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Basic Facts & Misconceptions Concerning USTs

Financial Assistance

What You and Your Home Inspector Should Know and Look For

Tank Abandonment

This UST was modified for use as an above ground storage tank (AST) to replace the leaking UST. If an AST exists, suspect the presence of a leaking UST.

Often, the fill and vent pipes of the UST have rusted away or have been removed or are hidden by vegetation, and the property owner is unaware of the existance of a UST on the property.

Tank Removal

Standard Tank Sizes & Volumes

270-Gallons: 27 in. x 44 in. x 60 in. (obround) or 3 ft. x 5 ft. 550-Gallons: 3.75 to 3.80 ft. x 6.2 to 6.3 ft. (as shown in above photo) 560-Gallons: 3.5 ft. x 7.7 ft. 1,000-Gallons: 3.8 ft. x 12.0 ft. or 4.0 ft. x 10.5 ft.

Average Life Expectancy

Most USTs remain in service for 20 to 30 years. However, many begin leaking years before leakage is suspected or discovered. Leakage may begin in as little as 10 years in some areas due to the corrosive nature of the surrounding soils in which the tank is buried.

Where Most USTs Are Found

Many homes built prior to the gas crisis in the mid-1970s were originally heated with fuel oil and/or kerosene. Homes in rural areas where natural gas is unavailable commonly use heating oil. Practically all homes built prior to 1950 used fuel oil, as it became much easier to use than coal (if you see a coal chute, suspect the presence of a UST).

Regulations

All home heating oil USTs in North Carolina, less than 1,100 gallons in size, are non-regulated. An unused UST does not have to be removed from the ground. However, the regulations concerning soils and groundwater will require removal of the tank once leakage is discovered. Compliance with these environmental regulations is extremely costly.

Misconceptions

Residential USTs are non-regulated and should be of little concern. An active or in-use UST is probably not leaking. Removing the heating oil from the UST is all one needs to do to prevent leakage. The new owner of a property will never be held liable for the cleanup of leakage from a UST that they never even used. Filling a UST with sand, cement, or foam removes any future liability associated with a leaking tank.

This photo shows why a UST should not be filled with sand, cement, or foam, unless it is cut open for a thorough cleaning. One to several inches of oil, water, and sludge will always be left in the tank if removal is performed through the vent or fill pipe. These fluids will eventually leak out and contaminate the underlying soils.

P.O.Box 5294,Chapel Hill,NC 27514-5003