We Will Beat Any Competitors Written Estimate for Oil Tank Search!
Many houses built before 1975 used oil to heat their homes. Since then, most homeowners have switched to natural gas, but a significant portion of these tanks was not removed. If you buy a house and later find a leaking oil tank on the property, you are financially responsible for any necessary remediation costs, not the previous owner of the house. Certified Environmental recommends scheduling an oil tank search as the first step when buying a home - we'll do a proper assessment to find out if there are any tanks left on the property.
We use a variety of sophisticated methods to detect hidden tanks, including the use of inductive metal detectors and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) during our underground tank inspections. Our tools are capable of detecting tanks two to three times deeper than their average depth.
First, a visual inspection is performed at the interior and exterior of the structure for signs of oil tank pipes. Then, the technician utilizes an inductive metal detector to sweep the area around the structure. This equipment will inform the technician of any large metal objects present underneath the ground. In any instance in which such an object is noted, Brink’s Tank Services can have the area evaluated with Ground Penetrating Radar. The radar provides the technician with an image detailing the approximate shape, size, and depth of the object causing the metallic reading. This allows our technicians to make an accurate determination of whether or not an underground heating oil tank is present in the area in question.
In addition to oil tanks, our equipment can also be utilized to locate a number of other buried objects, including septic tanks, dry wells, or other tanks which may pose an environmental hazard.
If we find an underground oil tank, we can also remove it!
The longer a leaking underground oil tank is present on your property, the worse the contamination will become. There is even a possibility that the oil may contaminate groundwater or impact a nearby structure, which could cost you tens of thousands of dollars. It is vital that if an underground oil tank is present on your property, you have it removed as soon as possible.
Certified Office Staff
Our friendly, knowledgeable staff is always available for questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
To safely remove an oil tank, the site is evaluated for the tank’s location and any other factors which may impact the tank’s removal. Once the evaluation is performed, a permit must be applied for and obtained from the local municipality. On the day of the removal, our technicians will arrive with an excavator, excavate the tank, stockpile the soil, cut a hole in the top of the tank (if not already done so), properly remove and store any contents remaining in the tank, remove the tank, and then backfill the excavation with certified clean fill and the previously saved soil.
Yes, we also like to go inside the house if possible to see the basement first, then we electronically scan the exterior of the house with a specialized metal detector. We then provide a written report of findings.
There is currently no regulation prohibiting anyone from selling a home with an underground oil tank in NJ. The fact of the matter is that homes with an underground tank are less likely to sell as quickly as those with an above ground oil tank or gas. Also, attorneys will always talk about the unknown liability of a house with an underground oil tank.
It has been our experience after removing hundreds of underground tanks that about 20% of all the tanks we remove are leakers. Of that 20% number, less than 2% have been extraordinarily expensive projects (over 100K).
