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There’s a decent amount of houses out there with 2 tanks(I’ve even owned a house with 2 tanks). The abandoned one and the relocated new one, either outside above ground or in a basement or crawl. Not everyone has access to gas, so if a tank failed you replaced it, if you were smart, you didn’t bury another one somewhere. I’ve encountered that as well.
As long as the buried one is properly abandoned, it’s all good.
I know this sounds bizarre, but what are the chances an old house in Nassau County would have two oil tanks? One buried in front of the house and one relocated inside the basement? I actually walked away from an offer several years ago because of this.
At the time of inspection, an old oil line was partially spotted in the basement coming from the front of the house into the boiler room where there was a new gas furnace. The seller was not aware of an underground oil tank and indicated that an oil to gas conversation was done when he moved in. He pointed out that the only known oil tank was located in the basement towards the back side of the house and the vent/fill pipes above ground was clearly sealed. The town also had the paperwork for conversion on file.
So that goes back to the question about the old oil line that was spotted coming in from the front of the house. We couldn't trace the end points where this line was coming from or to and it was hard to look for any vent/fill pipes in front of the house due to the garden bed and shrubs.
Long story short, I asked permission from seller to perform a tank sweep and possibly soil testing. Seller kept insisting that there was nothing to worry about and he would not pay for the removal if an underground tank was found. I did not get comfortable and decided to walk away.
This is not uncommon at all and to me a sign of the owner being proactive. A previous owner was sticking with oil-powered heat and upon some major work or a boiler replacement, the outside tank was abandoned and a new tank was installed in the basement. You of course can't put new tanks in yards anymore, so the options are basement/garage or next to the house for larger yards and hamlets that allow this.
100% of houses that have abandoned their underground oil tanks will have these lines poking through the foundation, and probably a high percentage of those that were abandoned did not bother with pulling or cutting the lines and patching the concrete or block, likely just cut and crimped or something along those lines.
Seeing that here in Great Neck right now. A top notch inspector would be able to find the severed pipe to the house from a buried oil tank, but few even look, and those who do are not adept enough to locate it. There are no records of closure and certification required until the early 80s, so if the tank was abandoned prior to that, no one knows about it. You can bet that practically all older houses which now have gas heat had oil at one time. The big problem is that these tanks never even get emptied of their oil, and over time the tank rots and cracks, and that oil leaks into the ground, contaminating it. The other issue is that they are practically up against the foundation wall and the benzene in that oil, which is colorless and odorless, can generate the wall and get into the house. Benzene is carcinogenic and known to cause blood cancers. People who work in benzene factories have a high rate of cancer. My mother died of MDS, which then turned into AML. The buried tank outside her wall at one point simply imploded. The EPA had to cart away every bit of soil, and informed her it looked as though it had been leaking for a very long time. For that reason, I have avoided ever even looking to buy a house which may have at one point used heating oil and has no record of closure. A couple of days ago they demolished a house across the street. The house was heated by gas. However, the next thing I knew there was a truck parked which said ”Waste Oil”. Not too hard to figure out what the excavator hit. Then the next day there was a truck with a long arm which seemed to be carrying away a very large piece of twisted metal. Now there is no work going on there. I have to wonder how any houses fit this same scenario. Frightening how the local villages have done nothing to prevent contamination of these properties, and then keeping it a secret.
It’s all over LI.
As long as they provide the abandonment certificate you’re all good.
Prior to the 1980s this was not required, so if the house was changed to gas heat earlier there is no way of knowing there is a buried oil tank unless you have an adept inspector.
Everyone at the table while closing will receive a copy of the abandonment certificate. This includes the lawyer, mortgage bank, the buyer, buyer's agent, etc., etc. I had to distribute about 10 copies on closing day.
The oil remaining in the tank gets pumped out, then it's filled with foam or sand and left in the ground. Don't trust anyone who did a cheapskate abandonment by themselves. You need a certificate from a reputable company.
Don't let anyone do a tank pressure test, as it could crack the tank. Then the EPA swoops in to demand an expensive cleanup.
My agent asked me several times about the abandonment certificate, and she was relieved I was able to provide one. It's all a seller will need.
Prior to the 1980s, if a tank was left in the ground, or even if it was removed ( which is doubtful) there is no certificate. It was not required.
Seeing that here in Great Neck right now. A top notch inspector would be able to find the severed pipe to the house from a buried oil tank, but few even look, and those who do are not adept enough to locate it. There are no records of closure and certification required until the early 80s, so if the tank was abandoned prior to that, no one knows about it. You can bet that practically all older houses which now have gas heat had oil at one time. The big problem is that these tanks never even get emptied of their oil, and over time the tank rots and cracks, and that oil leaks into the ground, contaminating it. The other issue is that they are practically up against the foundation wall and the benzene in that oil, which is colorless and odorless, can generate the wall and get into the house. Benzene is carcinogenic and known to cause blood cancers. People who work in benzene factories have a high rate of cancer. My mother died of MDS, which then turned into AML. The buried tank outside her wall at one point simply imploded. The EPA had to cart away every bit of soil, and informed her it looked as though it had been leaking for a very long time. For that reason, I have avoided ever even looking to buy a house which may have at one point used heating oil and has no record of closure. A couple of days ago they demolished a house across the street. The house was heated by gas. However, the next thing I knew there was a truck parked which said ”Waste Oil”. Not too hard to figure out what the excavator hit. Then the next day there was a truck with a long arm which seemed to be carrying away a very large piece of twisted metal. Now there is no work going on there. I have to wonder how any houses fit this same scenario. Frightening how the local villages have done nothing to prevent contamination of these properties, and then keeping it a secret.
Slightly off topic many homes or buildings have huge amounts of coal left over from when boiler used that fuel often hidden behind walls. Stuff was paid for and rather than haul it out (not always easy nor inexpensive) bins were just sealed/walled off.
FYI if you are planning on getting home insurance whether new purchase or looking to switch because of price most insurance companies have an underground oil tank exclusion which means if something were to happen to the tank and it leaked into the ground it's not covered. I encountered that recently when quoting someone's home. They declined to take the new quote because of the exclusion and said they would stay where they were.
It’s all over LI.
As long as they provide the abandonment certificate you’re all good.
Abandonment certificates were not required prior to 1986, so if the heating system was converted to gas before that you will not find a certificate of closure or even know if there is a tank buried outside the foundation unless an inspector finds the severed line or you dig down far enough to look.
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