Possible Buried Oil Tank in Rowhome

If the house is part of a matching row, check with the neighbors. More than likely, someone still has their tank and there is a good chance they were installed all in the same manner – however it’s not foolproof

catboot

in Environmental and Green Design 9 years and 6 months ago

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conners | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Looking at a rowhouse in Brooklyn. Inspector found an old fill pipe at the front of the house and said it’s possible there’s an underground tank there. Spoke to another professional, however, and was told it is highly unlikely there was ever a buried tank there due to the way homes in the city were built. They were almost always built with above ground tanks in the cellar. Can anyone confirm either theory?

daveinbedstuy | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Unlikely. Can you trace where the fill tube runs? Most likely into the basement. This will become an issue if your mortgage company believes there is a buried tank. And, your insurance company. But, not likely that appraiser for the mortgage even considers it.

pwnnyc | 9 years and 6 months ago

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My PLG rowhouse had a buried oil tank – was known at time of purchase, and created no problems with my mortgage. We had oil tank decommissioned soon after purchase and converted to gas – entire process was smooth, cost ~$12k.

shahnandersen

in Environmental and Green Design 9 years and 6 months ago

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Surprised by the inspector’s comment. In most cases if there is cellar (below grade), the oil tank was above ground, not buried below it. Are there any artifacts on the concrete floor where the legs supporting the tank were originally. No artifacts proves nothing, but ghost marks from the supports would be definitive.

nalusurf | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Agree that it is not likely. As Dave said you may be able to trace it in the basement. You may be able to see a pipe (or remnants of one) entering the front of the home in the cellar and approximately in line with the fill port in the front. Along with the fill line you may be able to see a second pipe that acted as a vent and may even be visible directly in front of your house in front.

tressilliana | 9 years and 6 months ago

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As others have noted, if you have a cellar (below or partially below ground level) it is unlikely that the oil tank is buried. When we bought our home the previous owner had converted to gas but had been lazy and kept the old oil tank (which was above ground) and the associated lines in place. You could see the lines from the front facade and could trace them to the tank in the cellar easily. Our inspector noted it and was only concerned that there was no residual oil in the tank and recommended that the fill pipes outside either be removed or welded shut to prevent any chance of an ‘accidental delivery’. Obviously the likelihood of this happening is about zilch, but I guess he felt the need to cover his butt. It raised no issues with our mortgage or insurance companies.

conners | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Thanks for the comments everyone. I will attempt to trace the line and look for footprints of the old tank. Only problem I foresee is that they switched to gas more than fifty years ago. And since then (I assume it was afterwards), the basement was finished. So the remnants of pipes may be hidden behind sheetrock. However, it sounds as though it is highly unlikely there’s a buried tank.

daveinbedstuy | 9 years and 6 months ago

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“recommended that the fill pipes outside either be removed or welded shut to prevent any chance of an ?accidental delivery?. Obviously the likelihood of this happening is about zilch” It happens more frequently than you would imagine! 🙁

resident2 | 9 years and 6 months ago

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The Home Inspection business is very over regulated and so highly litigious, that many home inspectors operate in the same manner as drug companies advertising and disclosing all the “potential” side effects of their drugs. Just read the fine print of the report and you will see the Inspector cannot be held accountable for any potential issues that they may have mentioned, so they mention the potential of everything that may be there, along with their own particular personal quirks, this one obviously has had a past experience with oil tanks. I was with a friend’s daughter recently having a potential house inspected, the inspector had an issue with Gas Boilers and went on & on about how oil heat does not Blow Up buildings as Gas can!. But to answer your question. Most tanks in adjoined townhouses with a full cellar are in the cellar above ground, but it is not always the fact. If it is a concern to you, there is a company in Red Hook that will come out and test to see if they can find a tank, and if they do; is it leaking? or has it been closed off properly and neutralized?. The last time I had it done the test was about $750.00 I think (about a year ago). A tank was found, but it was also found that it had been properly closed off.