Oil Spill in Basement

Hi! I bought a brick townhouse last year in Bed Stuy and we have always noticed a faint kind of “boiler room” type smell in the front bedroom on the garden level. My husband recently posited that because of a dark staining on the front foundation wall in the cellar (near the old coal chute and also noticed in the grout between bricks in the same area on the front facade) that it was perhaps an old oil spill. The house was head-to-toe gut renovated (albeit cheaply) in 2007 when the heating was switched to gas. For whatever reason, this was NOT noted in our pre-purchase home inspection. Does anyone have any thoughts as to what this could be? If this is indeed the result of an old oil spill, is this dangerous? Is our air quality something to be concerned with? Anyone know who I can speak to about checking this out? Is there a way to fix this without spending a boat load of money? Any thoughts or advice would be very much appreciated.

cottageonlex

in About Brooklyn 10 years and 7 months ago

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Augustiner | 10 years and 7 months ago

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If it´s an oil spill, be careful not to let any inspector see it. They are required to notify the authorities. If you need to remove a proper oils spill officially it gets very expensive. Maybe there was an old oil inlet pipe to fill the tank?

cate | 10 years and 7 months ago

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Air quality testing won’t find anything. Are you sure the dark stain is a spill? We have dark stains all over our basement too, and AFAIK they’re from old water leaks. They’re certainly not an oil spill. Does the smell smell like oil, or does it smell like exhaust? If the stain is in fact from an old oil spill, focus on cleaning that. I’m not sure of all the methods, but you can probably find more info online. Baking soda? Also there are cleaning crews that specialize in this type of thing, not that you’d necessarily want to hire one, since this is probably pretty easy to do yourself. Also, you may be overreacting a bit, if the smell is indeed from an old spill and, as you say, faint.

cottageonlex | 10 years and 7 months ago

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Thanks all. I don’t believe there is a filler pipe at all, as the basement was totally re-done in 2007\. Boiler and hot water tank were moved to the back of the house. The original coal chute was bricked up with CMU block and there is only a little vent to let in fresh air now. There is a new metal panel with raised vent in the front garden, presumably where the old coal chute opened. The spill is located directly to the left (if looking at the front wall from inside the basement) of the blocked-up old opening. I will post a photo later. I will also try the Oil Dri or Cat litter – we will have to remove the sheetrock in the front bedroom to do this in that area. Does anyone know a reliable resource for air quality testing? I got a quote from Microecologies, but they were on the pricey side and the guy I spoke with didn’t instill much confidence. THANKS!!!

daveinbedstuy | 10 years and 7 months ago

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Remove the filler pipe ASAP Then a good washing down with soap and water, let it dry and spread some Oil Dri or cat litter. Smell will pass.

riva | 10 years and 7 months ago

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If construction was done properly, they should have removed both the tank and filler pipe during the oil to gas conversion but being in the industry I have seen contractors leave the tank and/or pipe buried in the ground or wall which is obviously worst case scenario and not necessarily in your case. My advice is to have a pro in for a free estimate to see what needs to be done as the odor alone is hazardous to your health. Could be as simple as an old lingering oil spill rectified with some kitty litter! WWW.WORKWITHRIVA.COM

Rick | 10 years and 7 months ago

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You have a leaky pipe. If you have switched to gas you no longer need that filler pipe and you’re better off not having it especially if it still has a filler cap outside. Recently I had the same problem and had the pipe replaced by the oil delivery company. (We have not switched to gas.) Funny thing though, they once said they filled my tank but it was empty. Later I found out that they filled my neighbors tank by mistake! If this happened to you, you could have a awful mess to deal with since they would be pumping oil in you basement. Have a plumber remove the pipe and filler cap and cement it over. Once the old system is capped off it should smell less. That would be the cheapest way to go.