Oil Tank Sweep
Many homes built before 1975 used oil for home heating. Many homeowners have since converted to natural gas, but sometimes there is no documentation regarding the removal or abandonment of the oil tank. If you purchase the home and later find out there is a leaking oil tank on the property, it is your responsibility to clean up the contamination, not the prior homeowner’s. Quick Environmental recommends performing an oil tank sweep as a first step if you are buying a home and there is any question that an abandoned underground oil tank remains on the property. An oil tank sweep is an affordable service that can give you peace of mind and potentially save you thousands of dollars in site remediation expenses.
How is an Oil Tank Sweep performed?
Our Oil Tank Sweep for possible underground oil tanks includes these steps:
- A visible interior and exterior inspection of the property. Our service professionals have been extensively trained in locating underground storage tanks. The technician will first look outside and inside the home for clues that may indicate a past or current oil tank, for example, the presence of an oil fired furnace, shut off switches, pipes, or lines exiting the foundation. These are just a few of the telltale signs of an underground tank.
- Any area of concern is documented
- After the inspection, we use a variety of methods when performing an oil tank sweep, including ground penetrating radar (GPR), magnetometry, and soil probing. Our tools are capable of finding underground oil tanks at depths of 20 feet.
- Our service professional will scan the ground in a 10′ perimeter around the home.
- GPR creates an electromagnetic signal to detect buried oil tanks or metal pipes and can go through soil, concrete and asphalt. If the signal does not encounter a buried object the electromagnetic signal goes deeper into the ground to rule out the presence of an object. The difference between the readings determines whether there is a buried object.
- Any evidence of buried metallic objects will be documented.
- Quick Environmental will provide you with a report that will describe in detail the inspection, any evidence of buried metallic objects and whether further investigation is warranted in order to avoid a future environmental problem.
- You will receive the report within 24 hours of the inspection.
Our office staff is always happy to answer any questions you may have about an oil tank sweep.