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OIL TANK HOME
ABOVE GROUND OIL TANK INSPECTIONS
  INSPECT VISIBLE TANKS
  OIL FILL & VENT
  OIL TANK SUPPORT
  ABANDONED INDOORS
  ABOVEGROUND OUTDOORS
  OIL TANK HISTORY
  OIL TANK CHECKLIST
BURIED OIL TANK ADVICE
BURIED TANKS, FINDING
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
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Photograph of a in-home oil tank - notice the small diameter vent line?

Visual Inspection of Above Ground Residential Heating Oil Storage Tanks - ASTs for Evidence of Oil Tank Leaks
OilTankAPedia ^©

How to inspect above ground indoor oil tanks

How to inspect outdoor oil storage tanks

Common oil tank and oil piping defects and leak risk points

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The article and photographs below give advice and example photos for the visual inspection of above ground oil tanks for leaks and damage including damaged or leaky oil storage tanks, improper oil tank piping, valves, and indoor-type oil tanks located outdoors.

Here are a some important indicators of tank condition that any home owner or home inspector can examine when an oil storage tank is visible and accessible inside or at a building.

Also see additional visibly detectable oil tank defects listed at Home Inspection Report Language Library: Visible Defects in Oil Tank Installations, Tanks, and Heating Oil Piping. © 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.

INSPECT VISIBLE TANKS - Inspecting the Oil Storage Tank Exterior

If an oil or other fuel storage tank is above ground and accessible for visual inspection it can and should be inspected for evidence of leaks or damage. Here are some inspection pointers for heating oil tanks.Is the tank exterior sound, without leaking seams or excessive rust? Is there a patch or other evidence of a history of leaking?

In the photos below, note the wet bottom of the tank? The inspector needs to decide if the oil on the tank exterior is from weeping at the fill or vent pipe fittings, from leaks at the oil line exiting the tank. We were concerned about the evidence of seepage around the bottom left on this tank. That oil stain does not seem to connect to the tank fill and vent fittings. The tank may have a perforation or an opening seam.

What about the next photo? a leak at fuel line or at the Fire-o-Matic shutoff valve, or perhaps due to an actual tank perforation? The size and wetness of the oil spill on this basement floor is a bit large to blame on a drippy fire safety valve. But notice that in the upper portion of the photo the oil tank itself looks new. This oil spill was from the previous oil tank installed in this location.

This last photo shows an actual tank leaking at its bottom from a perforation. Memorize this photo and look under oil tanks when you're inspecting above ground indoor oil storage tanks.