advice for Home Owners or Buyers: caused of leaks in oil tanks, oil tank testing alternatives, what to do about leaky tanks: D.J. Friedman, ASHI Tech. Journal, Vol.2 No.1, Winter, 1992 p. 42-43 Illus
- Leak or Failure Rates for Home Heating Oil Tanks
- Legal Issues Regarding Buried Oil Storage Tanks K.S. Rea, Attorney, summary from ASHI Chapter Seminar.
- Primer on Petroleum Bulk Storage Tanks & Petroleum Contamination of Property Paul H. Ciminello, ASHI Tech. Journal, Vol.3 No.1 Spring 1993, p 35-39
- Petroleum Bulk Storage J. Sibblies, NY State DEC, Advice to Home Owners and Home Inspectors about Oil Storage Tanks - summary from ASHI Chapter Seminar.
- Septic Tank inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair
- TANK FAILURE CAUSES - Oil Tank Failure Causes - oil tank leaks are caused by corrosion, damage, soil conditions, other factors
- TANK FAILURE RATES - Oil Tank Failure Rates - Oil Tank Leak Probability as a Function of Tank Age, Location, Condition, Soil Conditions and Other Factors
- TANK TESTING - - How Oil Tanks are Tested for Evidence Leaks, of Current or Previous Oil Spills
- National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, PO Box 380, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407
- "Homeowners Guide to Fuel Storage," Agway Energy Products, Verbank, NY, November 1990
- Web Link Exchange: Contact Us to list your website or contact information for oil tank testing, tank corrosion research, oil industry experts
 InspectAPedia TM Home & Site Map - Building Inspection, Diagnosis, & Repair, Environmental Inspection & Testing - Research Website
 The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How
to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems
 Home Inspection Construction Consulting Services & advice for home buyers
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