How is an oil tank sweep done

A Complete Guide To Oil Tank Sweep NJ

Does New Jersey have an environmental problem? There are millions of oil tanks, usually home heating oil tanks, all over the state. While the tanks themselves are not a problem, many of them are old and corroded. This means the tanks may be leaking and contaminating the environment. Are you a homeowner and want to sell your home? Or, are you planning to buy a home? Here is all the information you need about oil tank sweeps in New Jersey.

What Is an Oil Tank Sweep?

In New Jersey, any time someone buys or sells a home, he or she must perform an oil tank sweep. Oil tank sweeps locate buried oil tanks on a property. About 5 percent of the houses in the United States have furnaces that use home heating oil. Most are in the Eastern United States. Many houses in New Jersey used to use home heating oil, and the oil was in tanks. Tank sweeps are usually conducted by oil tank removal companies. Usually, the companies do the sweeps by using a metal detector to see if there’s metal buried on the property. There are some companies that use radar as well to find metal buried underground.

Clues

There are some signs or clues you might have an oil tank buried on your property. Any house or office building built before 1975 may have a buried oil tank. You might also see that you have an aboveground tank for heating oil. Newer houses have aboveground tanks because they are safer for the environment. You might also notice you have pipes sticking up in your yard by the driveway. Pipes could also be at the end of your yard leading up to the house. You also might have extra lines going into your basement that don’t lead anywhere.

In the past, homeowners did not have to disclose any tanks on their properties. However, the sheer number of underground tanks raises the possibility that groundwater or soil could become contaminated. This poses a risk to animals and humans.

What Are the Risks?

There are some significant risks to your property besides contaminated water or soil. Perhaps the biggest problem with abandoned tanks is that improperly disposed of empty tanks can collapse. When a tank collapses, it can cause a sinkhole, which is dangerous. New Jersey law requires that homeowners properly dispose of tanks when they discover them. Someone will have to backfill the empty tank space with sand or with small pebbles or gravel.

Under state law, if you buy a property with a contaminated oil tank on it, you are responsible for it. That means you must pay for the cleanup. This is true even if you didn’t know about the oil tanks. The average tank cleanup cost for a buried tank can be as high as $10,000. It can cost up to $100,000 for multiple buried tanks.

What to Do. Do You Need an Oil Tank Sweep NJ

Before buying that house or property you’ve always wanted, you must hire a company to perform a tank check. Yes, an oil tank sweep NJ is a must. There are certified companies that will check the property you want to buy. You need to find a company that has the experience of finding buried underground oil tanks. Check to ensure the company has verification to find and remove oil tanks. The company you pick will come, inspect the property, and give you a detailed report. The report will tell you the exact location of the tank or tanks. Then, you can decide whether to buy the property or ask the current owners to have the tank removed first.

All American Environmental has more than 20 years of experience in oil tank checks. The company has removed more than 12,000 tanks, which has given homeowners much-needed peace of mind. Contact All American Environmental to help with your oil tank sweep NJ concerns.

Are you purchasing a new home in the Garden State? If yes, then congratulations! You have so much to look forward to. You have a new house, which means you also have a ton of new responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is to have an inspection.

It is the law to make sure you have an oil tank sweep in New Jersey. Therefore, make sure you include it in your home inspection.

Not sure what an oil tank sweep is, or where on your property to look for an oil tank? Wondering what the difference is between an oil tank sweep and an oil tank scan? Here are some answers for you.

What Is an Underground Oil Tank?

In many Northeastern states, such as New Jersey, people used heating oil to heat their homes during the winter. In the 20th century, home heating oil was a great alternative to electricity or gas as a source of heat. Trucks would come to your house and drop off heating oil through a pipe, which ran into your basement.

However, as the years went on, people began to discover problems with underground oil tanks. Over time, or because of improper installation, oil tanks can begin to leak. Leaking home heating oil can contaminate the ground and pollute the water supply. New Jersey passed a law mandating homeowners must have an oil tank sweep of their properties before they sell them. If you buy a house without having an inspection, and a tank is on your property, you’ll have to pay. It will be your responsibility to remove the oil tank from your property. Oil tank removal is a very costly undertaking, especially if the tank is underneath your house.

How Can I Find an Oil Tank Under My House?

Sometimes, finding an oil tank underground is easy. You may notice a pipe that doesn’t seem to go anywhere in your basement or your yard. You might also notice a discoloration of the soil or an oil smell in your house or yard. If there’s an oil tank on your property, there are underground oil tank locators that can spot it.

Depending on what kind of home you have and how old it is, you may need an oil tank sweep. During an oil tank sweep, a company will use oil tank sweep equipment to find any tanks. This equipment is usually a metal detector.

Tank sweeps may not be enough to find an underground oil tank on your property. In New Jersey, there is a lot of metal in the ground. This is especially true if you are living in an area that has been suburban or urban for decades. In New Jersey, metal trash in the ground makes it hard for a tank sweep to find an underground tank.

What Is A Tank Scan?

Underground tank scans are more intensive and involved than a tank sweep. First, a company will inspect all the records for the property to determine if there was an oil tank. In some areas of New Jersey, property records go back hundreds of years. After the check, a company will use different methods to search for an underground oil tank. It will collect soil and water samples. The company can also use ground-penetrating radar and other equipment to look at objects in the ground. This allows the company to see if there’s an oil tank hiding under your home.

Are you concerned the house you’re looking at might have an oil tank buried underneath it? You don’t have to worry. At All American Environmental, we can perform an oil tank scan and make sure you are in the clear. Contact All American Environmentalin New Jersey, your environmental consultants and contractors.

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