Underground Oil Tank Leak

What causes tanks to leak.

Underground oil tank leak. A typical leaking underground storage tank lust scenario involves the release of a fuel product from an underground storage tank ust that can contaminate surrounding soil groundwater or surface waters or affect indoor air spaces. In some cases water may leak into the tank or the leak may occur only when the tank is full thus hiding the problem from the homeowner. When buried in the soil unprotected that steel can corrode over time which causes leaks to happen. Oil tank failure data oil tank failure rates oil tank leak probability as a function of tank age location condition soil conditions and other factors.

When an oil tank leaks it normally starts with a pinhole size opening which allows oil to escape and impact the soils around the tank. Oil tank leaks refers to the uncontrolled release of oil from an oil storage tank. This indicates that oil is leaking from your underground tank and it needs to be addressed as soon as possible by our professional excavating contractors at a l l. However the likelihood of a leak increases as the tank gets older.

First if your oil tank sprouts a leak the cost of cleaning the contaminated soil and water can stretch into thousands of dollars. Typical residential oil tank sizes range from 275 290 to 500 or 1000 gallons in capacity. An estimated 1 2 million underground storage tanks nationwide are a concern. The most common reason for tank leaks is the material the tank is made of.

The risks of an underground oil tank range from environmental and legal to financial and health related. This document describes rate or frequency of oil tank leaks or oil storage tank failures focused on underground storage tanks or usts. It is relatively easy to detect an indoor oil tank leak. Outdoor oil tank leak.

These will likely be dark brown and smell like oil and seem to appear out of nowhere. If your neighbor s well or water supply becomes contaminated there is an oil tank leak affecting the water table. The cost of cleaning up a leak from an underground oil tank ranges from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on how much contamination has occurred and the worst part is there s a good chance your homeowner s insurance won t cover any of the costs. If you smell oil and you see it on the floor near or beneath the tank during a visual inspection you know you have a leak.

Risks of buried oil tanks. While possible the odds are that an underground tank 10 or 15 years old probably is not leaking. Before 1988 a majority of tanks were made of bare steel. Insurance may only cover a portion of these costs further increasing your risk.