Oil Tank Sweeps: A User’s Guide for Homeowners

Older homes often have abandoned subterranean heating oil tanks, but a typical home inspection won’t reveal if one is concealed on the property, you’re considering purchasing. An oil tank sweep is intended to find any concealed tanks so that you avoid the negative financial and health effects of an oil spill.

What an Oil Tank Sweep Will Entail

Some less expensive oil tank sweeping services rely only on metal detectors, however this is ineffective. Metal may be found with a metal detector; however, it cannot be determined if the metal is an oil tank or some old hubcaps.

Select a firm that employs a variety of detecting techniques to guarantee that any oil tanks on the site are located. These services normally begin with the technician visually inspecting the outside and inside of the house for indications that an oil tank was once utilized.

The presence of an oil tank is likely indicated by the presence of an ancient oil furnace, shut-off valves, an unused fill and vent line, holes in the basement or foundation walls, and pipes sticking out of the ground. The technician can find the tank with the use of these signals. The tank may have been buried in the yard rather than put in the basement, according to a fill pipe that was located far from the vent pipe.

The technician then scans the area of the ground outside the home. There is no need to sweep the whole property since the majority of oil tanks are buried within 15 feet of the home.

A ground penetrating radar (GPR) system, which generates an electromagnetic signal that can identify hidden items through dirt, concrete, and asphalt up to 20 feet underground, is one of the most popular pieces of equipment for this phase. The technician can determine if the item is a tank or anything else by looking at a crude picture of it on the GPR display screen.

The technician may use a rod to physically probe the soil at this time in order to feel for any buried items. To establish that the item discovered is made of metal, a GPR scan is often followed with an FM detection system scan.

Ask the seller whether they have tank insurance that they can transfer to you if your oil tank sweep does uncover an oil tank. Before you close on the home, get the tank inspected and insured if it isn’t already. Any leaks will be exposed by this method. If the seller chooses to have the tank removed or sealed, they may do so at their own cost, in which case you will require proof of the procedure.

Check your real estate contract for a language requiring the seller to reveal information about any oil tanks on the land if, after purchasing the property, you come upon an oil tank there. If you come across such a condition and the seller fails to disclose the tank, they are in violation of the contract, and you may have a case. However, without this contractual requirement, you are in charge of removing or insuring the tank.

A misplaced heating oil tank presents threats to human health and the environment that shouldn’t be disregarded. An oil tank sweep will reveal if an old tank is hiding beneath the grass if you’re considering buying or have already purchased an older house. This will allow you to take appropriate action before you wind up with an expensive problem.

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