Another Oil Tank abandonment question...

If you have an underground tank abandoned, and replace it with an above-ground tank, do they check the underground tank for leaks?

Or do they only check it for leaks if it is removed from the ground?

TIA!

Re: Another Oil Tank abandonment question...

I've been told that they check for leaks only if you want the tank removed.

I've also been told that you take on a HUGE risk in removing the tank.

If during the removal process it's discovered that the tank is leaking you're dealing w/ environmental issues. I've been told that can cost $10s of thousands of dollars.

Re: Another Oil Tank abandonment question...

Is there any risk in abandoning it, and NOT removing it?

Re: Another Oil Tank abandonment question...

Re: Another Oil Tank abandonment question...

Abandonement is the safest option.
My tank is underground right in front of my kitchen.

I wanted to expand the kitchen out the front but was told that the tank might present a problem. So other than that type of thing abandoning should not present a problem.

In a bout a month I will be looking into finding out if the kitchen can be expanded after abandoning.

Re: Another Oil Tank abandonment question...

Ours was abandoned before we moved in as one of our conditions, but we did a lot of research on it and called a few places. The general consensus was that unless that had reason to believe their was a leak, they would not test the soil.

Another company said it depends on what they'd use to fill the tank. If you're closer to the water, they use sand. If you're more inland, they use some kind of foam. I forget the exact reasoning, but this company said that for sand they'd have to check.

When all was said and done, I'm not sure if they ever checked when they did the abandonment, but the old bills were consistent, so it didn't seem like there would've been a leak.

Re: Another Oil Tank abandonment question...

No they don't check for leaks. We had it done in July